I picked up my new ATV on Tuesday and took it for a ride yesterday. The engine break-in period is supposed to be 15 miles, so I picked a short, easy, close-to-home ride where I could get at least that many miles in. I hauled the ATV to near Cliffview Cemetery, only about two miles from my house, then started riding north toward Kenilworth. The roads were mostly gravel and suitable for just about any vehicle, so it was a relatively boring ride on an ATV. After coming down off the Claybanks Road and through Kenilworth, I stopped to check out a couple of old building foundations that I’d spotted in Google Earth. They were all rough-hewn sandstone, with none of the upper parts of the buildings remaining, but they were pretty interesting. I’m surprised that I hadn’t seen them before, after having spent the first ten years of my life in that area.
After Kenilworth I followed the old railroad grade to Helper. I ran into a section of trail there that was really muddy, and it felt terrible riding a brand new ATV through the mud. I got over it after fishtailing through some of the mud though–that seemed to put a smile on my face. 🙂 I stayed on the railroad grade until it petered out and became mostly unrideable. There were a couple of side trails that I could have followed, but I knew I would be pushing it in order to get back to the truck before it got too dark (and too cold). On my way back to town, the sun set before I got to the big natural gas compressor station north of Price and it got surprisingly cold, which I wasn’t prepared for. Fortunately it was only a few more miles back to the truck, so I didn’t have to endure it for very long.
It was nice to get back in the saddle. Today I put a new basket on my front rack for Torrey to ride in. I’m contemplating going for a ride this weekend, but it’s gonna depend on the weather, and whether or not I feel like getting out in the rain/snow. I usually try not to let the weather stop me from getting out, and as long as I choose a sandy (or at least non-clay) trail to ride, the precipitation shouldn’t pose any problems. Getting Traci and the kids to come with me will be the difficult part.