My good friend recently sent me some photos from 2016, and with them the memories flooded in. We were in West Virginia at his family's cabin out in the sticks riding quads and enjoying life to the fullest. I don't remember the exact make or model of ATV on which I rode, but I fondly recall how awesome it felt to be close to unstoppable on a well maintained 4x4. Whether it was a mud pit or a mountain, that thing just crawled through it all with ease, unlike the two-wheel drive quad I personally have now. It even had brakes!

This trip we took was basically the first time I had done anything of the sort; I had maybe been on a quad a couple of times, but never 'ffroading like we did. As a kid, I had a dirt bike and later a go kart, but never really went on any overlanding adventures. After the first ride I was hooked, and still regard riding four-wheelers as one of my all-time favorite activities. It's fair to say that this vacation in WV was likely a catalyst for me to buy my Honda a few years later.

From the trails to the "roads" even, the terrain in that area was pretty intense. I put roads in paranthesis because they were hardly more than flat dirt trails, and they lended themselves to some gnarly ripping speeds on the bikes. Leaving it in 2wd lead to some dusty rooster tails and sweet drifts, and by the time I left I was so much more comfortable operating the machine. That's not to say that all went smoothly, however.

I flipped the quad on the very first day we went out, within the first thirty minutes. All the veteran rider old guys we went with surely didn't let me live that one down, but thankfully both I and the ATV were okay to continue. I learned from that mistake and had an otherwise accident-free couple of days, but let me tell you, it's dangerous down there. At any given moment as you take on a narrow trail at a steep incline, a small turn of the handlebars in the wrong direction could result in a freefall and potential fatality. That risk is part of what made it fun, and we were sure to always wear helmets.

To wrap this up, I love riding. The trip I took back in 2016 is one of the best vacations I have ever been on, and I cannot wait until the next time I go overlanding. I felt on top of the world, both literally and figuratively, in the picture for this blog, and if you have ever been out like I was you know the feeling. My perfect trip would include riding powersports, a hot tub, some cold beverages, and fishing... how about you?