Woke up to clouds and rain threatening. What else is new - seems to be the norm this spring. We had decided to truck all the quads to Don and Betty's in Chitek Lake and start the ride from there. We were to have a steak BBQ at Don and Betty's so brought all the necessary fixings.
We hit the trails and the rain was still only a threat. It was actually quite pleasant out. The trails were really wet and as we suspected, all the water holes were full to overflowing. At least there was no dust!!
The tracker was unable to cross the bridge at Chitek as it was too narrow so we had to turn around and take a different trail. If we had had the samurai, it would have fit across the bridge without any problem as it is narrower than the tracker and perhaps even narrower that the rhinos. There are several trails in this area and picking an alternate was easy. We travelled from one mud hole to the next and John had trouble with a few. It is difficult for him to negotiate the tight turns when he is unable to work the clutch and the gas with only one foot. The "stick" doesn't work all that well unless we are on a relatively straight path. I thank the Lord that Jace was along for the ride as he helped us whenever we needed it. Actually, every one in the group helps us and we are never made to feel like we are a pain in ass to them!!
There was one mud hole where John had to finally admit defeat and have Jace drive the truck through it. With something under the hood smoking and the trail being under water, off camber and having to negotiate around a huge root system of a downed tree into a tight turn, it was virtually impossible for John to manage with only one foot. We finally got out and onto solid ground again and after a brief refreshment break, continued on. The rain was still only threatening and all in all, it was a pleasant day.
Pat had once again brought the chainsaw and it was used several times through out the day to provide the necessary width needed for the tracker. John was feeling a bit guilty about the guys always having to clear bush for us and at one point decided that he could push a relatively small tree over instead of waiting for the chainsaw. As it turned out -- a bad decision. We proceeded to indeed push the tree over - but it the process of doing so, the top snapped off and came crashing down on MY side of the windshield smashing the hell out of it!! GREAT!! By the time we give this truck to our son Casey, there will be nothing left of it!!! The sound of the tree hitting the glass was heard by most of the group. As you can see by the pics, we did a good job of the windshield!! Oh well, another easy fix and no one got hurt. The windshield had to be replaced anyway!!
As we continued down the trails, everyone took their turn at getting stuck and still the rain held off. What a great day. Before the ride, I had told Morgan and Jace that there was to be no kicking, punching, spitting or swearing at each other and neither one of the little brats were listening to me. It was good to see a smile on Jace's face and although I knew he was sad about the break up, he was having a good time on the trails.
As we continued on, John and I managed to get stuck in one more mud hole and in the process of winching out we managed to snap the clutch cable so had to finish the ride with out the benefit of a clutch. Another fix needed. I think by the time Casey gets this truck it will have completely new parts - good deal for him!!!
We eventually made it back to Don and Betty's (had only one bout of rain which lasted about 20 minutes) and started supper. As it turned out, the supper was great, the weather held and fun was had by all. We limped the tracker home and fell exhausted into bed. John's leg was aching and his foot was quite swollen - but - we had fun. Tomorrow is Sunday and God said that it is a day of rest. Good.
