A Snowy Quad Ride

Many people think that riding quads and UTVs is just a good weather pastime, which is fine if you are a warm-blooded person. The rest of us like riding whenever we get the opportunity so we will keep riding as long as there the snow isn’t deep enough to stop us or the freezing rain has made it impossible to get traction even in four-wheel drive. We have utility quads so they are equipped with four-wheel drive and differential lockers so they can usually go places that the two-wheel drive only sport quads may have difficulties gong without having to get a high-speed run at them. The trails with their tight turns can make high-speed runs difficult and trying to make a sharp turn in the slick mud or snow really doesn’t work well.

Tire chains are available for quads and they would be great options if you have a muddy backwoods trail that you have to go through or you have to make it home in icy conditions. We generally try avoiding putting ourselves in the latter because being stuck somewhere in the freezing cold because you can’t make it home would definitely suck. We do carry survival bags with fire starters in them on the quads, but we would prefer not to use them if we don’t have to. Being at home with the fire going and a nice hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate is way more comfortable.

I got off of work early one day and the freezing rain started when I got back to the house. The world always looks great in the freezing rain when everything is coated in a layer of ice, especially when the sun comes out and everything begins to sparkle. We prefer not driving in it if we don’t have to, but we always worry about the “Idiots on Ice” when we do. The power went out, as expected, so we just opened up the fireplace insert a little more to keep the house warm without the fireplace fan. That meant that Hannah couldn’t work and Jessica couldn’t do her schoolwork without an internet connection so we decided to go for a ride.

The quads were left outside when the freezing rain started so we had to start them so they could get warmed up good as the shift linkages had become freezing rain victims so we had to let them thaw out so we could get the quads into gear. After that we were on our way finally just as the freezing rain changed over to snow. The layer of fresh snow on top of the ice layer meant that we could have some fun too.

It wasn’t too cold and we kept the speeds low enough that the windchill wasn’t a problem at all. Jessica has driven in the snow many times before so I wasn’t worried about her as long as she didn’t try racing around too fast to have even more fun. Four-wheel drive might mean you can take off faster, but you’re not going to stop any faster than anyone else. She is usually very careful anyway so it is rarely a problem. We will also pull kids around in sleds behind the quads once in while to have even more fun. The old-style car or truck hoods with the rounded fronts made excellent sleds to tow around in the snow, but they have long since rusted away so we are back to sleds now.

We rode around for a while and looked at the white covered world with the ice-covered trees and bushes so we could just enjoy life without worrying about being anywhere to do anything. The times like this make us really appreciate the freedom of being able to enjoy the outdoors that all too many people in today’s busy world will never get a chance to experience. The quietness of the world in the snow is truly amazing when the wind is still as there are no sounds whatsoever making it dead silent. I am always reminded of my time at the police academy when I encounter this as many of us could not sleep in the city as it was never silent at all. There were always traffic noises, sirens, airplanes, and other noises so a lot of us could not sleep. Conversely about a month later our class went to the driving portion of the academy which is away from any towns to reduce noise complaints from any people and it was quiet there and the city people could not sleep as it was too quiet so they couldn’t sleep without some sort of noise. The rest of us slept really good for a change.

Jessica and I handle the cold way better so we kept riding until Hannah started getting cold so we went back home for a little bit. At some point I plan on adding heated grips to the handlebars for cold weather to help out on really cold days. We have flexible covers for the handlebars to reduce the windchill when you’re riding at higher speeds, but I didn’t put those on yet. They do make hard covers too, but I was afraid of hitting a limb or tree on the trails and getting a hand stuck behind a bent piece of metal so I got the flexible ones because of that. This is also why you check the freezing point of the coolant in your quads during the oil changes because you might decide to go riding in the winter.

We went riding again until it was time to start dinner after Hannah warmed up by the fire for a while. Between the woodstove and our camp stoves we never have to worry about how we are going to cook when the power is out. This wouldn’t be the first time that we used a cast iron frying pan or Dutch oven in our woodstove and it probably won’t be the last either. None of us can figure out how so many people and kids spend their free hours just playing video games all day when there are things to do outside. Granted the weather can be bad enough to keep you indoors where even we will actually do indoor stuff, but not if we can go outside. Many kids are missing out on a lot of fun and learning basic life skills so they will always be dependent on someone helping them out with real world problems like changing a tire, fixing a minor breakdown, and many other basic problem-solving skills. Life is short so get outside and have fun any time you can without letting a little cold weather stop you.