A Comprehensive Guide on How to Ride in an ATV Park

So, my dear loyal readers... we had an interesting ride this weekend!

I find it so funny how we talk and talk about places to ride at our Blackwater metings about where to ride and how we want to ride at new places all the time, and when someone finds one, we never really go for one reason or another.... So we'd been talking about checking out Clough State Park and the adjoining Hillsboro Everett Dam (that's a Army Core of Engineers place).... Low and Behold the ride on Sunday was cancelled as we all knew it would be so Betsy and Amanda and Ashleigh and I decided it would be a good idea to go to this new place.

Betsy invited Hannah and asked to to tell people we were going, but Hannah thought that it would be too busy with four wheelers and and dirt bikes for the horses to handle... after all it was a nice weekend day and this place is known as one of the busiest places for motorized vehicles in the southern part of the state! So, again, the four of us were the only ones who were up for the challenge.

We met up on Sunday AM and got there without much incident... of course, Betsy did have a little run-in with the bush at the entrance to the parking area where we settled, and I have to say that I am grateful that it was on Harvey's side! Poor Harvey, we opened the doors and he had his back legs planted like he was prepped for another big bump!

So, we listened intently as we saddled up for the sounds of the dirt bikes that were across the road... wondering if we were brave or just plain stupid... we tried our best as we headed out to go the "other" way from the machines... heading up into the woods behind where we had parked. So, RULE #1 for riding in a ATV park... try to ride away from the machines.....

Although these trails were great footing, it turned out there wasn't far to go.. we managed to go through a neat sand pit and follow out to some power-line looking areas... but the trail dead-ended somewhere between the swamp it ran along and an occupied tent site that we stumbled upon... but on our way back, I have to say that I managed to one, get Sky to stop eating, and two, groom the upper part of the trail of branches that were smacking us all in the face! RULE #2 of riding in an ATV park... you have to groom your own trails considering that no one else is riding as high as you are.

By this time we realized that the only place for us to go was through the main parking lot and by ALL of the trailers loaded with rough and tumble guys mounting up on their iron horses... I have to say that we got some pretty dirty looks, mixed in with the expressions of sheer bewilderment.... After the walk of shame, all was not so bad as we stuck to the roads that the machines were not allowed on! We peered into each trail we passed and wondered if we would be bombarded by a flying four-wheeled crazy person at any moment!

We wound up taking a trail which claimed to be a "River Loop" although I never saw a loop or a river. This trail was accessable to the machines, so we were on alert. Although, our biggest challenge turned out to be the the myraid of bridges which crossed the trail! Despite being sturdy, each bridge presented a challenge whether it was slats which the horses could see through or a broken board. RULE #3 to riding in an ATV park... be prepared for a bridge or five!

The first time we encountered machines, there were about four ATV's that came up behind us... luckily it was when we had just crossed one of the forementioned bridges and could get off the trail adequately..... plus it was a tight spot so they couldn't exactly go fast. To our shock and amazement, they were actually very nice and seemed to try to be overly cautious not to spook the horses. After that we relaxed a bit that these people were not assholes who were out to get us killed but mostly families with kids and responsible young people. It made it a lot easier to enjoy the trails... RULE #4 to riding in an ATV park.... don't assume everyone is out to get you and when you are nice to them, they are nice to you!

We even managed to get a lot of trotting in... although Sky was so wound up at the idea of stretching her legs, that she managed to lope in between our trotting companions. She was too funny, doing her little loping snort and rounding her body up and tucking her head in as she darted in between the trees and around the curves... on one particular staight-away which lilted to the left, she was on the right lead and I wanted her to switch so on a whim I decided to try to get her to change leads at the lope... I picked up on her reins, pushed my heel into her side near her shoulder and shifted my weight over... just a guess and low and behold, my horse did a flying change!!!!!!!!! I was so estatic, I think it was the highlight of my day! RULE #5 to riding in an ATV park... you might has well have fun and enjoy the speed while you are there!

We rode about two hours but, trust me, it seemed like more! We had to do the walk of shame again through the parking lot, and were surprised this time to be greeted by the Hooters Dirt Bike Team!

Anyway, it was a good adventure and good practice.

C

Big Changes for the Better & One Wild Ride.

So, after A LOT of heartache, and thinking and pain... I have decided that the best thing for me is to seperate from my husband, Karl. This wasn't something that I came to overnight or even over a month... I haven't been happy with the way that our relationship has been for a long time and I always thought I could change it if I tried hard enough - if I was nice enough and cooked enough meals and did dishes without complaining than he would be the guy who cared what I was doing when I was gone and he would be the guy who would want to hold my hand when we sat around with friends... but he will never be that guy and I cannot change him. Karl and I have been through A LOT together - we've known each other the better side of thirteen years and we've been together on and off for the majority of that.... we've been married for five and half years now and we've had some very happy times.... but somehow that didn't add up to a happy life together.... We tend to fight more than we talk to each other... I have felt for a very long time that he has no interest in anything that I do, whether it's which job I take or which show I go to... He has been very depressed about the way his life has turned out but yet has not changed anything about it... and he has hurt me a lot by having secret accounts and emailing girls to get together... random girls in our town! I tried very hard to get over this... I tried very hard to look beyond it that he DOES love me, which I know he does... but I have decided in the ned that I simply cannot live a happy life with Karl... as much as I want it to be better, even our relationship being better isn't going to make me happy. I feel awful because I know I have hurt him by telling him these things and he still thinks that it can be fixed but, for me, it can't. I hate that I am hurting someone who I love more than anyone but I know in my heart that after this is all over and the dust has settled, that he will be happier too.

