The sky was dark The clouds were grey She said "Let's go 4 wheeling To celebrate your day"
I thought that a grand idea And thus began to load The Magnificent-7 For some touring on Burrell's Ford Road
Sandwiches and sodas In a chest to keep them cool "We'll have some fun While the girls are at school"
A rockin' and rollin' And slidin' along Some slick muddy trails Not too far from home
A picnic by the creek And to my great surprise She'd brought a tiny birthday cake It was just the right size
Then I heard a great rumbling And I knew right away I'd have to make like a bear In the woods on this, my day
And so I found the potty trail Like many more before me And there I found the perfect spot To squat and hug a tree
More wheeling! Said I Let's see what adventures await Down past the old homeplace I hope there's no gate!
New tires - with tread! Made for low speed fun Went much better than those drag slicks Which for too long I had run
And more altitude, too I'd had for two weeks To make enough room For those gnarly new meats
And there on that fine trail Was the test I'd been thinking Would make or break this day Were we swimming or were we sinking?
It was ooey and gooey A sloppy rutted out mess It was long and steep And went ?round a curve, no less
Slow in 4?low we'll go As far as we can Which wasn't too far Let's hit it again
"More wheel speed!" Said I, "To clean out the tires" But at the same spot We once again mired
Twas a well placed rock Right there in the rut That prevented forward motion And it gnawed at my gut
Sure, I could winch it And explore further on But I'll not give up, yet Not til my gas is all gone!
So I hit it again More revs! Another gear! Sawtooth the fronts! Lock up the rear!
Again and again I tried different lines I tried different angles I was caught in a bind
And then on try six Or maybe seven or eight I crested the rock With the front, but wait
Will the back end follow? Or will it face defeat? Of course it will go- For just a few more feet
But the battle's not over Here's another tough spot But I'm here to give it Everything that I've got
And soon we were past it And we traveled afar Soon Donna released the white knuckled grip She had on the grab bar!
What a great memory This day's already become And we still have dinner plans With my dad and my mom.
Mark Carroll March 5, 2004.