Published: 20 Aug 2026

Chapter 43 – Exciting Times

Now that we’d finished up on the ziplines, we were driven to a park near the river for a buffet lunch with a deli style make your own sandwich. There were slices of turkey, chicken, and ham on various platters, as well as veggie options for those who didn’t eat meat. There were also different side offerings like hummus, apples, oranges, and grapes. There was also a vegetable tray with broccoli and cauliflower florets, carrot sticks, celery, and cherry tomatoes, along with a French Onion dip. In addition to those items, there were also single serve bags of potato chips, crunchy Cheetos, Fritos, and pretzels, along with a choice of either water, lemonade or ice tea to drink.

When we finished eating, we had time to relax for a bit, so Devin and I went to speak with Jack, Brian, and Wes a little more. We learned they are all about a year younger than us and will be starting their senior year at college in the fall. At the same time, we explained to them that we had just graduated, and they immediately began to respond.

“Congratulations,” Brian said. “I can’t wait until this time next year when I finally graduate from college.”

“Was your senior year easier or harder than the other three years?” Jack asked.

“For us, it was more difficult, seeing we were both taking a dual major, as well as taking upper-level courses.”

“A dual major!” Wes nearly shouted. “I’m having enough trouble dealing with a single major.”

“I’ll admit that it made it much more difficult for us,” Devin agreed, “but hopefully it will pay off when we start looking for jobs.”

“Are you guys going on another trip tomorrow?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, we are,” I replied. “We’re going on a UTV rental excursion, followed by another rafting trip.”

“Like today,” Devin added, “it’s a full day adventure, with two half day packages, and like today, we’ll start with the non-rafting activity first.”

“What exactly is a UTV rental/excursion?” Brian asked.

“UTV stands for utility terrain vehicle and they’re four-wheeled vehicles that can seat four. Rather than having handlebars, you drive them using a steering wheel, and there are gas and brake pedals on the floor. We’ll be renting them to drive on trails at a recreation area on a mountain.”

“So, it’s like driving a compact convertible or an old fashion jeep, like they used in World War 2, and you get to drive around for a couple of hours?” Wes asked.

“Pretty much,” we agreed.

“Would you guys mind if we joined you on that trip too?” Jack asked.

“No, as long as you can afford another package.”

“Yes, we have enough money to do that, since our parents all gave us some extra money to use for things like that.”

“Ok, great! Not only will it give us six in each raft again, but it will also allow us to have four people in each of the UTVs as well.”

“Great, then we’ll ask Lonny to go with us,” Wes quickly suggested, “since there are four in your group and your parents make up another group of four.”

“Yes, that would work out very well.”

“Ok, then when we get back after the rafting trip, we’ll see if we can get added to the same package that you’re taking.”

As we continued chatting, we also discovered why Wes was so quick to suggest they could ask Lonny to join them on their UTV. It seems that Lonny and Wes had spent quite a bit of time together while moving between the ziplines and waiting their turn to go, so they’d become quite close by lunchtime. I guess since those two were the odd men out, so to speak, they quickly bonded.

Dad called to advise me that it was time to come back and change into our wetsuits for the rafting trip, so we explained the situation to the other three and went to change. We headed to a large building at the park that had a men’s restroom and women’s restroom on opposite ends, and each one also had a small changing room and a shower. We were told it was so visitors to the park could change if they wanted to go in the section of the river that was marked off for swimming using ropes with orange buoys attached to them.

After we were ready to start out on the rafting trip, we were led down to the river, just below the swimming area. Once we arrived there, we discovered the guides and the guy driving the van, with help from the man delivering the food, had already unloaded the rafts. They’d also carried them down to the river’s edge, so all we had to do was put them in the water and hop aboard.

Shortly after we started our journey, we made an intriguing discovery. There may have been boulders in the Roaring Forks River that we avoided when we were rafting there, but they were nothing when compared to what we faced this time. This part of the Arkansas River not only had huge boulders, but both banks were also covered in huge boulders, along with an abundance of large rocks. In fact, there was one area where the right bank was just one huge rock cliff as we journeyed through the canyon. The water was swifter too, and the rapids more difficult than anything we’d faced on our previous outings.

