Recreational thoughts.....

This yellow quad is mine. Brian has one and figured I needed one too. I don't mind having it, I learned how to ride probably about 5 months ago, the shifting is never easy for me to learn. As a kid I had trouble shifting my friend's dirt bike, always stalling. It had a lot to do with balance, or the lack there of actually. But on a quad, you have balance, it doesn't make shifting as difficult. But for me a car is still the easiest!

So here are some things I have learned about quad riding. Michael (in the picture) admires my quad, so I allow him to sit on it. He is usually riding his Dad's white one, because mine is newer and we don't want him to break mine. He bent something on Brian's quad but we have since gotten that repaired. (Thus the reason Michael can SIT on my quad for picture purposes, notice the pout?)

OK....so things I have learned!

1. No matter how small the bug.......when it hits your face at 45 miles per hour, it HURTS.

2. Your butt will become numb after riding for an hour or longer, might take slightly longer for those with more "padding".

3. Due to the numbness of my rump I have discovered that I am short enough to stand straight up on my quad and still hold the handle bars, thus allowing feeling to return to all necessary areas.

4. A bug that goes down your throat at 45 miles per hour is not something you can easily cough up and spit out. The high rate of speed ensures the bug is 1/2 way down your esophagus before you realize you need to react. It's an uncomfortable feeling therefore I do not recommend yawning while riding.

5. Yawning is sometimes necessary when riding (not because of boredom) if you are like me and wear contacts, you will need to make your eyes water in order to clear the dirt out of them. Unless you are able to go fast enough to make them water, like during the 45 mile per hour "bug eating" or "bug assaulting you" moments.

6. Riding behind someone else on a dirt road will fill your eyes with dirt.

7. Wearing a helmet that fits snug is of great importance! If you happen to be wearing a helmet that fits your spouse or adult sons well, you may discover it does NOT fit you. If it's too big, you will need to hold onto it when accelerating or risk it falling back and obscuring your vision.

8. Obscured vision is dangerous.

9. There is a lot of heat radiating off the engine of the bike when you have been riding for an hour or more. It helps to wear pants, which I didn't do.

10. The red area on your leg from the heat can take a couple hours to completely disappear.

And last but not least.... If you ever questioned just how out of shape your upper arms are. I suggest you ride a quad on a bumpy road to clear up any confusion. I KNEW my arms were......shall we say? Flabby? HOWEVER, I had NO idea just how FLABBY they were. During a particularly bumpy part on the road I am pretty sure my arm tried to swing up and blacken my eye. It missed....but barely, I suffered a slight contusion on my chin instead.

In the future I may have additional knowledge for you regarding quads, because I am an informative one, and this may even be helpful to others.