For a while it seemed like summer was never going to get here this year, but it finally made it! The official fist day of summer (June 21) is coming up in a couple of weeks. It is high time we got our ducks (and trucks!) in order and hit the road for another fun season of camping, RVing, boating, and riding our OHVs.
Hopefully you have already done your spring cleaning and spring checkup so you are ready to hit the road. If not, as Larry The Cable Guy would say, "git 'er done"! But one word of caution: take your time. With the weather favoring our outdoor activities now it is really easy to get excited about heading out and that can often lead to taking shortcuts or skipping some of the steps for preparation. Believe me, that is ALWAYS a bad mistake to make! As anxious as you may be to get going, taking the time to make sure everything is ready will ultimately pay off in getting you out there faster and letting enjoy your outing with fewer things going wrong. I am a volunteer firefighter and in the fire service we have a saying: "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast". We use it to help firefighters take the time necessary to be safe and in the end, things do get done faster. Trying to work too fast, especially by skipping procedures, results in mistakes that slow things down and/or make things unsafe. The last thing we as outdoor enthusiasts want to do is to put our equipment or our family at risk. Take the time to do it right. If you don't have time to do it right, when are you going to have time to do it over? And believe me, everything is LOT easier to handle at home with the right tools and easier access to parts and supplies than it is in camp, on the road, or on the trail.
Once everything is properly serviced and prepared the next logical step is planning your outing. I suggest you choose a favorite, familiar destination and activity for at least the first trip each year. Most of us will not have been using our recreational equipment for several months over the winter and no matter how expert we might be, lack of activity takes its toll. Choose a familiar destination so aren't distracted by navigating new routes or terrain. If you are riding OHVs, ride familiar trails and warm up on some easy routes before hitting those black diamond trails. Both your body and your ride will appreciate it. You might be tempted to jump right back into some of the more exciting moves or hit the trails fast. Better to work back into it and warm up a bit first. And remember, like a very experienced desert rider once told me, ''If a trail isn't fun at 25 mph, it isn't a fun trail!'' You don't have to be running at full throttle all the time to have fun. And there are lots of interesting trails to ride if you are willing to do a little research and exploring. Looking for something new to try? Look for trails with interesting history, unusual obstacles, or intriguing destinations.
Now, some of us may have been looking forward all winter to a new experience and may find it difficult or impossible to start the season with some kind of warm up trip. While I strongly recommend that first shake down cruise, I realize the appeal of a new venture might be overwhelming. If you choose to pursue a new destination or activity for your first trip of the summer, invest a little time in making sure everything is ready: your vehicles, your gear, your provisions, and you and your fellow participants. The last thing you want is for you first trip to be a disaster! It is particularly necessary to study new destinations and/or activities ahead of time so you are properly prepared. It would really knock your hat in the creek to encounter a weight limit on a bridge that is below the weight of your rig or arrive at a campground and discover there are length limits you exceed! Quite often we may have upgraded our vehicles or equipment over the winter and this first trip of the season will be our shakedown cruise. Allow extra time to adjust to operating new equipment and for making any necessary adjustments or repairs as you go. If you do have new equipment, it might be wise to take an easy shakedown/break in cruise before launching on a full blown outing.
Get out there and have fun!
