7/14/2009
Tammy Malgesini rides an all-terrain vehicle last month at the Winom-Frazier Off-Highway Complex, located east of Ukiah. Photo contributed by John Malgesini
Off-road riding results in addiction
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
My name is Tammy and I'm an ATV addict.It started out innocently enough. My need to wander off the beaten path was satisfied by some mellow off-road excursions in my husband's truck and renting all-terrain vehicles while on vacation.
However, a mishap a couple of years ago near Moab, Utah fed my need to get off-road.
John and I grabbed a brochure from the visitor's center and headed to several locations with Indian petroglyphs. As we followed the directions, we had little difficulty finding the panels - that is until John tried to kill me.
I admit I'm an adrenaline junkie, but I'm also a little bit chicken. I like to think it's what keeps me from totally going off the edge.
John had been driving quite conservatively as we headed to the last site, which also included an arch. I made the mistake of challenging his manhood.
"You don't have to drive like a grandma, we have four-wheel drive," I said to him.
This statement came back to haunt me as it fueled his hell-bent determination to forge on.
My nearly hysterical response as the road got more and more treacherous finally convinced John to turn around.
Because of that nail-biting experience, I wanted to get an ATV before heading to Moab last summer. I figured the smaller rig could maneuver more easily on the ledge roads.
I became obsessed.
Unbeknownst to John, I began looking at advertisements for ATVs. Next, I was going to stores and sitting on them - with eyes closed, my mind transported itself to the switchback shelf road on the way to the elusive arch.
Then when one of my friends told me her husband purchased a new ATV and was selling his old one, I told her I wanted to buy it but I had to sell John on the idea.
That simple purchase changed me. I went from being perfectly happy with periodic off-road excursions to being totally obsessed.
I've straddled the ATV and spun cookies in the back yard. I've opened the gate and cruised from our mailbox on the street to our back fence line. And I even cruised a couple of blocks down the snow-covered sidewalk to my dog sitter's house this past winter.
When the spring weather finally got nicer, John and I made trips to Winom-Frazier Off-Highway Complex and Morrow-Grant OHV Park. Also, while working on a story for the outdoor page, we headed to The Bike Pit Pilot Rock Motocross & OHV Park.
As a child I struggled to stay within the lines when I colored - as an adult riding an ATV, boundaries have merely become a starting point.
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Tammy Malgesini is the EO's community editor. Her column, Inside my shoes, will appear every other week. You can reach her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com of 541-564-4539.
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
My name is Tammy and I'm an ATV addict.It started out innocently enough. My need to wander off the beaten path was satisfied by some mellow off-road excursions in my husband's truck and renting all-terrain vehicles while on vacation.
However, a mishap a couple of years ago near Moab, Utah fed my need to get off-road.
John and I grabbed a brochure from the visitor's center and headed to several locations with Indian petroglyphs. As we followed the directions, we had little difficulty finding the panels - that is until John tried to kill me.
I admit I'm an adrenaline junkie, but I'm also a little bit chicken. I like to think it's what keeps me from totally going off the edge.
John had been driving quite conservatively as we headed to the last site, which also included an arch. I made the mistake of challenging his manhood.
"You don't have to drive like a grandma, we have four-wheel drive," I said to him.
This statement came back to haunt me as it fueled his hell-bent determination to forge on.
My nearly hysterical response as the road got more and more treacherous finally convinced John to turn around.
Because of that nail-biting experience, I wanted to get an ATV before heading to Moab last summer. I figured the smaller rig could maneuver more easily on the ledge roads.
I became obsessed.
Unbeknownst to John, I began looking at advertisements for ATVs. Next, I was going to stores and sitting on them - with eyes closed, my mind transported itself to the switchback shelf road on the way to the elusive arch.
Then when one of my friends told me her husband purchased a new ATV and was selling his old one, I told her I wanted to buy it but I had to sell John on the idea.
That simple purchase changed me. I went from being perfectly happy with periodic off-road excursions to being totally obsessed.
I've straddled the ATV and spun cookies in the back yard. I've opened the gate and cruised from our mailbox on the street to our back fence line. And I even cruised a couple of blocks down the snow-covered sidewalk to my dog sitter's house this past winter.
When the spring weather finally got nicer, John and I made trips to Winom-Frazier Off-Highway Complex and Morrow-Grant OHV Park. Also, while working on a story for the outdoor page, we headed to The Bike Pit Pilot Rock Motocross & OHV Park.
As a child I struggled to stay within the lines when I colored - as an adult riding an ATV, boundaries have merely become a starting point.
---
Tammy Malgesini is the EO's community editor. Her column, Inside my shoes, will appear every other week. You can reach her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com of 541-564-4539.
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