When we got near where we’d be entering the rapids, the guide started calling out instructions on how he wanted us to paddle. He would shout things like “one forward” or “two forward”, or “one backward” or “two backward” to let us know how many strokes we were to take and in which direction. He might also add “left” or “right” to the front of his command to let us know which side of the raft was to follow that order, while the other side temporarily did nothing. If he didn’t call either right or left, then it meant we were all supposed to follow his command.

At one point, our raft encountered a huge wave that nearly tore the paddle out of Daniel’s hand, but luckily, I was able to grab ahold of it before he lost his grip. I then used the paddle to help keep him in the raft, and once I was sure he wasn’t going to fall overboard, I gave him back the paddle, and then we paddled into the next wave.

Fortunately, we got through that rough patch without any major problems, although there was nearly a disaster when the other raft nearly capsized. When that happened, Ma came close to falling out of the raft, but fortunately Mom had slid from one side of the raft to the other. She also unwittingly pinned Ma’s legs against the side of the raft. That kept Ma from taking a header into the river.

It also gave an alert Brian a chance to quickly recover his own balance and an opportunity to help Ma and Mom get upright again. It ended up being a close call that might have left Ma in the river being battered by the waves and buffeted into any boulders she encountered along the way.

We were told the trip was going to be ten miles long, but with the speed of the current it seemed like the trip passed by in no time at all. When we reached the end of our journey, we paddled the rafts over to the landing area. Then, the two guys at the front of the raft, Lonny and Pa, jumped out and held it in place until everyone had gotten off. Once we were all out of the raft, we’d all pull it the rest of the way onshore and carry it to the trailer so it could be taken back to the outfitters.

As soon as we finished, we were given the option of showering and changing before returning to the outfitters. However, after talking it over with the others, we chose to wait and do that after we returned to the motel.

As soon as we got to our rooms, we got cleaned up and changed so we could go out for supper. Once we were ready, Dad took us to a different restaurant to eat. After we ordered, we chatted as we waited for our meals to be delivered.

“Can you tell us a little more about what we’ll be doing tomorrow?” Clint asked.

“Sure! I was talking with the head guide after we returned to the outfitters,” Dad began. He told me that the three young men who joined us for today’s adventure had asked if they could join us again tomorrow. Unfortunately, the head guide informed them that they wouldn’t be able to rent a UTV, because none of them are twenty-one yet, so I’m not sure what they’re going to do.”

“Maybe I can help with that,” Lonny interjected, “because I got involved in a conversation with them after you walked away. I’d overheard what they were saying and wanted to see if I could help out. Mike’s correct and they were told that they wouldn’t be allowed to rent a UTV, but they can still pay for the rental. They wouldn’t be able to drive it, though, unless there’s an adult twenty-one years of age or older supervising them.”

“What are they going to do then?” Clint responded. “Are they going to round up some old dude to ride with them so they can drive it?”

“Actually, that’s exactly what they’re going to do, and I’m the old dude who’s agreed to do that for them. After all, I am the spare tire in our group, since you boys all want to ride in one UTV and Mike, Aaron, Cindy, and Doris are going to fill up another UTV. Rather than rent a UTV and ride alone, it was only logical that I should offer to go with them.”

“Dad, I’m sorry I called you an old dude without knowin’ I was doin’ that.”

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

“Will me and Daniel be able to drive the UTV tomorrow, as long as Michael and Devin are there to supervise?”

“I’m sorry, but anyone hoping to drive the UTVs must have a valid driver’s license or they can’t get behind the wheel. They can ride in it, but in Colorado it means you must be at least sixteen-years old, had a valid learners permit for 12 months, and passed a behind-the-wheel driver’s test.”

“Dang, that sucks, cuz I’ve heard about kids as young as ten-years-old driving ATVs and other four-wheelers before, so why can’t I drive one of the UTVs?”

“First of all, the kids driving those vehicles probably didn’t rent them, because that would become an insurance issue. Their parents, or another relative, most likely own the vehicles, and they were probably only riding them on privately owned land. In this case, however, not only is there an insurance issue with someone under sixteen driving the UTVs, but they’d also be driving them on federal land. That’s the difference and why you can’t drive the UTVs.”

“It still really sucks!”

Everyone stopped talking at that moment, since the servers had returned with our meals, but then we continued again while we were eating.

“Will the guides be going out there with us on their own UTVs?” Devin asked.

