Follow at your own risk

Here's a sticker I'd like to get for the back of my ATV. Not that I do a lot of wild stuff, nothing like my brother does, but I tend to just meander around wherever I get the notion to head on the trails and worry about if I got myself lost after I realize I'm lost. lol

ATV Smart Start helmet system

Now here is a good idea. This company has a smart start system where the helmet has a sensor tag on it that prevents the ATV from starting if the helmet is not on it. The only flaw I can see with it is what keeps the kid from strapping the helmet to the carry rack instead of onto his head? Need something to outsmart the kids that just clip the helmet to the bike rather than wear it.

YouTube video of a fall ATV ride at Eklutna Lake, Alaska

Okay, the quality on this video is not the best of quality, but since my friend in California asked me to share pictures of riding in Alaska when we was talking on the phone earlier I decided when I found this at YouTube to share what Alaska looks like in the fall for riding too.

This video is from Eklutna Lake, Alaska, in early October 2006.

I'd like it if we had them pretty trees that turn red and stuff, but we just get yellow leaves.

ATV riding video off YouTube

I went off onto YouTube looking for videos of Alaskan ATVer's and found this one from Koyuk in 2003 that shows a fairly good selection of the kinds of terrain one can find to ride an ATV through in Alaska. It even shows a shot of one of the spectators that you might encounter - A bear at about 40 seconds into the video.

Everything is changing

It's interesting to look at the two post that I just made and think that despite how different the scenery looks, only about a mile separated those two points. The terrain up here changes so fast from one point to another that it is continually fascinating to ride along even trails that you have been down many times before.

A view of the trail

Another view from the trail today. This one riding along under the larger power lines up north of where the last picture had been taken.

This picture gives you a good idea on what a lot of the terrain looks like, this is part of an ATV trail that bisects a series of dog sledding trails, cutting in close to two of the local kennels. I liked this view out along the trail in the distance.

Out and about on the ATV

I went out on the ATV today, finally got in a ride on it after all my waiting to get some time for a ride. I just followed a few roadside trails like the one shown below, this is your standard roadside ATV trail in Alaska, following along the power lines beside a roadway.

There were a few muddy points, but nothing too bad. Mostly dry trail as you can see.

Geocaching

I'm plotting on taking off on a little geocaching adventure when I get the time to go riding. I figure that a local geocach would be a good destination for my first ride, so now I just have to see if I can borrow my brother's GPS from him and check out the local caches for a good one to visit as a first run.

I wanna go riding, but no time right now

Kids came by a little while ago on their collection of ATVs, motorcycles and dune buggy's. Makes me want to get out there and ride my ATV, particularly since it's a nice day out today, but I have other things I need to be getting done right now so going riding is not on the schedule.

Snow's mostly melted off now

Well, it's all thawed out now with just patches of snow here and there, so the next time I get to a point I can take off for a few hours I can take my ATV out for a spin. Well... I need to get my helmet first. Then I can take off and take my ATV out for a spin.

ATV has been found!

I have found the ATV under the snow. Well... at least I think it's still under there. See the black vaguely ATV-looking shape there? That's my little ATV hiding from the snow under its winter cover. Yup, that's it. Now I just have to get past that lake that blocks easy access to my poor baby.

Don't let the funny angle of this picture fool you, that sucker is at least foot and a half deep, 15 feet wide, and stretches into the near distance in either direction. Time to break out the mud boots and head through to save the ATV so I can take it mud bogging.

I mean, shoot, what's a little puddle to stop me getting to the bike when I will come home looking like I rolled in the mud? ::innocent look::

However, caregiver duties can stop me going. Need to get a little free time, then go free my ATV from its black cover and take it for a spin.

Of course... having a helmet would help too. ::looks meaningfully at the brother that was supposed to be painting it for me:: Ahhem...

Just a few more days

The snows melting off quick, I can see patches of ground all around out there. Just a few more days and I should be able to get my ATV out from under the cover and get back into riding when I have some spare time.

Need to get some cards for my cameras though, they don't take a lot of video on the built in memory and I still don't have the right cable for downloading from the second camera to the computer so have to get a card for that anyway.

I can still take pictures with the smaller camera as I ride around though, and some video.