So, I have spent the last couple of weeks deciding how life will go... I am going to stay with Josh and Lisa and take care of their baby when Lisa goes back to work. I am taking a coaching job and hope to substitute teach on the one day a week that I am not needed to babysit. In the meantime, I'll continue to draw my unemployment and work for Lisa's dad, and look for something more permanent and well-paying. I am hoping that by the time Spring rolls around, I will be able to move into my own place or roomate with someone. My friend, Kate, in Manchester offered to have me room with her and I think that might be a great idea.

I have been spending time with friends this past week or two and I cannot belive how happy I can be. We've been going to Lisa's dad's house, which is on a beautiful small lake, and we've been driving jetskis and going out on a boat and tubing behind it! I have tried things this week that I never would have tried before... I just feel like I've been walking around with my jaw clenched, not realizing I was doing it, and now that I have relaxed, I am free.

Sky is doing so well. She is hilarious, per usual. Lisa had her two cousins come up for the week and the younger one wanted to ride... so early one morning before it got too hot we went out... I hopped on Sky and per Lisa's reccomendation but Cody on Shiloh. We hadn't even gotten off the road when Shiloh took Cody into the trees to eat and then when he tried to turn him around, wound up in the middle of the road. Imagine my horror when I saw the giant dump truck coming at us and this 16 year old kid in the middle of the road, unable to control the horse! So I screamed for him to get off and lead him out of the road and I got off too.... thank God the guy went as slow as he could! So, we walk them down to where we can safely get on and I trade horses... Sky looked as though she understood what was going on... Although she probably didn't understand what Cody was asking of her the majority of the time, with his reins messed up and his not exactly sitting on his BUTT, but she tried... she tucked her face and backed up, wondering what this kid wanted! As I got Shiloh ready to pay attention, Sky followed behind and knew to take care of this kid. I spent the majority of the rest of the ride turned around to make sure my baby was doing ok! She did great - Cody let her eat way way more than I would have, but that's ok - as long as she was good.

On the way back, we passed more BIG trucks and Sky took it all in stride. She was so great and I was so proud of her, I didn't even know what to say.... I guess it's one thing when she does well for me because I have been with her so long and we know each other so well, but for her to behave so great with a complete stranger and one who didn't know what he was doing, I was so grateful.... and proud!

So, now we are gearing up to go to New Discovery at the end of the month, fast approaching! I am very excited for that and for East Corinth, which will be here before you know it!

Thanks for all the kind words and support, friends... you are all good people!

C

follow your gut

Hey,

Have you ever had that feeling in the pit of your stomache that something is or isn't right for you? ...

I've had a tumultous week... it's been such a roller coaster of ups and downs that I'm not surprised that my stomache is reacting! First, Monday rolled around... another Monday of feeling like I would never work again. It was so hard to stare at the classifieds on the computer and not see anything that I could apply for... so depressing... then Tuesday rolls around and I'm riding with Betsy and my phone rings. It's a gruff old man from a restaurant that I'd applied for ions ago wanting me to come in that day for an interview. YEAH! At that point, I"m thinking, yes, it's waitressing, but it's something and I'd be so excited just to do something.

So, I go in and have a very weird interview (if you can call it that) and they want me to come in the next day to start training. Ok. Wednesday rolls around and I go in and follow some 45 year old career server around as she swears and grabs butts of other servers and forgets to put in orders and blames it on the kitchen... but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that there wasn't a handwashing sink to be found in the place.. cooks weren't wearing gloves...soup sat on a bar for five hours without ever being tempted... (I couldn't bear to see how it was stored at the end of the night!).... in a normal circumstance I wouldn't have thought badly of it, but I have a ServSafe Food Management Safety Certification and I managed a banquet facility that had monthly military health inspections so I am pretty up to speed on how things SHOULD be.

Wednesday night I got a call to go into an interview for a teacher's aide job at interlakes high school... big yeah there! I already had an interview for a coaching job there on Monday so I set that up for right after... I am really hoping that works out so keep your fingers crossed for me... especially since Friday morning I went to go back in for day two of torture at this restaurant and after an hour of searching for my black shoes I found myself sitting on the closet floor unable to bring myself to go back there. Karl let me off the hook more easily than I deserved but I just couldn't do it.

Maybe I'm a bad person for complaining one day about not having a job and then turning one down the next day. Maybe I'm following the right path for me and next week I'll have a much better opportunity and I'll be glad I didn't go back there. Whatever the case, I followed my gut on that one.

On the Sky front, things are good. I am really enjoying her shoes and I think she might be too. We are doing much better on the roads etc. and I think I'll be grateful for them more and more as we go along... I am (gasp) foregoing a show this weekend to ride at the Mix's house for a blackwater ride. We have a hunter pace planned for next weekend and at the end of the month we are going camping in VT as a group - my first ride hosting for Blackwater.

I am looking forward to East Corinth a lot - got my invitation a few weeks ago.

Anyway, that's what is going on with me. Hope and Pray for me that the interveiws go well and I might have a job by the end of next week.

C