“No! We won’t need the guides, because the UTVs have GPS and onboard apps that show the various off-road trails. The apps are programmed to show the trails on the Wolford Mountain Recreation Area and Gore Canyon and we can use those to guide us. The apps will also show the rating for each trail as easy, moderate, difficult, or extreme.”

“So, using GPS on the UTVs is like using the GPS in a car?” Mom followed.

“It’s similar, but I was told there are basic differences. First of all, there are no paved streets or roads for you to follow. There are also no addresses to let you know when you’ve reached a particular destination. The GPS can only guide us over defined dirt trails and show the routes that emergency vehicles might use if there’s an accident or injury.”

“So, they basically only show the trails,” Devin stated.

“In this particular case, the GPS will also show us the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management roads, but those are not for us to use. The GPS will also indicate the land ownership boundaries, so we don’t inadvertently wander onto privately owned property.”

“It sounds interesting,” I interjected, “but do we have to follow each other or can we take different trails?”

“It would probably be safer if we stuck together,” Dad replied, “but I was told that the GPS units can also track the route you’re taking. That means it is also capable of creating what the guide called a ‘breadcrumb path’,” Dad explained. “The term ‘breadcrumb path’ refers to the Grimm brothers’ fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel. In that story, the children left a trail of breadcrumbs to hopefully keep them from getting lost. This means you’ll be able to follow the breadcrumb path back to where you started, if you happened to get disoriented or lost.”

“Good, then we can head off on our own and still be safe,” I stated.

“Yes, as long as your GPS continues to function,” Lonny replied, throwing an ominous wet blanket of uncertainty over this possibility.

“And wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the dust and dirt that will be kicked up by the UTV and the wind,” Pa added. “And I suggest that on the way back to the motel we should stop at a grocery store so we can pick up a case of bottled water to take with us tomorrow. That way we can each have a bottle of water to take along so you can stay hydrated.”

“What if I didn’t bring my sunglasses with me?” Daniel asked, slightly panicked.

“When we go to get the water,” Lonny responded, “I’ll make sure we do it at a place where I can also buy you a pair of sunglasses.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that and I’ll pay you back when I get home.”

“What about the rafting trip?” I followed, changing gears.

“A few of us had a conversation with the guides about that while we were eating lunch,” Pa acknowledged. “They told us that trip will occur on the upper Colorado River, near Kremmling, which is much farther upstream than where we were rafting before. The guides agreed that the rapids there are much more difficult than any we’ve experienced before.”

“Are you afraid that some of us may not be ready for this increased level of difficulty?”

“Yes, and I asked the guides about that too. They told me that if we’d been on Shoshone rapids without any difficulty, then we should be able to step up and handle these rapids as well, providing we heed their commands.”

“What’s so difficult about these rapids?” Devin followed.

“The guides pointed out that we’ve only navigated through rapids that are class III and a weak class IV, but the rapids on this portion of the Colorado will be a solid class IV. If we also factor in for the current conditions, the guides indicated they are possibly class IV+ or class V, which means they’ll be rated for either ‘Advanced’ or ‘Expert” rafters. Like I said, it means we’ll all have to react immediately to the guides’ commands, and sometimes that might mean he’ll be calling for us to paddle backward to avoid an object in our path.”

“You mean it will be worse than today?” Daniel gasped. “I hope I can do it then, because I almost lost my paddle and nearly got swept off the raft by the monster waves that crashed into us earlier.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be right behind you and I’ll protect you if you’re having difficulty, just like I did today.”

“Thanks, because if you hadn’t grabbed my paddle and used it to keep me from falling out of the raft and into the river. I don’t know how you did it either, cuz you had your own paddle to hang onto and I was probably pretty heavy to lift up with only one arm. You must have superpowers. I probably would have gotten really banged up by the waves crashing into me and pushin’ my body into the large rocks and boulders.”

“It wasn’t that hard, and I don’t have superpowers. It was just a surge of adrenaline. I already had two hands on the paddle, so I just released one hand from my paddle to grab onto yours. And then I was helped getting you back into the raft when the next wave tilted the raft in the other direction, so I didn’t have to lift so much of your weight.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but it sure seems like you have a superpower, especially after what Clint told me about you saving him.”

“Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I don’t have any superpowers. It was just a surge of adrenaline and a little bit of luck that helped me keep you in the raft.”

