Is it possible that I am taking off-road riding for granted?
I began asking myself that question this spring after spending two days of riding in Moab, UT, as part of an invite-only ride sponsored by Powerhouse Motorsports, a motorsports dealer in Pleasant Grove, UT. Powerhouse held its first annual Moab Rally for KYMCO owners and Powerhouse customers, spending three days riding the awesome trails in Moab.
Many of the folks on the ride had never ridden there side-by-side on the Moab trails so it was quite an adventure for them. Powerhouse owner Dustin Sweeten purposely started on somewhat easier trails the first day and we progressively rode tougher ones as the days wore on. We rode parts of Fins and Things and Hell’s Revenge on the first day, hit Poison Spider and Golden Spike the second day and the group then took on Moab Rim on day three. Unfortunately, I had to bug out early and missed the Moab Rim ride, which is one of my most favorite trails in Moab.
While it was many of the riders’ first time to experience Moab and its gnarly trails and obstacles, I’ve been to Moab many times and love to ride there. I mean, Moab is one of my most favorite places to ride anywhere. Each trail and its obstacles never get old and seem to always be challenging, regardless of how many times I ride them. While the obstacles are challenging, I am getting better each time I ride in Moab at reading the unique lines each trail offers. So maybe some of the obstacles aren’t as challenging as I used to think they once were but they are still challenging.
However, as each day’s ride progressed, I noticed something. There were several riders in the group who were a bit nervous and apprehensive (and understandably so) about taking on the obstacles on each of the trails we rode. And as they mastered each one, some drivers/riders would pump their fist in the air and exclaim aloud “That was awesome” or “This rocks” or sometimes you could see them give a sigh of relief. Many were very excited about their triumph(s). It happened over and over during the two days I was in Moab.
It was fun to watch and see people get so excited about riding a new place but it got me to wondering, “How come I am not as excited about mastering that obstacle as they are? Am I taking all this awesome riding for granted?” Was I? I hope not. I still get excited to ride and look forward to each ride I am able to take, whether it’s out my backdoor in the neighboring mountains to dial up a few miles or it’s on a new model intro, such as the one I just got back from in Tennessee where I was able to ride the new Yamaha Wolverine (the review is in this issue. I know this might sound a little weird but maybe my excitement isn’t the same as other riders’ because it’s my job to ride and while I might get to ride a fair amount of times, not many of those times are just for pleasure or to hang out with family and friends. Therein in might be the difference between what I experienced my last time in Moab and those other riders first time in Moab.
I still love to ride and count it a great blessing to be able to get paid to do something I love and enjoy so much. I still look forward to each time I get to ride and usually can’t wait to either throw a leg over an ATV or slide into the seat of a side-by-side. And I hope I never take riding and being in the great outdoors for granted. That would be a sad day indeed.
