ATV store?

Maybe what I should do instead of spring cleaning today is look into setting up my website for my ATV stuff? I have a website for my ATV adventures, but have not decided just what to do with it exactly other than I will eventually have maps of the local trails on it. Maybe I should think about opening an online store for ATV accessories?

I could use shopping cart software to set up a shopping cart system and sell ATV accessories that are good for trail riding in Alaska. Hmmm... I don't know though, I'm not sure I want to get into running a store. From what I have seen the ecommerce software that Ashop Commerce has is good, but do I really want to sign up and put together a store that I might not have the time to run?

I'll need to think a lot more on this idea before I make my final decision on it. For now I'll just put it on the back burner and think about it for a few hours.

Muggy day

I had hoped to get out and ride today, but it is a dreary rainy muggy day so I decided not to go for a ride. I have a low cold forming, don't really want to make it worse by going for an ATV ride in the rain. So, instead, I am going to stay inside and work. Not as much fun, but it does need to be done. Maybe I should work on some spring cleaning too, get the house ready for summer and pack away all the winter clothes. That would probably be a good idea. Better at least, than the tempting plan to spend the day in bed that I have been tossing around.

ATV Gear - RipStop BDU Pants

LA Police Gear has obtained RipStop Mil-Spec BDU Pants that are priced perfect for hard riding on ATVs or tucking away in your hunting gear for the fall. Made of 60/40 cotton/poly Ripstop, these BDU Pants feature nylon drawstring leg ties, wide 2 1/4 inch belt loops, reinforced knee and seat patches, and 6 pockets.

Check the LA Police Gear website at the link above for available colors and designs on the BDU Pants as well as a wide range of police gear available for quality footwear, flashlights, and a wide range of other gear perfect for the rugged life of off-roading in the Last Frontier.

Trail Report - Big Lake Road ATV Trail

I got the chance to ride up to the store yesterday and that log that had been across the trail at S Southpark Rd is gone, thank you to whoever removed that. The mud puddles are low enough that they pose no dangers in driving through them, but you can still get very wet if you hit them too hard.

Right now the Big Lake Road ATV trail is about the perfect trail for anyone that, like me, loves a trail that tosses a little of everything at them. It has snow and ice and mud and huge puddles... much fun to ride for the all terrain enthusiast.

I also hit the trail that cuts back from about the area of S Beaver Lake Rd off behind the Big Lake Lions lodge and out behind the Big Lake store - that trail is in good shape and has only a few mud puddles along it, none very bad in the parts I followed.

There is a new car back on that back trail, don't know when it showed up, but I'm sure that it was not there last fall when I was riding that trail. It's over the hill from the power pole, down at the base of the trail just before you get to the Lions lodge.

Big Lake Road trail report

I took my ATV up to the store yesterday, the bike trail is in decent shape, but there are a few areas on it that were of note.

Just before you get to S Southpark Rd headed toward Big Lake, there is a tree downed on the trail. It is easy enough to get over it if you stay to the low side on the thing.

The next area of note is just before getting to S Beaver Lake Rd (the turnoff for Rocky Lake) there is a very large puddle in the middle of the trail. I went to the left (headed toward Big Lake) to get around it, but there is a fallen tree there that makes that a little difficult - the puddle is as deep as it looks when you get a tire off into it, but nothing that is really impassible. I did have to stop after getting through and check that the bag on the front of my ATV was not full of water. The water had splashed right up and over it and I was not sure my camera was safe. It turned out to have a little water in there, but not enough to worry about.

Other than that the trail is in good shape for this time of the year. Much better than the very deep loose-the-atv lakes that were in it last week when I went up to the store. I got some video on the way back (had milk strapped to front so went slow, figured was good time to take video). If any of it turns up decent I'll upload it and share it.

Satellite Personal Messenger and GPS

I have found a little gizmo that I want to get for my ATV. The SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger and GPS unit.

I keep seeing ads for it on television, and it looks very kewl. Something that I would have liked to have seen in it is the ability to send a personal message, but I can understand that there is probably a lot more involved in sending even the briefest of text messages as compared to a simple true/false signal that indicates if you are all right or not.

I can see a lot of uses for the SPOT from hiking to ATVs and snowmachining, though, and would love to get one. It would be perfect for when we go up into the mountains gold panning or for my brother to take along on his paragliding flights.