I hope that explanation was sufficient to keep him from thinking about how I did that further. If he did, he might start coming up with other questions that would be more difficult, or impossible, for me to answer without giving more of our secret away.”

When we finished our meals, we went back to the Quality Inn and returned to our rooms. As soon as we arrived there, Clint and Daniel wanted to talk some more about what we’d be doing the next day.

“I wish I could drive one of the UTVs tomorrow,” Clint began.

“I know you’re disappointed, but you can still have a good time riding in it, and Devin and I will let the two of you take turns sitting in the seat next to us while we’re driving.”

“But that will only work for the one that pairs up with whoever ends up driving.”

“Devin and I will take turns driving, and it will probably work best if one of us drives on the way out and the other one drives on the trip back.”

“Who’s going to drive first?”

Devin and I glanced at each other before one of us answered. “I’ll drive first,” Devin stated.

“Ok, then I’ll sit next to you when you’re driving,” Clint quickly volunteered.

“Good, then I get to sit next to Michael when he’s driving,” Daniel followed.

Now that they’d worked it out between themselves, I decided to ask a question. “Are you two going to shower first or second tonight?”

They looked at each other before Daniel responded. “We’ll go first.”

They immediately began to get undressed, but then they stopped to chat again before they went into the bathroom.

“Where do you think we’ll have lunch tomorrow?” Clint asked.

“They’ll probably set it up near the river again, because I’m sure there must be an open area or a park that we can use somewhere close by. They’ll probably set up the buffet lunch there, and from what my dad said about this trip, we’ll be close to Kremmling this time. Is that going to be a problem for you?”

“Nah, I was just wondering where we’ll be having lunch. So, do you think the trails for the UTVs are going to be close to that location too?”

“Give me a second and I’ll look it up on my phone to see how close the two areas are to each other.”

After doing that quickly, I discovered the information that Clint wanted to know. “It appears that everything will be happening in the vicinity of Kremmling. From my research, it looks like the trails for the UTVs are all in the Wolford Mountain area, and the launch point for the rafting trip will take place in lower Gore Canyon. Therefore, we’ll most likely be having lunch in the same general area, probably closer to the lower Gore Canyon location.”

“Why don’t you just say near Gore Canyon, instead of lower Gore Canyon?” Daniel asked.

“It’s because there are two distinct areas of Gore Canyon. The upper part of Gore Canyon has very difficult class V rapids, and at one point there are drops of 10-14 feet (3-4.25 m) when you’re navigating the various waterfalls. The lower part of Gore Canyon has class IV rapids that are challenging, but the drops we’ll encounter there will be much smaller than the drops in Upper Gore Canyon.”

“Ok, now I understand why you’re saying it that way.”

Clint and Daniel, who’d been standing naked while we were talking about this, now headed into the bathroom to take a shower. When they came out about twenty minutes later, Devin and I went through our nightly ablutions.

When we finished up in the bathroom, we found Clint and Daniel still laying naked on their bed as they watched a movie on TV. After we put on our underwear, we laid on our bed and watched the rest of the movie with them. When it ended, we all got under the covers and I turned off the lamp. bIt didn’t take any of us long before we fell asleep.

When my alarm went off the next morning, Devin and I got up quickly, but once again the other pair was still asleep. We couldn’t believe they slept through the alarm, so we gently shook them until they woke up.

Once we were all dressed, we packed our long underwear and wetsuits in the same plastic bags we’d used the day before, so we could take them with us. As soon as we’d done that, we went out to the hallway to see if the others were ready to go out for breakfast.

As we’re eating, I told our parents about what we were talking about the night before, and Dad responded to what I’d just told him.

“That’s actually a good idea and I agree that it makes sense to split up the driving, rather than having one person drive the entire time. I think we should also talk it over and see if everyone wants a chance to drive the UTV, or if just some of us want to do it.”

“And I’ll talk it over with Jack, Brian, and Wes to see what they want to do, since they’re paying for the UTV,” Lonny added.

Since we didn’t have to worry about allowing all four people a chance to drive, while our parents were discussing what they were going to do, we talked about other things.

“I’m going to ask my parents if I can go to your wedding with Clint and his dad,” Daniel informed us.

