Holly's Boot & Rally 30th!

So, the morning started off with good food and good company. Lil’ Sis and I made the boys some breakfast, and managed to NOT drink an entire bottle of champagne before we got on the road. The ride to Rangeley was long and bumpy. The frost heaves on Route 16 made YOU want to heave. Needless to say, we were all a little car sick by the time to got to Dad’s. Lil’ Sis managed to do the old boot and rally. Welcome to your 30’s!!



Dad hooked us up with some snowmobiles (a.k.a sleds). We each had one. I was proud of Lil’ Sis’s decision to drive one on her own (never mind that fact that she decided to come with us even though she just hurled). So, our adventure began. The line-up was Dad, Lil’ Sis, Honeychild, Mr. Clean, & GeeGee. We stopped at the gas station to fill up the sleds, not knowing REALLY how long we were going to be out. Up in Rangeley, the gas is usually a little pricey. . . $3.57 a gallon pricey! We got on our sleds to see what they were made up. As we started the Rangeley Loop, the first set of sleds we passed almost RAMMED us by being on the wrong side of the trail. I thought, “This is going to be fun! Didn’t Dad say there had been 5 deaths already this year on these things? Don’t let Lil’ Sis hear that one!”

After about 20 minutes of riding, Lil’ Sis was finally confident to give her some! We had a good pace going (no faster than 35 miles an hour, if you stayed within traveling distance), and it was time to decide how long our adventure was going to be. Dad suggested that it would take about an hour to finish the loop. We put the decision in Lil’ Sis’s hands, since it was her birthday, and she was the one that was not feeling well. She decided it was a go, and it was ON!

We had a GREAT time riding. The trails were a little bumpy. Evidently, they had not been groomed in about a week. Since I hadn’t been riding since I was a teenager, I didn’t know the difference! It started to get dark, which gave us ALL more confidence on taking over BOTH sides of the trail, allowing us to get a little reckless. We made multiple stops (so Dad could get his nicotine fix), so we were able to regroup and make sure everyone stayed warm. It wasn’t until 4 hours into our ride, that Dad gave the impression he was lost. . . A ONE hour ride, my butt!! Lil’ Sis and I should have been aware of this characteristic of Dad’s. His estimations of time aren’t always the best (I guess I know where I inherited that characteristic)! Lil’ Sis had a minimal panic attack, as we all thought about different things: What if someone ran out of gas? Could we build a fire in these snow covered grounds? Are the bears still hibernating? Should we sleep in the trees so the wolves don’t get us??

After Dad had seemed to found his way back, we all became a little relieved and a little skeptical of his 45 minute estimation to be home. Needless to say, we made it back to town with no crashes. CLOSE. . . but, no accidents. We gassed ourselves back up ($125 dollars worth), and headed back to the camp. Since we had only eaten breakfast that day, we were all quite grateful that Dad had made some homemade chicken noodle soup (Nana would be proud of her little bachelor!). We managed to go to bed at a reasonable hour without getting too intoxicated (This would probably be a FIRST during an overnight in Rangeley). We were all WAY TOO BEAT from the FIVE hours on the sleds!

We woke leisurely in the morning to Dad’s famous home fried potatoes, and then we were on our way down the mountain. We took a different route in order for us to avoid the horrible frost heaves, and so that GeeGee could see the Height of Land (okay, really, that part was for me). I managed to regain control and get the keys to the rental. . .OH – and get us lost. . . .AND loose a bet (way to go Honeychild!). When we got back to the camp, Lil’ Sis and I took a ride to the store (which is ONLY 15 miles from the camp. . . ). I cooked a delicious dinner, and we turned in at a reasonable hour.

So, GeeGee and I are now wrapping things up at the camp, and ready for our St. Patrick’s adventure in Boston. Wish us luck!!!