Saturday, October 6, 2007

The weekend is here!

Well it's the weekend at last... My better/other half is going to be very busy so that means that I can go riding guilt free! Not sure where the group will head to tomorrow (Sunday) but wherever it is I'm sure that it will be a good ride. I have a brand new Thor helmet that is still in the bag brand new and clean. I've got to get it dirty! I heard that it is against the law to have a perfectly clean helmet. Can't break the law!

Before I forget...... if you find this blog.... and like what I've done with it please feel free to tell me about it. If nothing else just drop me a note to say hello! See ya'll tomorrow.

Just could not stop till I showed this picture of "Pringle"


Now I may get into trouble for showing this...... but most people would call this deep...... OH no..... not this gang...... they call this "feep" . I'll not try to explain...... for I might offend someone, I'll just let your own mind try to figure it out. But I just had to show you how to get an ATV very dirty! The one picture that I don't have is the one of the 3 ATV's hooked to him that pulled him out finally! Why? Well like I said there were 3..... and two of them were "female" powered! Can't pull and take pictures at the same time! Now I wish that I had handed my camera to someone!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Views from Stone Mountain, an ATV riders dream





I just had to add some more photo's from this ride. It was such a beautiful day and I got some great photo's. These are some of the views from, White Rocks, Goat Mountain and ??? (I forgot the name of the one place that we rode through but it is over in Kentucky somewhere!

September 30, 2007





WOW! Huge group met at Rose Hill.... we tried yet again (I forgot to mention this last post) to get to Martins Fork Lake.... but can't get there due to a mines reworking an old site. Maybe soon they will be done and I can get there from here.
I'll let the pictures do the talking for this ride..... Can we say DUSTY?

September 23, 2007




By this time we have been several weeks without one drop of rain.... it sure was getting dry and VERY dusty. But still we ride! Met up with the group at Rose Hill again. This time we went up to Hagan and went across Crow's Foot into Kentucky. Started to have some trouble with a couple of the ATV's... but still they pushed on in hopes that they could/would make it and find what they needed. Had one to drop out not to long after we got over the mountain. He had a rear seal leaking and nobody had any 90W oil to replace what he had lost. He turned back. Then the rest of the group pushed on. Dale.... poor fellow had the worst luck of all! His ride...... OVERHEATED big time! His fan died on him and so he had to drift off the mountain.... then be towed to a safe place to where he could be loaded up and took home. Oh did I forget to say that this time I was the ONLY woman along? But I have to say that this group of "gentlemen" were just that.... perfect gentlemen!
We fought dust like crazy.... it's getting so dry. AS much as I love riding I almost hate the dust more. But still I pushed on. I didn't get my camera out to get many pictures that day. But I did get one of something/someone that we found on the top of the ridge coming home. JOAN! Now I'll admit.... that is one strange ride she's on. But it made it to the top of the mountain and back down so I guess that's a good thing! There is a picture of Joan and her ride.

Despite the dust we did manage to find some mud... Kitty's dirty! And of course I have to show KITTY all cleaned up and ready to go back to the barn for a weeks rest.

Sept. 16, 2007




Now this is what I call a ride! Although I didn't get to do the entire ride the rest of the group made it and I think I heard them say that it was over 80 miles that day!
A LARGE group met at Rose Hill to start the ride at 9 AM. I took my niece Morgan, forever known from now on as "Mudpuppy" with me. That kid has grown up on an ATV and can out ride most men! Anyhow first stop on the ride was "Rock Church"... that is such a nice place to see.

We rode from there on over to the Kentucky side and rode.... and rode.... and rode! The entire group stopped again at the bridge to nowhere. But this time I was one of the ones to get brave! Ever seen a fat lady jump off a bridge on an ATV? You will now! Look close...... NOT one wheel is touching ground! Would have gone higher but you got to admit that Kitty is carrying a load. OH well... not everyone can be skinny!

Morgan and I had to leave the group and meet up with my husband at the furthest point of the ride. My trip meter said that we had rode 49.7 miles! We had to attend a birthday dinner for my dad.... his 78th! Both of us were filthy.... I do mean filthy! Hubby and her mom both had to bring us clean clothes. We had to go into the bathroom at the mall in Middlesboro to change and clean up.. but it was worth it. I'll admit.... Morgan was a little worse for wear than I was.... and here's why....Have you ever seen anyone have so much fun in dirty water? Now you know why we've named her "Mudpuppy"!

Sept. 12, 2007




Again Pam called to see if I wanted to go on a ride with her and Terry. This time there is a fellow named Doug that was going to serve as our guide. HE knows every inch of Mountain Drive and trails that I'd never found on my own. This time we put in midway on what we had been doing. Instead of making that left hand turn this time we went right then kept going till we got to KY 1344 and went left... then parked on top of the hill.
Doug took us everywhere up there (well not everywhere but lots of new places)..... saw some places that I never dreamed would be there. Found the waterfall..... and some beautiful wooded trails that were great!

