I'd just like to start by saying wow, what a weekend. Actually I'd have to say it was almost a life changing experience.
Did you know that you can survive for two and a half days without any cell service? I hate to admit it but this was a fact that I knew, but have completely forgotten to exercise.
In early November my wife and I rented a cabin from some friends in Benezette, Pa and joined the Central Mountains ATV Club on their Annual Elk Ride and Toy Benefit.
This was a little bit of work for us because even though we work in the industry we had to arrange a loaner from our friends at Lancaster Honda, not only a machine to ride but a trailer to haul it on. Then mother nature had her say and drove temps into the teens for the weekend so we had to go acquire some cold weather gear and... psyche ourselves out that we would actually stay warm on this adventure and have some fun. (boy could I think of some other things to do with a free weekend besides freezing off my watussie)
Anyhow we manned up so to speak and went and picked up our loaner in 15 degree weather and 30 mph winds and we headed north to Elk County.
My wife and I don't get away near enough so we always just enjoy the ride no matter where we go. We take the time and see the sights and make the journey as much fun as the destination. Usually when we arrive we contact our clan at home and let them know we arrived safe and to give us a call, no matter what.
We arrived at our cold cabin rental aptly called Camp Reject shortly after dark and began to find our way around. Thank goodness our friends had some heat going for us but warned that we would need to get a fire going to stay warm. We got the truck unloaded and as I began to get the fire started my wife Deb attempted to text our kids to let them know we had arrived.
That's when I got the dreaded, "honey we don't have any service here". (enter dramatic music). Isn't it funny how we have come to depend on these phones so much? I know I find myself telling my adult children about the good old days when we had to either use the phone on the wall to call our friends or actually walk to their house to see if they could come out to play.
Anyhow to make a long story short, we were in bed that night by about 8:30. With no TV to watch or phones to scroll on we decided to just call it a night to be ready for our ride the next morning. As dawn rolled around to the sound of UTV's traveling the road right outside our cabin we awoke refreshed from a good nights sleep and began to prepare our breakfast pioneer style.
As I said at the beginning of our story, what a weekend this turned out to be. We rode for three hours with our new friends from the Central Mountains ATV Club. Cold yes, but more fun than you could shake a stick at. We traveled the ATV friendly township roads in Benezette township and saw lots of Elk, we visited the winery there, checked out the Elk Visitors Center and still couldn't talk to anyone that was more than a few feet away.
As we headed back to our cabin around 4:00 pm we did discover there was a TV there with a DVD player and lots of movies. We elected not to turn it on but instead talked to each other, played a game of cards (she won) and found ourselves back in bed by early evening. Its amazing how good you can feel after a good nights rest.
Sunday we awoke and took our time getting loaded up. We said our goodbyes and headed south talking about how once we got back in cell range we were going to have to pull over to catch up on our notifications, lol.
Within the hour we were able to reach our family and found that they had all survived without us. Isn't it crazy to believe we have to stay in constant contact, or is it just me. Anyhow on a serious note our third grandchild had been born less than two weeks prior and we were both anxious to see how he was doing.
Another long story short moment - if any of you are interested in any advice what so ever. I recommend you grab your partner and go on a quest for no service. It will be refreshing, fun and a life changing experience I'm sure.
Better yet, get yourself an ATV and come join the club and get lost with many other like minded folks. I think you'll find it an adventure of a lifetime. .
Fact is there are many clubs around our state that you can join to help support trail riding in Pa while never having to ride alone again.
If you would like info on the CMATVA and all that they do you can Click Here. Next up is our New Years Eve ride
Be Alert...Ride Smart...Stay Safe...
For more info on places to ride and events to attend Click Here
Stay tuned for more Outdoorz Adventure and rides of a lifetime by following and sharing our blog.
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