Just Goin' for a Rip Are Ya Bud?

What happens when you take a maple syrup drinking, plaid wearing Canadian out of her element? A lot of random fun adventures, that's for sure! 

Burning RV's, enthusiastic truck drivers, broken balls, snow angels at the Burgdorf hot springs, dancing until the wee hours of the morning... these are some of the things that I experienced during the 2000 mile Epic Snowmobile Adventure road trip that took me through Washington, Oregon and Idaho. 

I'm pretty sure each time we stopped for gas, at least one person looked at Stephanie Santeford and I, then looked at the sleds, and asked "so...where are you taking those things?" Each time, we coyly smiled and shared that we were on an Epic Snowmobile Adventure to find snow and fun adventures along the way.... 

Most people shook their heads and wished us luck in finding some good snow to ride in. As most of you know, the west hasn't had the best snow conditions this season. Regardless, I was on a mission to find snow, meet some awesome people and learn as much as I possibly could in the short span of two weeks. 

So I guess you want me to elaborate a bit on some of these good stories from the trip right? The good stories that are supposed to be kept under lock and key, the stories I wouldn't share with my Gramma...? Well I wouldn't dare share those stories for fear of getting the people involved in any sort of trouble, but I will share some relatively G-rated stories that you may or may not find entertaining. 

Entertaining Story #1 - My First Time Meeting the Ladies 
So we're getting ready to go for a rip, and it's my first time on the Pink Hawk snowmobile ever. We took a quick short cut off of the trail, and as we popped back on the trail, I tipped the Pink Hawk. Since I didn't know how to bail top side of the sled (at that point anyways) the sled took me for a bit of a roll and I ended up stuck under it. I heard Stephanie call "I need help" and wondered who she was talking to. Once the sled was lifted off of me, I look over and saw pretty much the entire Ladies Ride group standing on the trail watching what had happened. Brandy Floyd quickly made an introduction and all the ladies called out "Hey Jess!". Awesome way to make an entrance right?! Shortly after that, I saw some of the ladies riding down that same hill on their AVI shovels, and I realized then that everything was going to be ok. 

Entertaining Story #2 - Bikini Snow Angels at the Burgdorf Springs, Idaho
On a fairly laid back day, a few ladies (who shall remain unnamed) and I decided to ride to the Burgdorf Springs in McCall, ID. Really, we just needed an excuse to soak our sore bones and muscles from several days of riding in hard packed snow. When we got to the springs, we were greeted by a group who were on a corporate retreat for the week. After making new friends, it was suggested (maybe the word 'dare' was thrown out there) that we should get out of the nice, hot springs and do some snow angels in the not so nearby snow. I'm usually not one to pass up a dare (apparently I wasn't alone in that) so we quickly ran out, attempted a snow angel and ran back into the hot steamy water. Good times and great way to make new friends! 

Entertaining Story #3 - The Story of the Broken Balls 
When we picked up the Pink Hawk from Van Amburg Enterprises, Co-owner, Liz Van Amburg, was already on her way to the Ladies Ride in Halfway, Oregon, so I only had the chance to meet her husband, Mike. The next day, we headed out for a rip on the mountain (my first day riding on a mountain ever!). Towards the end of the day, we were headed back to the sno-park and I rolled the sled when heading down a fairly steep section of a short cut to the main trail. When the sled was flipped back over, Stephanie picked up a shiny object from the ground and commented that the...ahem...balls.. that were on the Pink Hawk key chain had been broken off. That's right, after my first day of riding the Pink Hawk, I apparently didn't need them anymore! That evening, we stopped by the Pine Valley Lodge to meet all of the ladies at the 15th Annual Ladies Ride. When Stephanie introduced me to Liz, I sheepishly pulled the broken balls out of my pocket and handed them to her. "I guess I don't need these anymore," I said, as everyone around us laughed. That seemed like the beginning of a life long friendship to me!  

"But Liz...I didn't mean to break the Pink Hawk's balls!!" PC: Stephanie Santeford