Page banner image

Muddy Start To Summer


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Wet Clothing Forum - Mud Pit ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by LeviLovR on May 28, 2023 at 02:11:33

For those of us who reside in the United States this is Memorial Day weekend. Monday is a national holiday set aside to honor the memory of all the military people killed in war, and many people also use it to pay tribute to deceased relatives as well. However, it was intended as a day of memory to those who lost their lives in battle. In November we have Veterans Day, which honors all veterans, living and deceased.Memorial Day weekend is typically viewed as the unofficial start of summer and is often marked by cookouts, BBQs, family get togethers, parades and all sorts of events associated with summertime activities.

So this weekend 4x4 Proving Grounds in Lebanon, Maine held their first mud run of the season. I try to attend if possible and jump in the mud. They have a very large venue set up to accommodate a variety of events for mud trucks and atvs but I personally could care less about those - I go for the mud bog where anyone can drive their vehicle through at any time at their discretion. It is not uncommon to see several vehicles driving through at the same time and it has become a ritual for me to go and jump into the bog and have a good swim in the mud. This bog is divided into three sections and the middle section is notoriously difficult to get through. Many have tried and failed attempting to get from one end of the bog to the other.

So upon my arrival I walked past the main arena and headed straight to the bog like I always do to to check out what was going on. It was very watery, which was a tad disappointing but not a surprise. We've had a rather wet spring and all lakes, rivers and ponds have been overflowing with rivers and streams running fast and high. Our Memorial Day weekends here are notorious for bad weather but today's temps were around 80 and it was sunny and delightful. Temps tomorrow are expected to reach 90 in some places. This is definitely NOT the norm and it is supposed to stay warm and fair throughout the coming week. I had donned my black boots. a pair of 501s, an old uniform shirt I had from my days working at the Post Office (I have several and cannot wear them out no matter what I do), light blue denim tie, black vest or waistcoat, and my black cowboy hat. There are no grandstands by the bog - it's bring your own chairs or just sit on what the good Lord gave you. There is a pile of old, rotting lumber that I sit on. I was soon joined by another gentleman whom I recalled seeing and speaking with last year, but he didn't recognize me. He said he preferred the bog to the other events because you never knew what was going to happen. I agreed. Then he started telling me about this guy that jumped in the mud with his clothes on last year and what a riot it was. He was laughing and smiling and saying how funny it was. I let him carry on and then turned to him and said, "That was ME!!!" The look on his face was priceless. He squinted and peered at me and the dawn broke. " You've got a lot more hair and grown a beard! You're not jumping in the mud today are you?" "I might," I replied knowing full well that I would.

Activity at the bog always goes in fits and starts. It's busy for a while and then nothing. Once the main events start people usually leave to watch or participate and then come back. Even though activity was slow it did prove exciting.

The thing everyone wants to do is cross the entire bog from one end to the other. Few people make it, no one did today. At the opposite end of the bog everyone was getting stuck and couldn't even make it into the middle section. At the end where I was sitting those who did make it into the middle section immediately bogged down and had to be towed out. Some of those doing the towing got stuck as well. The smaller atvs got repeatedly stuck in a deep hole near the edge and had to be pulled out. Sometimes it took several people to accomplish this and they had to get off into the mud and push and pull. Then at one point when it was fairly quiet one small group of family and friends came down with a couple of smaller atvs and were running through the shallower water at the end of the bog. The two women in the group had never tried it before and had no idea what to expect. One was bolder and the other quite timid. They took turns riding the machine and as the bolder one gained more confidence she started picking up speed and began doing more daring things. She made one turn at high speed, hit a bump and the machine fell over sideways on top of her. We all went running and lifted it off her. No injuries but she was surprised, wet and very muddy. Not what she expected.

Then later after the main activities were finishing up the bigger vehicles back to the bog. There were three that looked like something from a science fiction movie. They made me thing of giant insects, like a praying mantiss - very high up and pointed in the front and quite unique compared to the other vehicles. Naturally they attempted to cross the bog and when they hit the middle section they immediately sank. One was totally stuck and the second did manage to back out. The third did finally pull the first one out. However, while they were floundering a truck came from the other end hoping to help. But instead of going through the bog, which had been unsuccessful for every one, he attempted to go along the edge next to the woods, which was a very path. Surprise! What looked like firm ground was actually very soft and gooey and he was quickly stuck in a very difficult spot where no one could really reach him. Then as he was revving his engine and pressing the gas peddle to get the truck to go in one direction of the other the truck caught on fire! A big cloud of smoke rose up in the air and everyone was concerned for the people in the truck and also afraid that it would set the woods on fire as they were literally in a clump of brush and trees. They must have had a fire extinguisher with them because they soon had the fire out but the fire department had been called and we could hear the sirens screaming and the fire trucks entering the venue but there was no way they could get anywhere near the truck that was burning. Fortunately the fire was out and they didn't need to. Eventually by hooking a long series of fire hoses and straps together they were able to haul the truck back out onto solid ground.

So my venture into the mud was fun. The water was cool on the surface, but not bad. Underneath the mud was thick and gooey and hard to move through. There was a spot on the side where the mud was of a good consistency and that's where I headed. I got three young men to take pics before emerging and retreating to the pile of lumber to sit a while before heading to the wash area to hose off. The hose area is on the other side of the arena with fire hoses pumping water up from a very cold stream. It means walking through a crowd of people and vehicles going in every direction honking, pointing, laughing and making comments about the man covered in mud. Love this aspect of it. So to get to the hoses you have to go down a narrow road behind a high banking that overlooks the arena. This road was filled with my "ideal" type of mud. I got a woman to take pictures as I laid down and had a good little wallow there. I actually preferred this mud to that in the bog. Then up to the hose area where I started rinsing myself off and then another man sprayed me. SO COLD! Good thing it was a nice warm day. Then walked back to the bog to dry off before heading home to a nice hot shower.

So a good start to the weekend. Plan on heading back there tomorrow and then to the lake on Monday.


Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:

Security Code *
random image
This security code tells us you are human and not a spam robot.


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Wet Clothing Forum - Mud Pit ] [ FAQ ]