“Good, then you can help them usher the guests to their seats. I’m afraid there won’t be a lot of guests, but we’ll still need ushers to show them to their seats.”

“I’m glad you’re going to let me do that too, if I can get permission from my parents to go with them.”

“We’re pleased that you’re willing to help out.”

When we finished our meals and arrived at the outfitters, we were told to load into the same vehicles as the day before. Once we were all set, we were taken to the Wolford Mountain Special Recreation Management Area. When we arrived there, we found three Polaris RZR UTVs, and we were given a quick introduction to them, including the onboard GPS system. As soon as we were familiarized with the vehicles, we were given a warning.

“The GPS system rates the various trails, so we’ll warn you about the trails that have extreme obstacles along the way. Since you’re not experienced with these types of vehicles, I strongly advise you to only go on the trails rated easy or moderate and to avoid those rated difficult or extreme. The difficult and extreme trails might have steep climbs or travel over terrain that is covered in a lot of loose stones, which can affect traction and maneuverability. You may also encounter areas with tricky obstacles, such as large rocks, exposed roots, and deep ruts, or there might be areas where the trails are very narrow and difficult to navigate. Each of those areas will require an experienced driver to navigate through those locations to lower the risk of having an accident.”

When he finished speaking, Devin made a comment. “I understand that there are obstacles that can be dangerous, but I’ve done a lot of offroad driving in my SUV, and I’ve also driven ATVs before. Since I have some experience, would it be ok if I decided to take a trail rated difficult, but not extreme?”

“Before I answer your question, I want to point out that there are areas that have a greater risk of the UTV rolling over, as well as other locations where you might break an axel. If that happened, then you could find yourself stranded in a remote location.”

“But aren’t the UTVs designed to prevent or reduce the chance of those types of things from happening?”

“The UTVs are equipped with a roll cage and 4-point safety harnesses, and each rider will be given a motorcycle-type helmet to wear. Those items are designed to protect riders and prevent injuries, while also reducing the possibility of ejection in case of an accident. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t any risks to riders.”

“I understand that, but would it be ok for me to drive on a trail rated difficult but not extreme.”

“Since you’ve done some offroad driving and driven an ATV before, if you are careful then you should be fine.”

Now that Devin had his answer, the guide showed us how to use a 4-point safety harness, to make sure we connected them correctly. After that, we were all given helmets to wear before he finished giving us the safety lecture. When he was done, the occupants of each UTV got together to discuss which trails they were planning to follow.

Lonny’s group, which included Jack, Brian, and Wes, joined our group as we were discussing this. “You know that you don’t have to go with us, don’t you?” Devin asked.

“Yes, we do, but if you’re going to take trails rated difficult, then I want to be close by, just in case something goes wrong. Besides, these three are like you and want to try something a little more exciting.”

“But they might not have the experience necessary to do those things.”

“That’s why I’ll be driving when you choose one of those trails.”

Once we’d finished talking it over, we decided on which trails we wanted to take using a large map that was posted there. After we finished doing that, Devin and I learned what our parents were planning to do. They agreed to only follow the easier routes that would provide them with the best scenic views. They were also hoping those routes might allow them to catch a glimpse of the wildlife that may roam those areas. We, on the other hand, were looking for something a bit more challenging and exciting, maybe even a little dangerous, but not extreme.

We also learned that Jack, Brian, and Wes were going to split the driving until we went on a trail rated difficult, and then Lonny would take over. It was also obvious that Lonny wanted to be close by, in case we encountered any problems, so he could assist us. More importantly, he wanted to make sure his son was safe.

The trail that Devin started out on was rated moderate and fairly flat, although we encountered some loose stones at one point, which affected the traction. Although it wasn’t a large area, the tires would spin on the stones. The tires would also send the stones flying backward, and we could hear some of the stones hit the underside of the floorboard as they were kicked up by the tires. The good thing was that it didn’t take long before we were out of that area and moving along again.

We continued making our way along the trail for quite a while when I suddenly realized the other UTV had stopped. When I looked back to see what was going on, it was obvious that they had stopped to change drivers, so I told Devin to slow down until they caught up. As soon as they did, we continued along the same trail until Devin turned onto another trail that was rated moderate. We continued along that trail until we encountered a set of ruts that crossed our path.

