Back in action...

Mellow Yellow is now back from the shop and good as new. Mellow Yellow is the name for my 2004 Sportsman 500HO quad. I just came up with the name and I think that I like it. Anyway, the M.Y. is back from the shop and runs great except that is stalls every now and then when it is just idling. A quick adjustment is all that will be needed.

After I got home with M.Y. Beck, John (Beck's nephew), and I went for a ride. Over all is was a pretty mellow ride (no pun intended). At one point we ended up in a huge flood basin (we went there when Mungo and 00 were here). It was still really muddy from all the rains that have hit Vegas in the past two months. Well, I took Big Red (my 2005 Sportsman 500HO) across the very large mud flats while John and Beck watched. I had it in 4x4 and hauling ass. Mud was literally shooting 20-30 feet in the air behind me. All four wheels were spinning and churning as I made my way across. I made it all the way across. I should have stopped there and gone around the long way to get back.

I laid on the throttle and started hauling ass back across the mud flat. I was basically staying in the same tracks that I made on the way out. About half way back across I hit a soft spot and almost came to a stop. I thought it was all over with me sitting over 100 yards from any dry land. Luckily, my skills kicked in and I feathered the throttle just right to get me on my way again. About 4 feet from "land" IT happened. Big Red gave it everything she had but to no avail. I was stuck. I backed up and tried to get some rocking action going. NOPE. Oh well. I got out my tow rope and hooked it up to both B.R. and M.Y. John hit the gas on Mellow Yellow at the same time I hit it on B.R. Up and out of the mud. WOO WOO!

A sobering thought. It sure would have sucked to get stuck out in the middle of all that mud. There wouldn't have been a way to get it out. I would have had to trudge through all that mud, ride all the way back to the truck with Beck, drive my muddy ass to the store to buy some really long rope, drive my still muddy ass back to the stuck bike THEN trudge back out there to tie the rope on. After all that the truck would have had to be used to pull B.R. out. Let's just be happy I got stuck only 4 feet from dry land!

Big Red had been buried up to the frame but she was free!

Over 40 minutes were spent hosing the quads down when we got home. Mud was everywhere in the street...I am sure my neighbors will love me in the morning when it is all dried up. I guess I will just have to sweep that crap up.

THE END

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