My First ATV ride

   Have you ever felt nervous about trying something new, but weren't sure why and couldn't find an excuse to get out of it?
As I grow older, I am also growing wiser and more cautious. What once would have been a fun time for me is now a source of aches and excuses not to go. My husband and son each have four wheelers which they drive on a local rails to trails path. It's about 8 or 9 miles one way,but they only go half way because my son is only 8 and his thumb tires easily.

I was dreading the bumps and curves I imagined it would be like.  I finally reasoned with myself that it was going to be more like a motorcycle ride,which I really enjoy, just on dirt trails instead of highways. Once I had that image in my mind,I was good to go.
  We drove to the lot and prepared to go. We both wore helmets,I had on ankle boots,jeans and a wind breaker. The initial entry to the trail was kind of bumpy, and there was horse poop on the entry bridge.He just drove past it. I immediately noticed the pretty scenery,greenery,smooth trails,signage,and the river wound along the edge most of the ride.
  My eyes were getting wind blown, but when I looked at the reflection in hubby's helmet, I realized there were goggles on top of my helmet.Much better! I didn't bring my camera on this trip because I thought it would be too bumpy and bad for taking it out.I ended up using my phone instead.
Here is the one hubby took of me,

 I did end up enjoying the ride after all, and was looking forward to taking a camera on the next trip.


We went out two days later, with my son in the lead.
 The following were pics taken,mostly in sport/action mode for the movement of the atv.

watch for horse droppings

my cameo ;)

Water and landscape are my favorite subjects, so there are several of those.

peering over the rail of a metal bridge

There were several bridges, including a few covered bridges.
 

There was a deer on the trail,but I didn't catch it in time.

The deer took off before I had a chance to focus

Who can resist a big mud puddle ;)

 
I had a great time =)
Have you been on one? any story to share about that , or a snow mobile trip?
 Thank for reading, you will really make my day by leaving a comment below =D
Love and blessings,
Lori LC

My vacation photo timeline

This Summer has been passing fairly quickly and mostly uneventfully.
I started out with a list of what had to be done and another for what I hope to accomplish before returning to work August 21st. Here is a pictoral view of what I/we have done so far. There may be duplicates from earlier posts if you have viewed other posts. Enjoy, and feel free to comment on what pic you liked or what you have done so far this summer.

The first week of Summer vacation,I downloaded Photoshop 5 and Preset designs by Jenn, in the hopes of learning how to use them and make awesome products for people.
I walked around the neighborhood and local park for views that seemed interesting to me. I hope you agree:
Here are pics taken at a local park.

These were taken around my yard.

green bean shoot

My son turned 8 and chose a cake with pigs to celebrate.

We had so much rain, it changed the landscape in some places. Governor Hassen declared some places a disaster due to some roads being entirely washed out.

Gaga pit, before and after too much rain.

I attended my nieces baby shower, and recently celebrated my great nephew's arrival (more on him in a future post).

I read a few books (reviews posted on my other blog)

Groundhogs have been seen in several places, under my deck included.

Visited my daughter and her hubby in SC.

Ate plenty of ice cream :)

 

It was raining in our living room,via a vent in the roof. The vent was habitated by wasps,which has caused a delay in repairing the leak.

The groundhog trap captured a frantic squirrel, which was released in an uninhabitated area.

Our garden has not produced much, due to an abundance of rain and searing heat when the sky is clear. There were also pests that ate the leaves.

We had a few friendly visitors, such as butterflies.

Rain drops on an Easter lily looked pretty.

Fishing behind the old Coy paper mill..

More pics will be added as Summer progresses, then it will be time to start a post about my son's journey through third grade :/

Love and blessings,
Lori LC

Rising river pics

The river has been above normal for weeks with all the rain we've had throughout summer. I will post pics taken before the near flood stages once, I wade through all my files.