Although they didn’t appear to be very deep, Devin slowed down a little, but it was obvious he wasn’t about to let this stop him. He didn’t think the ruts appeared to be very deep and felt they’d probably just been left behind when another UTV drove through the area when the ground was muddy. After the ground dried out, it left these ruts behind.

Once we got over that area, the trail was mostly flat and didn’t appear to have any major obstacles. Since he felt it would be safe to do something a little more exciting, Devin floored the gas pedal to see how fast the UTV would go.

It was difficult for those of us not driving to judge how fast we were going, mainly due to the fact that it felt different than riding in a car or SUV. It was even different than riding in a convertible, due to the size of the vehicle and the fact that the wind was whipping through and hitting our entire bodies. When Devin told us that the digital speedometer said he was only going 40 mph (64.5 kph), we almost didn’t believe him. Each of us would have bet the UTV was going much faster. Devin said the UTV would probably go faster, but he didn’t want to take the chance of something going wrong or facing Lonny’s ire later.

Eventually, the terrain started to vary slight and we began to encounter some rolling hills. This was when the other UTV stopped again to change drivers, so I told Devin to slow down until they caught up. The area we were currently driving through reminded me of the area where my maternal grandparents lived, because there were also quite a few rolling hills around that part of Missouri as well.

We continued along through this location when we suddenly came to a considerably steeper incline. We thought we could go up this and eventually turn off or turn around, but before long it appeared we were traveling into a slightly more mountainous area. That’s when the other UTV stopped again, which surprised me, because they’d just changed drivers. After I told Devin to stop and wait for them, I looked back to see what they were doing, and this time it was obvious that Lonny was taking over behind the wheel.

Once he was ready to continue, we drove on, while looking for a trail that branched off from the one we were on or a spot where we could turn around. We felt if we couldn’t find another trail that would lead us from going higher, then we would have to go down the same trail we followed to get here.

Unfortunately, the incline was steep enough that we didn’t feel it would be safe to pull a U-turn, because the UTV might rollover if we tried. It seemed like we’d been following this trail forever and it was never going to end when we came to a fork in the trail.

Apparently, this alternate route wasn’t used very often, since it wasn’t as worn down as the trail we were on and we hadn’t spotted it until we were right on top of it. Devin either knew it was there or felt he had no other option, because he took it. I’m glad he did, since continuing on appeared that it would take us to the top of the mountain and we’d be dealing with more extreme terrain.

The turn for this new path was behind a large boulder and traveled along a flatter ridge where there wasn’t as much chance of rolling over. It turned out that it was more than just the one boulder where we first turned – it was an entire rocky outcropping that we hadn’t noticed on our way up to this point. We assumed that there had been enough grass growing in the soil that made it appear that it was continuing its upward trajectory. However, nature had left a gap in the rocky terrain, and we now hoped it would eventually lead to a trail that would take us down to a lower area.

“Why the hell did you take this trail?” I asked, now that we were temporarily out of danger.

“It was only rated difficult, not extreme, so I felt we’d be fine.”

“That was a little scary, for only being rated difficult.”

“I guess that’s because there was this turnoff that I saw on the GPS. If we’d stayed on the original trail, it switched to an extreme rating as it kept going higher.”

“I’m glad you realized there was a turnoff that we could take. I wonder if Lonny has been cursing you for endangering his son and Daniel.”

“I hope not, because I didn’t think I was doing anything to put them in harm’s way.”

It’s a good thing that Devin wasn’t going very fast, because when we reached the end of the rocky outcropping the trail made nearly a ninety-degree turn. Fortunately, the area was wide and flat enough to do it safely, and then we started back down the mountainside. Devin was using the brake more than the gas pedal on this trail, at least until we reached a lower level, and that’s when I turned to look at the other vehicle. At this point, the other UTV stopped, and I thought they were going to change drivers again, but rather than heading toward the driver’s side or getting in the back, Lonny was walking in our direction.

“Brace yourself, because you might be dealing with an angry father,” I told Devin.

He merely turned his head so he could see Lonny’s face as he approached. “That was an interesting adventure,” Lonny greeted us. “I hope you knew that turnoff was there, since it wasn’t obvious on my display!” Lonny had been glaring at Devin the entire time and didn’t look happy.

“It wasn’t as obvious as the regular trails, but I knew it had to be there, since the trail was only rated difficult, not extreme.”

