This past weekend, Tyler, David and I, along with a whole group of us, attended our first Mud Fest. Just down the road from our place in Lake Wales is the Triple Canopy Ranch. They've had a few events there since opening last year, but we've never attended. We decided to test the waters for this past event, after hearing from a few of our neighbors that it was a great venue.
We loaded up and headed out early Saturday morning, as our neighbor had already called and said that there was quite a line already to get in the gates. It took about an hour to get in, get parked and unload. We COULD NOT believe the amount of people, bikes, buggies, campers and mud trucks that were there.
First Stop: the Mud Bogs
This was interesting. We've been to mud bogs before, but this one was a tad different. The main difference, we were literally on the track. There were no barricades AT ALL! Being pregnant and having Tyler there made my heart palpitate all too often. I was super nervous (probably over-reacting a little) but I always prepare for the worst. Therefore, I already had my "emergency exit" planned should a truck have lost control. Being that it was first thing in the morning, I figured all the drivers were still somewhat sober, and that would be our saving grace. One thing is for certain, you would not find us anywhere near the side of that track toward the end of the day, once the alcohol was setting in and driving. That being said, after being track-side a little while, my nerves settled down and I was able to enjoy the trucks more and more. Most excitingly, Tyler got his first face-full of mud as one of the trucks sped by and sprayed us. In his words: "Uh-Oh" (as he felt his head to see what had just hit him). It was so cute! He loved watching the trucks and was in utter amazement over all the commotion. My cousin had her 2 girls there also, and like me, once we were there a while, their nerves settled down and they enjoyed the show.
Next Stop: The ATV Pits
We decided to venture out and see what the rest of the place had to offer (since it was $30 per person to get in and we wanted to get our money's worth). We drove over toward a dedicated ATV area where 4-wheelers could do what they do best, get stuck. The whole ride over there, I was thanking the Man above that we decided to take our Jeep and not our Rhino to Mud Fest. There were people everywhere, driving like maniacs and I thought, well at least in the Jeep, we can't get run over. Tyler fell asleep on the way over to the ATV Pits (another reason I loved having the Jeep there) and napped almost the entire time we were there. My brother gave my Mom's bike a taste of Mud Fest, as you could barely tell the bike was red when he was done with it. He himself was also covered with mud from head to toe. You know my favorite saying: 'Boys will be Boys', something that I have to look forward to.
Final Destination: The Mud Pit
We spent the last part of the day parked up on the berm on the side of the big mud pit. I was SO HAPPY up there, as we were out of the traffic and there was a little area that the kids could get down and play in. A friend of ours had a buggy out in the pit and pulled up to us to say hello. He ended up taking Tyler (& David) and my cousin's girls out in the pit for a buggy ride. The girls were reluctant to go at first, but when David volunteered to go, they climbed aboard. They all had a blast. There was a hole in the mud pit that was deep enough for the buggy to float in and when Todd gave it gas, the buggy would rock back and forth like a rocking chair. I tried to video it, but my battery died. It was a lot of fun (for me, at least) in the "Safety Zone".
In a nutshell, our first Mud Fest experience was a good one. Tyler loved watching all the off road vehicles splash and fling mud. I would have liked it to be a little less hectic, but like always, we just make the best of it! I took a ton of pictures. I uploaded a few of Tyler at the event, in the Tyler Lane: 17 Months Album for you to see. With that, you have our version of Mud Fest....And so it goes...
