Riding Under a Canopy of Color

This past Friday my dad and I took our two Yamaha Raptor Quads up to Rose City to ride. My dad loaded up the four-wheelers in the morning and checked everything to make sure they would run correctly. We put them on the trailer behind his truck and were on the rode by 11am. We had an hour drive, which consisted of me doing homework and country music playing through the speakers. Finally, we arrived to the location where we would unload the quads and go riding from the dirt parking lot. My dad put on his four-wheeling clothes, and I slipped on my brother’s riding clothes. Since this hobby started out as my dad and brother’s thing, I use all of my brother’s things- including his quad, helmet, and riding gear. He doesn’t mind though, I’m sure he’s glad it being used while he’s at college. Plus, he’s coming back in two weeks to ride himself anyway.

Our first stop after getting all geared up was lunch at Dairy Queen. We rode our quads through some trails and side streets to get to our destination. We both ate chicken wraps, fries, and of course ice cream. After lunch was finished we headed back out to the parking lot where our quads were sitting. We hopped on and away we went riding for the next four hours. Together we escaped into another world of sand hills, woods, and blue skies. The vibrant fall colors were beautiful and I was felt like I was riding under a canopy of color all day.

As I was riding along and the humming sound of the quad was all I could hear I found my mind wandering into random places. My world has been so crazy for the past couple weeks that I haven’t had time to just sit and think about my life. It was refreshing to be able to process things that have happened, or are still going on, without someone interrupting me.

After riding four hours, we both decided that we were sore and it was time to head back. My right thumb that was pressing the gas was so stiff that every once in a while I would have to give it break and move it in a different directions that wasn’t pressing forward. My dad was in front and I was following him the whole time, I learned later that this resulted in me having a face full of dirt.

After we were done riding and all loaded up, we were driving in his truck down a rode and decided to turn into a bakery. We ended up buying an apple fritter doughnut. We both agreed it was the best one we have ever had, moist in the middle and crunchy on the edge.

I am so thankful for the adventure that my dad and I had this past weekend. I keep reminding myself to cherish these moments with him. I am lucky to have the dad that I do in my life.