“I guess that makes sense, because it would have been dangerous if we’d merely tried to turn around at that point, due to the slope of the mountain. It was obviously steep enough to cause the UTVs to tip over and start rolling down the mountainside if we tried to turn around.”

“Nah, we could have had everyone else get out of the UTV first and then they could get a good grip onto the uphill side of the UTV. By keeping a tight hold on something and using their weight, they would have acted like a counterbalance and kept it from tipping over.”

“I imagine only an engineer would have thought of that solution, but it might have worked. I’m just glad we didn’t have to try it and it worked out ok, but you sure had me worried.”

“Are the other guys in your UTV going to say that you were swearing like a sailor before we took that turn?” I asked, hoping to put a little levity into the conversation.

“Possibly, because I can’t recall if I was only thinking those things or if I was actually saying them out loud at the time. I only remember that I was growing extremely concerned and wondering how Devin was going to find a way out of that predicament.”

“Like I said, I knew there had to be another way down from there, and that’s when I spotted a lighter line indicating another trail on the GPS monitor.”

Lonny merely shook his head and started walking back to his UTV, and I turned to see the faces of the other three, so I could determine how concerned Lonny had been. They all looked as if they were surprised that nothing more than a conversation had taken place, so I’ll have to ask them what they were expecting was going to happen.

When I turned back around again, I saw that Devin was checking the time on his phone, and then he made a comment.

“Maybe you should drive now, because we’re going to have to head back soon.”

“Ok, that’s fine with me,” I responded, but I was wondering if that little adventure had concerned Devin more than he was letting on.

Regardless, we all undid our four-point safety harnesses and got ready to change places, and then Daniel and I took over the seats Devin and Clint had been occupying in the front. As soon as we all had our harnesses on, I glanced over at Daniel to make sure he was fastened in, which he was, and he was also smiling like a Cheshire cat. I guess he was excited about being in the front seat this time and getting a better view.

“Have both of you finished putting your harness on?”

“Of course we have,” Clint stated. “We’re not babies that need you to do it for us.”

Satisfied, I started out again, and even though we weren’t merely out to look at the scenery, I had to admit there were some spectacular views. I pointed this out to the others, so they could enjoy it too, and the view got even better the closer we got to the reservoir. There was no way we were going there, because the terrain to get to that location was quite steep and the trails were rated extreme, so we took a different route.

As we were driving around, we began to notice that there were various locations in the distance that were covered with trees. The trees in the different areas varied in composition, and the first area we recognized there were mostly pines and spruce trees. In the other areas we might see fir trees, junipers, or aspens, and at one location there were a bunch of cottonwoods. That area appeared to be bordering an area that blended into what would be best described as sagebrush shrublands.

After we spotted that location, Devin alerted me that the other group had stopped again to change drivers. This made me feel that Lonny was making sure that each of them had an equal chance to drive. I slowed down, but kept going, and it didn’t take long for them to catch up with us.

While I was behind the wheel, I decided to try out a new trail that was rated difficult, but seeing it didn’t appear to involve any steep climbs. That made me eager to discover what had caused it to earn a difficult rating.

It merely seemed to be a fairly flat trail, and it went on that way for a while. Then all of a sudden, the terrain on one side of the trail began to start slanting downward, while the area on the opposite side of the trail was gradually sloping upward. Silently, I hoped this wasn’t going to lead to another area like Devin had taken us on.

I wasn’t sure whether this flatter area that formed the trail had been dug out at one point or if it had previously been a trail that animals had created by constantly traveling along it. Either way, there appeared to be an increasingly steeper drop off on one side and a steep slope heading upward on the other side. In between was a trail that was growing barely wide enough for the UTV to travel along safely.

I was afraid that If the wheels on the downward sloping side happened to wander off the trail, the slope was steep enough to cause the UTV to roll over. Since I was so worried about this happening, all of my attention was focused on making sure I didn’t get too close to the edge. The problem was, the other side was making it almost impossible to move farther in that direction, so I prayed the trail was wide enough so we could make it through.

Suddenly, I thought about the other UTV and wondered who was driving. I knew it wasn’t Lonny, but I forgot which of the others was behind the wheel. I just hoped he had enough experience behind the wheel so he didn’t end up causing that UTV to roll over, or he had stopped to allow Lonny to take his place.