September 3 ride




What I'm about to tell you, well you might not believe. There were 6 that took the ride that day, and they ranged in ages from 13 to 73. Now that might not be so strange, but 5 of the 6 were women.... and the only man was in his late 30's!
I had been telling my mother and the rest of my family about "Mountain Drive"..... so we loaded up and took off. There was myself, my mom, my youngest sister, and two of my nieces and David! We rode 40 miles that day and yes Mom did every inch of it!
We rode to "Bridge to Nowhere" and the girls (13 & 14) walked down to the river and had a blast playing in the water. They got in..... clothes and all... even laid down in the water! Silly youngens. But it was a hot day and I'm sure it felt good.... and they were totally dry by the time we got back to the trucks to come home... mud covered and dusty..... but dry.
At one point when we were leaving the bridge everyone lined up at the furthest edge.... and the race was ON! Needless to say.. David won... he's riding an 07 AC 650 with more power than the rest of us..... but Mom said that if she had her other bike that he'd never have caught HER! And believe me... she's right!

August 30, 2007


On Aug. 30 the phone rang. It was my friend Pam. She and her husband Terry wanted to take a short ride that evening.... so I loaded up KITTY and we took off! We met up at the trail head in Rose Hill, VA. Unloaded and went up what was the old RR tracks (abondanded and removed) toward Hagan. It was a short ride.. but it was a RIDE none the less! Again I've got photo's.... but if I try to post it I'm afraid that I'll loose this post all together! Grrrrrr!
It was a good ride..... I saw some country that I hadn't seen before. If you take a left at where you have to cross the tracks you go up to the top of the mountain to a place that they call "Crows foot". Rough bumpy ride..... but do-able in 2 wheel drive.
One thing I've learned to do is to take photo's while moving! Sometimes they are good... other times not so good. But it will give you a sense of what my back yard looks like!

August 26, 2007 ride




ON August 26, 2007 I finally got to take the ride with my son in law. Jason had to borrow a ride, due to the fact that his was in the shop! He borrowed my Mom's! We hauled our rides down to Middlesboro, KY. If you've never been there here's how to get to the trail head...... Turn like your going into the Park Headquarters. Turn to go up to the Pinacle.... make a right turn onto st. rt. 988. Go to the stop sign, turn left. Bare right onto rt. 188 then bare right again (still 188 but it's in a curve)... go to the end of the state road....... keep going.... road is not kept up... very rough but you can make it. Find a wide spot and unload. Your at the beginning of "Mountain Drive". If you take the trail that goes to the right up the mountain..... then bare left you will make the loop. You can find a map of what I'm talking about if you google Middlesboro and look for these route numbers.
It really is a good ride....... especially what they call "the mud pit" that is on top of the mountain on your right. Be on the lookout for it! FUN! I would show you a picture.... but I'll loose this entire post..... yet again!
Anyhow we did that ride then crossed over KY. rt 1344 on to another reclaimed strip job. You may have to look for it...... but there is a bridge there that is called "the bridge to nowhere". It's a $5 million dollar bridge that Ky built.... it butts into RT 119 between Pineville and Harlan..... but the only way to get on it is from the strip job! I've heard that they built it in hopes of someday having an industrial park up there. I know that they need jobs in that area... but for now it is one fantastic ATV place!


The first time I took it out for a real ride I went with some friends, Terry & Pam, down to "Mountain Drive" in Bell County KY. Nice easy drive/ride on the main roads and some more challenging off trails. But I was still getting used to it so I didn't do much other than stick to the main trails. I think that first ride was over 30 miles.


Went back the next weekend with my son in law. Oh I've got to tell this...... The weekend after I first got it my hubby and I were on our way down to the local flea market when the cell phone rang. It was SIL wanting to know if I wanted to go riding with him up on Stone Mountain! I was upset that I didn't get to go.... was already in the middle of plans with hubby... but then I started laughing my head off! I mean think about it..... HOW many Son-in-laws would call their MOTHER-IN-LAW to ask to go 4-wheelin with them? NOT many! But then I like to think of myself as not your normal MIL too. I'm no spring chicken, but I refuse to act my age. I will not at this point in life just sit down and wait to die. I'm not there yet even though I'm 53 years YOUNG! Anyhow we finally did get to go on our ride.... I took him down to Mountain drive. He had never been there and wanted to know how it was.



Next time I went back to Mountain Drive it was with a party of 6 people. Mostly family. A friends hubby tagged along.... poor fellow.... I sorta felt sorry for him at first. He didn't know that morning that he would be riding all day with 5 other women and NO other men! He is so brave! But the coolest thing is that the women ranged in age from 13 to 73! Yes.. 73! We did 40+miles that day and Mom rode every inch. Even made the comment that if she had her other ATV with her that she would have been the one to "smoke" David! Gotta love MOM!
TO BE CONTINUED........

Hello and welcome to my new blog!


Hello and welcome..... this is a work in progress so bare with me on this. I started another blog at another site but had way to much trouble with the pictures, so I decided to come here and give it a try.


The following pages will tell the story of myself, friend, family and my Arctic Cat aka Kitty. I've only just this summer bought myself...... for myself my very own ATV. I've rode other bikes over the years but have never been able to have one of my own. I got very lucky and found the perfect ATV! It is a 2004 Arctic Cat 300 4x4. When I bought it back in July it only had 412 miles on it! And believe me it is in sweet condition! Kitty now has almost 800 miles!


I'll get the hang of doing the postings on this quickly I hope. So hang in there and we both will take a journey!