Uh Oh!

This past weekend we attended the Spring Sling mudfest at Triple Canopy Ranch. We're always amazed at (1) some of the vehicles people are driving in the mud and (2) what they attempt to do. This series of photos exemplifies that. This guy apparently didn't watch anyone else go through this mudhole before he attempted to do so. That's Daves first rule...never attempt a mudhole you haven't already watched someone else go through 'cause you never know how deep it is! The truck had to be pulled out. When the passenger opened up their door, a flood of muddy water came rushing out. Bet the driver was glad the guys in the back saved the coolers from floating away as I'm pretty sure he probably wanted to drink heavily after this!

Mud Bogs - Palm Beach International Raceway

On Saturday, Dave and I went to the Mud Bogs at PBIR. This was their second mud bog event and we knew from the turnout at the first that this one would be even better. Plus, there was $20k in prize money to be awarded. We were very impressed with the changes the facility had made since the first event. There were alot of safety issues at the first event, and those had been corrected. Also, the bleachers had been extended to go the entire length of the track so we were actually able to sit down (we stood up for the entire event the last time). It all started off rather slow as the stock class was first up and I believe everyone in this class got stuck and had to be pulled out. The stock class is basically made up of vehicles that have not had any changes...stock...no lifts, no oversize tires, no motorwork, etc). I'm not really sure why they even have this class...you can look at the track and know that a stock vehicle is not going to make it. Maybe it's for entertainment...so everyone in the stands can laugh at the knuckleheads...I mean hopefuls, who let their buddies talk them into running! In any case, the runs got better as the "non-stock" classes progressed. The best runs of the night had to be what I'll call the super modified class (lots of motorwork, big lifts and way oversized tires). Check out the video!

August Trip - Ocala National Forest

Back in August, Dave and I visited my sister and brother in law in Archer (between Ocala and Gainesville) for a long weekend. We brought the ATVs as they live in a rural area like us, and you can ride the ATVs on the dirt roads. We also planned an outing to the Ocala National Forest. They have approximately 130 miles of trails that you can ride the ATVs on. We'd never been there, and neither had Chris and Rich. We had a great time. Some of the trails were pretty mild...long, wide and straight. And then some of the trails were very technical...high banked berms, tight turns and whoops!!! We had a great time the entire weekend. It was nice getting to see Chris and Rich. Did I mention Rich is an excellent cook?! OMG...the homemade pizzas were out of this world!Chris and Rich

Dave - I love this picture so much I had it printed as an 8 x 10

Me!!!

Rich - way out in front on the trail!

Mud Bog at Palm Beach International Raceway

Last Saturday night Dave and I went to the first mud bog at Palm Beach International Raceway (the old Moroso) in Jupiter. The racing started at 4:00pm, but we didn't get there until 7:00pm and the place was packed!!! The bleachers were totally full, so we walked down to the end of one of the race lanes and stood behind concrete Jersey barriers. We had a great time and spent much of the night dodging mud! Dodging the mud will kind of explain the quality of some of the pictures...they were taken with my cell phone and a few were while I was backing away from the spray! While we have been to plenty of "mudfests" this is the first race we've been to. PBIR did a good job of setting it up, but I think they may have found that they need to make it a little safer for the crowd to watch. We were able to get pretty close to the vehicles as they came down the lanes and there were a few close calls on the opposite side where they only had orange construction fencing, and not the concrete jersey barriers. One of the trucks came pretty close to having a moment that could have been filmed for "Most Shocking Videos"! Luckily, no one was hurt and the racing continued. They raced everything you could think off...trucks, jeeps, cars, buggies, and even a couple of snowmobiles! They also had a pretty big food and vendor area. We're already looking forward to the next one!

Mudfest at Holley Mud Hole

Over Memorial Day weekend Dave and I went to the Mudfest at the Holley Mud Hole in Okeechobee. We brought the black CJ and the 4-wheeler, and two of my brothers-in-law (Bob & Chris) and my sister-in-law (Janis) met us there. We had a great time. It wasn't too crowded (the last old Okeechobee mudfest had about 30,000 people...yes, I said 30,000) and the weather was good. I'm going to let the pictures tell the rest of the story!