We made it safely past area and the trail began to widen out again, so I asked Devin a question. “Look behind us and see how the other vehicle is doing. Did they make it through that area too?”

“Yeah, they’re right behind us.”

“Is Lonny driving?”

“No, Jack is behind the wheel.”

“Then I can’t wait to see what he thought about driving along that narrow trail.”

Now that we were through that tight squeeze, the trail was much easier to follow. The terrain hadn’t quite flattened out yet when Clint and Daniel began spotting different groups of animals, and many of them weren’t really that distant. These groups included a group of mule deer, some antelopes, and even a few coyotes. They obviously weren’t scared off by the noise of the UTVs or seeing us there, because they weren’t running away, so it gave the boys a chance to study them for a while.

Clint and Daniel also spotted a couple of hawks and an eagle soaring high above us and pointed them out to Devin, but I didn’t bother to look up to view them. I chose instead to focus on my driving.

At one point I spotted some ruts crossing our path and felt they were probably like the ruts we encountered earlier. I was attempting to take a slight angle across them, but they proved to be wider and deeper than I’d anticipated. They were apparently created by something much larger than a UTV, possibly an emergency or maintenance vehicle. Whatever had created these ruts were wide enough to trap one of the front tires and bring us to an unexpected halt. It was a good thing that we were wearing the safety harnesses, because they probably kept us from being injured.

Devin and I hurriedly got out of the vehicle, while telling the other two to remain in the UTV. We just wanted to inspect the situation and determine how bad the problem was. Of course, the other UTV stopped as well, and Lonny and the others got out of their UTV and joined us.

“I thought I could just drive over them, like Devin drove over the other ruts earlier, but I guess I was mistaken,” I said when the others arrived.

“There are two sets of tracks here,” Lonny pointed out. “One set is smaller and closer together, and the other set was made by wider tires and are farther apart. My guess is that these were made by a tractor after a heavy rainfall.”

“Really? You can tell all of that from just looking at them?”

“Yes, I’ve seen many tractor tracks before, since I worked on a farm when I was younger, but the question is, what do we do now?”

“I think we’re going to have to lift the front end out of that rut,” Devin stated, “so you’ll have to put it in neutral so we can push it backward at the same time.”

“Then after you’re out of the rut, we’ll just have to follow those ruts until we find a spot where they’re not as deep and we can actually cross over them,” Lonny added.

“Ok, I’ll put it in neutral and help push it backward using the front rollbar, but I’ll stay close to the driver’s seat, in case I have to jump in and step on the brake.”

“Good idea,” Lonny agreed.

Everyone but me moved to the front of the UTV around the stuck wheel so they could lift and then push the wheel back on level ground. As soon as that tire was free, I jumped in the driver’s seat and stepped on the brake, and then I put it in reverse so I could back it up a litter farther, to prevent it from rolling back into the rut. When I stopped again, I put it in park long enough for the others to get in the vehicle and we could all put on our safety harnesses.

As soon as the other UTV signaled us that they were ready to continue, I drove beside the ruts until we reached a point where they had nearly disappeared before crossing them. As soon as the others had crossed that area as well, Devin spoke.

“You’ve got to hurry now, because we’ve got to get back by 11:45. I hope we can get there by then.”

I quickly checked the GPS and looked for the fastest route back to the starting location, and then I took off in that direction. When we arrived there, everyone began talking about what a good time they’d had on the UTVs.

“The views were spectacular!” Mom gushed. “It was so much fun to just look around and enjoy the various sights.”

“And even though we didn’t get to drive as long as those of you with only two drivers, I still had a blast driving the UTV,” Wes announced.

“One of our tires got stuck in a rut, so we had to lift it and push it backward to get it unstuck!” Daniel stated.

“Blabbermouth,” I quipped, which cause Daniel to turn and stare at me to see if I was joking. Of course I was, so I winked and smiled to let him know that I’d said it merely in jest.

“I wouldn’t mind doing this again,” Jack admitted, “once I’ve turned twenty-one and acquired more experience as a driver. Next time, I’d like to be good enough to try taking the Wolford Mountain trail. I discovered that one is rated extreme and the mountain rises up more than 1,000 feet (305 m).”

At this point we were advised to get aboard the transport vehicles so we could travel to the location where lunch was going to be served.

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