Ashley Simpson is crazy!

 

Ashley Simpson, our ATV guide from Northwoods Outfitters, is one crazy woman! Blog Pictures 2010 476  What we thought was going to be a 2 to 3 hour excursion along the beautiful Moose Head Lake ended up being an 8 hour all day off road experience across 200 miles of the rocky terrain of the surrounding hills and mountains!

   

Before our trip, Bo and I read the website’s description so we’d be prepared for the day.

Guided ATV Tours
For the best riding experinece join one of our guided ATV tours. During your tour we will lead you to some of the regions highlights such as fabulous views, remote trout ponds, and moose and wildlife watching. Trips are offered daily as 1/2 and full day tours. Private or small group trips available.

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The first mistake was that both Bo, my mom, and I assumed my dad had purchased the 1/2 day guided tour. In addition we assumed the moose and wildlife watching was along the lake.

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Needless to say, we were wrong on all accounts and definitely assumed way too much. This was hands down the scariest experience I’ve ever had. Now that we survived it, my mom and I can appreciate it for what it was while the boys are already yearning to go back.

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Our adventure started promptly at 10am. We met Ashley about 10 miles outside town where she was waiting for us with three ATVs, one for her and two for us to share. It had been established ahead of time that similar to jet skiing, my mom nor I had any interest in driving the ATVs. We were definitely fine riding behind my dad and Bo. Ashley took us through the safety, use, and rules of the ATV for about 15 minutes before we took off. Notice the smile on me and my mom in these pictures. That is 100% ignorant bliss!

The first hour was primarily flat, gravel trails combined with a few rolling hills which took us to the beautiful streams and small water falls. Ashley was great about stopping for scenic picture opportunities during the entire trip!

The best part about all these pictures is the fact that Bo is in jeans. I think I see him in jeans and a t-shirt 2-3x per year. Normally his weekend wardrobe is khakis and a polo so this was a fun, casual change!

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And my friends, this is where the fun came to a rapid hault. After this picture was taken the terrain turned rocky and hilly. Once we hit the true off road terrain which included 45-60 degree accents over loose rocks and boulders, I was all tears and overcome by fear. This was NOT my nor my mom’s idea of fun. But, I kept thinking that it was okay because the less I yelled at Bo to slow down the more he would and the quicker the 3 hours would be over.

After finishing a rocky terrain Ashley suggested we pull on our bandanas as we were in for a fast, flat gravel area. She bragged that we’d be able to reach speeds of 65 miles an hour on the gravel and dust would be flying! Once again, I started to grow wary. I don’t like heights or uncontrollable speed. I’m not one to go bungee jumping though I don’t mind rollercoasters or sky scrapers because for some reason those seem safe.

Bo immediately became excited and gunned it. I yelled for him to stop as my gloves weren’t on. After a quick break for my adjustment we were off. Unfortunately my parents and Ashley were a good 2 minutes ahead of us and not in sight anywhere. In fact, that is my only complaint about Ashley. She liked to go fast and would only turn around to check on us every 5 minutes or so.

About 20 minutes into the path Bo took a curve too quickly and didn’t see the sharp curve ahead. Blog Pictures 2010 486We slammed off the trail into a ditch that immediately threw me out of the ATV and flipped it on top of me. HANDS DOWN THE SCARIEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE! I slammed on my back and at that moment knew all my dreams of running a marathon and living a normal life were gone.

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My second thought was that we’d wrecked the ATV which we’d already been warned was worth over $8,000. All I could think to do was cry and pretty much wail. Mean while Bo was fine and pretty much panicking as I refused to move. I’d seen Rescue 911 one too many times and knew that I shouldn’t try and move until help arrived. However, I saw the ATV sinking deeper and deeper and saw that Bo couldn’t flip it back over by himself. Out in the middle of no where far from my parents and Ashley there was no way we were going to get help. I gingerly tested movement. I was sore but nothing was broken. I gradually stood up and started crying again, this time with relief. We were able to flip the ATV over just as we heard another one approaching. Ashley had noticed we were missing and back tracked until she found us. She made me bend and try some twists before prescribing Emu Oil for my back and the impending swelling.

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Bo rubbed the emu oil all over my back which Ashley insisted would help the pain and swelling as it has numbing effects. I looked at her in tears and said I could continue as I didn’t want to ruin the fun and figured we only had another 30 minutes to an hour. “Ha, no we have about 5 more hours ahead of us, you’ll be great!”

Excuse me!? Oh yes, only my father would sign up for the full day as his family’s first ATV experience just because it was a better value. I love my dad sometimes. 🙂

The rest of the afternoon pretty much included me counting the seconds, enjoying parts of the scenery, bonding with my mother over our fear and hatred of this experience, and then a few laughs in between. It wasn’t that the ATV experience was bad as it wasn’t. It just wasn’t our cup of tea. But, we did get some great pictures and enjoy some amazing views of Maine!

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Now that I’m safely curled up in bed I can say that there were aspects I loved about this trip. It gave us a chance to experience something new which my parents love. It was also a great event for the four of us to do together as it was a great bonding experience. Even though Bo and I have been together for almost 7 years he and my parents are still getting used to this new relationship/friendship. Laughing about the tears today was great!

By the end we were all filthy, sore, and excited about a shower and glass of wine! The trip was 8 hours in total which meant engaging muscles we never knew existed. The guys used their legs, chest, and arms while mom and I primarily engaged our arms during the trip as we held on for dear life!

Look at this dirty gang!

