Growing up in the South, I’m no stranger to four wheelers and a little dirt! I’ve been stranded in a field of bulls at midnight and have even flipped one a time or two. However, nothing I have experienced on any Polaris would equate to my off road adventure thru the desert in Arizona.

After scouring several internet sites for “quad adventures,” I landed on the site that allowed you to “roam free” on their four wheelers. Nothing like turning loose a group of potential non-experienced riders to experience the desert alone! After signing my life away, our group was given our gear – Fox goggles and a bonafide motocross helmet! If any of us didn’t know how to ride, at least we looked like it! The only exception to this might have been the father of two of the riders who thought Velcro white tennis shoes and tight jeans were appropriate riding clothes!

After we were led down a dirt road, we arrived at a stopping point and were told, “See you back here in three hours!” Just like that…”here’s the desert, you have your water, have fun!” So…off we went and ripped through the desert paths and mountainous bases in 4^th and 5^th gear at speeds of 35 mph. Having never really experienced the desert, I felt like I was at Disney’s Big Thunder Railroad or in a Wild West movie scene….only the cacti were real and the sun was a huge obstacle at times. I now understand the reference to “sun devil” because when the sun shines off the sand that is kicked up, you are completely unaware of anything in front of you – no visibility whatsoever! The blinding sun almost caused a severe accident when I didn’t see the fork in the path and stopped about a foot short of careening over a very steep cliff that would have certainly sent me to the emergency room. This is in addition to the 80 degree vertical climb that I made in 1^st gear and the alternate descent on the other side that had me preparing to bail off the quad at any moment. This is really the only part of the ride where I thought to myself, “You have no business being out here!”

At the base of the mountain, we came to a beautiful river that took me right out of adventure mode and straight to tourist mode…snapping pictures for a good 15 minutes. Why not test the limits of my four wheeler against the power of Mother Nature? These things are made to go in the water so why not give it a whirl? The answer to this question would be because your quad will then stall, your quarter panel will float away downstream and you will be stranded with a waterlogged machine that will only power to idle! Not to mention the disapproving stares of the rest of the group when two people return on one four wheeler. Like they didn’t enjoy the extra free hour back down the mountain where the crew had to literally tip my ride upside down to drain the water!

Like nothing had happened, my quad and I (although both of us a little beaten and weathered), made it back to base camp and sheepishly parked behind the trailer. So she wouldn’t start up again…maybe she just needed a little rest? I expected to get a little heat from the owner but he looked right at my dirty face and said, “I’ve had to ride up and down the mountains for some of the girls we’ve had out here! You’re pretty good…for a girl!” Story of my life!

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