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| Beaver Lodge 4 |
It became a sunny day; the snow was melting. I took a ride to deer camp on my four-wheeler; the first of its kind for us as a team; me and the ATV. I had started out on it last summer when our 11-year old grandson was visiting us from Red Cliff, Wisconsin, but we only made it a mile when it started to stall, so I quickly turned around and went back home before it happened somewhere far from any assistance, like near this old place about 3-miles away.
Vehicles bought 2nd or 3rd hand, like the 2011 four-wheeler now in my possession, are bound to have some bugs in them that the former owners didn't want to fix, otherwise they would've kept them. Add to the fact I was a reluctant purchaser in the first place (the wife just insisted I buy it to save on my old legs, joints, and heart) I could've saved money to boot not buying it; but I did. It's been a learning experience.
It is a four-wheel off-road motorcycle really; not a very big one mind you, only a 500cc Polaris Sportsman, but now that it's running like it's supposed to I think, I do enjoy riding it to places like this 'back off the beaten uh, 'muddy' path.
We got a couple three inches of new snow on March 29th and 30th; and since that time temperatures have steadily risen. Today, the sun came out stronger than ever so I thought it would be an ideal day for a little ride to camp.
I left my snowplow on which limited my ground clearance and maneuverability, but I wasn't in any hurry, so I watched where I was going with regard to staying in the center of the road, so not to get sucked into the muddy shoulder. The gravel roads and the dirt roads had got soupy, something a little challenging for an old guy of my inexperience even while I know this ATV is designed to go through a lot more than I'll ever do with it.
I did go on a mud run similar to this one in this link below, several years ago, north of Grygla. You find out that a person has to be in pretty fair shape to drive a machine like this in this way -- but if you're a kid at heart (and have a winch and a shovel ... oh, and maybe a good length of chain (and cell reception) its a fun activity. Did I mention bug repellent? Yeah, lots of bug repellent. Oh, and extra gasoline too ... And goggles, gloves; knee-high waterproof boots; maybe some dry socks too. And a warm jacket. Gets cold back in the swamp this time of year.
Oh, and some good matches. Yeah. A small tarp'd be handy maybe too ...
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