Tag Archives: side-by-side

The Dalton Highway in September

Last fall we took a camping/hunting trip up the Dalton.  We were lucky to get tons of beautiful weather.  Only a little rain.  Summer is almost here!

This old bridge had a few holes in it...
This old bridge had a few holes in it…
It's unbelievable how long this partially burnt/cured wood burned in the camp fire!
It’s unbelievable how long this partially burnt/cured wood burned in the camp fire!
Judy found some orange lichen.
Judy found some orange lichen.
There are tons of awesome trails along the pipeline.
There are tons of awesome trails along the pipeline.
Those are people over there!
Those are people over there!
Red-tipped lichen.
Red-tipped lichen.
Checking out rocks.
Checking out rocks.
That's the Dalton way over there.
That’s the Dalton way over there.
Zoomed in.
Zoomed in.
Weathered rocks.
Weathered rocks.
We heard a gun shot while we were here so someone must have gotten a moose.
We heard a gun shot while we were here so someone must have gotten a moose.
Cool old abandoned car.
Cool old abandoned car.
Owl pellet....?
Owl pellet….?
Gray Jay
Gray Jay
Bird of prey nest on pipeline machinery.
Bird of prey nest on pipeline machinery.
Jack's creative square fire.
Jack’s creative square fire.

Jack gets his ATV stuck on a muddy trail!

Yes, Jack got stuck in a mud puddle.  It was a big mud puddle though!  If fact, it was kind of a swamp.

He was not pleased!  After sticking a few pieces of wood under the vehicle for traction and not getting any we gave up and started walking.  Thank goodness it was only a mile back to the road!  I stayed there with our dog and Jack hitched a ride back to our house to get the 4-wheeler that has a winch on it.  So in a flash Jack was back, and soon we had the side-by-side out and we were heading down the trail on our merry way… it was already 11pm but Jack needed to balance his hard work with some hard play so we didn’t get home for another 2 or 3 hours!

We found a great easement trail!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with side-by-sides, they are similar to 4-wheelers but bigger and you can sit side by side behind a wind shield.  It’s more comfortable than a 4-wheeler, warmer, and you don’t get rained on.  Best of all, our old mutt can ride instead of run so he doesn’t wear himself out.  He must be part sled dog because he would run himself into the ground if you let him.

Moral of the story:  have a winch on your ATV if you are going to drive it through mud.  Jack hadn’t gotten around to buying one when we got stuck.  But you can be sure it’s at the top of his to-do list now!  Either way, it was a very fun night and we probably wouldn’t change a thing even if we could.  🙂

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