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I’ve gotta say, I really do love that my family and I can have such diverse adventures and experiences together. I can now say that I’ve been off-roading in the backroads and hills of Maine on an ATV. And now, thankfully I never have to do it again. Or, at least not until my teenage children beg their cool mom to go with them! 🙂

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In the Morning Sun

After a wonderful night’s sleep, I was finally able to explore our room and the gorgeous inn! Breakfast was served from 8am-9am so I snagged a few moments before meeting my parents downstairs and captured our room’s adorable details on film. I love bed and breakfasts that understand the importance of details.

Blog Pictures 2010 452 Blog Pictures 2010 453 The bed was smaller than we are accustomed to but the feather bed was a treat! Blog Pictures 2010 454       Blog Pictures 2010 455 The bathroom includes a double soaking bath and a stall shower. Blog Pictures 2010 456 I love the double lamps in the bathroom.Blog Pictures 2010 457 The lobby is warm and inviting with the fresh flowers and warm hardwood floor. Blog Pictures 2010 458 Who is that dapper young man? 🙂 It’s amazing what a shower and good night’s rest can do for someone.Blog Pictures 2010 459

Their full bar which features an autographed picture of Jerry Garcia!

After my quick exploration it was time for a homemade breakfast in the sun lit breakfast nook. The area housed six tables included a four person round that suited our needs perfectly this morning.

The first course included fresh grapefruit broiled with brown sugar and Maine blueberries. I would love to recreate this at home as it gave the grapefruit a whole new flavor.

The second course was homemade blueberry waffles topped with toasted pecans and Maine maple syrup. I ate half of this one and half a piece of bacon before passing the rest to Bo and my dad.

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After breakfast Bo and I decided that a quick run would be the perfect way to take in the landscape. It also allowed me to use my new Garmin which worked perfectly.

Pre-Run

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The run was filled with hills. We ran 3.1 miles in about 34 minutes which wasn’t bad considering it included hills. We ran without headphones and chatted instead. Similar to Dori, I am trying to run without music more often.

Next up on our agenda was an ATV tour of Maine’s back woods. Mom, Bo, and I thought we were on our way to a two or three hour excursion. Hence our smile below,

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We’re about to leave for dinner so I can’t give a full recap but I’ll leave you with this picture which is worth 1,000 words.  Eight hours later our feet looked like this. Imagine what the rest of me looked like especially since my greatest fear happened and I was indeed thrown off of an ATV and then it proceeded to fall on me. 🙂

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Bucket List

Like many other people, I saw the movie Bucket List a few years ago. I really enjoyed the movie and characters. The fact that you have to live life to the fullest resonated with me and in fact it inspired me to create my own bucket list soon after.

My bucket list is a bit out of hand. At last pass, it had over 50 items on it. While I don’t necessarily need to narrow it down, I would like to compare mine with Bo’s. To give you a taste of some of my dreams, here are a few of mine:

-Rent a villa in Italy for a week

-Run and complete the NYC marathon

-Go on at least a week vacation with just my mom

-Visit every continent

-Go sky diving

-See a moose

See a moose? Yes you read it right. Over the past few years I’ve traveled to many areas that are supposedly filled with moose. In fact, they have so many moose that they have roadside warning signs!

My family has a house in the beautiful mountains of Vermont and I’ve camped and hiked throughout Yellowstone and Yosemite. Yet I’ve still never seen a moose! This became a running joke between Bo and I and therefore I included it on my bucket list. What’s on your bucket list?

Hopefully, I’ll be able to check this off my list by Sunday. Bo and I are on our way to spend a weekend on Moose Lake with my parents in Maine. It is our first visit to Maine and couldn’t come at a better time. The area looks absolutely gorgeous and our room has a king size bed, double bath, and overlooks the lake! I love cozy bed and breakfasts. But, what has me even more excited is this:

Moose Safaris – Whether you choose one of the areas slower paced pontoon excursions in search of moose with a drink in hand or prefer to be picked up at the Inn by our private guide and venture via canoe to the back ponds, you can be almost guaranteed to site moose, their young, and other wildlife. A moose safaris is truly a unique Maine experience.

Um, yes please! I can’t wait!

While Bo and I were waiting for our flight at LaGuardia we decided to grab some dinner. At first glance all we saw was McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and Mex in the City. But, hidden between these we saw Cibo! We wanted to get the weekend started off right with a glass of wine so Cibo Bistro and Wine Bar seemed like the natural choice.

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The restaurant features a bar and seating for about 40 people.  The restaurant was packed which we thought to be a good sign. After finding a table we switched from work mode into weekend mode with a glass of sauvingon blanc.

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Ahh,  it felt so nice to take a few minutes and enjoy a date night together even if it was in an airport restaurant.

Blog Pictures 2010 449       We both have a soft spot for goat cheese and beets. I love the crunchy texture mixed with the creaminess of the goat cheese and the way it coats all the lettuce. We started with this salad and the clams. Both were surprisingly good. In fact, I think they were gone in 5 minutes flat!Blog Pictures 2010 450

Check out our gorgeous view! Hello sunset and Manhattan skyline!

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I wasn’t really hungry by the time we ordered dinner so I told Bo I’d have a few bites of whatever he ordered. He went with his craving and chose the chicken marsala. It needed salt and didn’t hold a candle to the appetizers. I had a few, okay maybe a ton, of mushrooms and then called it quits.

Overall though, I was very impressed with Cibo and would highly recommend it if you’re in the US Airways terminal of LaGuardia. The service is slow when they’re packed but the view is great and the food is beyond your average airport farewithout breaking the bank.

 

Okay our flight is boarding! Have a great night and I’ll check in bright and early. I’m hoping to test out the Garmin in the backwoods of Maine tomorrow before breakfast with my parents.

Don’t forget to enter my smart girl skin care giveaway!

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