We're Baaaaack!

ME!!

Ok - so we had just about the best time on the face of the planet at the dunes this weekend. Seriously - perfection! Everyone returned safe and happy, which as we all know is something to be thankful for after a dune trip. Scott had a serious accident up there about five years ago, and it's something that I always think about while being up there. But, like I said, we all had fun, we were all safe, we all paid attention, and we all want to go back...NOW!

Friday morning - after a later start than we would have liked - we were finally on our way in the truck pulling our little toy hauler (it's part travel trailer, part garage to haul four wheelers aka toys, hence toy hauler) and headed north! Ahead of us about an hour were Sid, Leigh and their friend Jason and following them were Jesse and Ryan. After a little snafoo that consisted of a blown out of a tire trailer and a side trip to purchase two new trailer tires (to the tune of $199), we finally made it! A total of two girls, four boys, three trucks, three trailers, and ten four wheelers made the journey up to Waynoka, OK - home of the Little Sahara State Park.

Even though the weather was a little less than ideal (the wind was blowing a thousand miles an hour), we got ready and rode our bikes to the park enterance. After a short ride around (and a few discovered bike mishaps), we headed back to the house and decided to head in to town for dinner. We stopped at three different places that were all closed, and finally came upon Little Sahara Pizza and Wings. I have to say that I'm thrilled the first three places weren't open because this place rocked. Leigh and I pigged out on dee-lish pizza and wings and the boys had cheeseburgers and fries. For dessert? Because we hadn't consumed quite enough calories, we took home a homemade key lime pie. DEE-LISH! That evening, while discussing how each of us feels like a hideous tub o'lard, Leigh and I polished off our huge pieces of pie in the kitchen of the rental house while the boys watched...well, I'm not sure what it is they were watching. But from the hoots and hollers coming from the living room, it sounded like they enjoyed it. A lot.

The next morning was Scott and I's eleventh anniversary thankyouverymuch, and we woke up to a huge breakfast that Leigh cooked for everyone. After breakfast, the boys hit the garage to tinker on the few little bike problemo's that the boys discovered the day before. Well, this tinkering turning in to a major overhaul and THREE hours later, we were finally all ready to head out. Scott didn't make it to the end of the street when I noticed that his bike was leaking fuel. Not a good thing - so he had to turn around and go back to fix it and told all of us to go on ahead, he would just be a minute. Well, about a minute after we pulled in to the dune enterance, my bike started stalling out at the tops of dunes (see, for all of you NON dune riding peeps, a dune is a really steep and really tall mountain of sand that you have to ride your four wheeler up really fast or else you'll fall backward, so stalling at the tops isn't exactly a good thing).

Well, the first time it stalled, I blamed myself, after all I hadn't ridden my bike in over two years! So anyway, I kicked and kicked and kicked and couldn't get my bike to turn over. Jesse came to my rescue and got it to turn over. Then about two minutes later - same thing. Stall at the top of a hill. Couldn't start it AGAIN. Sid was the lucky fellow that rescued me this time, and while he was kicking my bike over I noticed fluid drip drip dripping out of my fuel tank. Super. Sid peeked at my engine real quick and right away spotted a cracked fuel line. No big deal to fix, I just had to hurry back to the rental house and catch Scott before he started back to meet up with us. Anywho, I ended up meeting Scott on the trail and we zipped back to the house to make the little repair. We were back out riding in about 45 minutes and enjoyed a beautiful sunset together on our anniversary. I forgot my camera, as usual. So you'll just have to imagine it!

Late that night, we all got the scare of a lifetime. We were sitting in our rickety rental house watching a movie, talking about the tornado watch. "What would we do if a tornado hit? The house isn't safe, the cellar is full of water...where would we go??" Not fifteen minutes later we heard an odd sound coming from outside. What was that? A train whistle?? No...it sounds like...it sounds like A TORNADO SIREN!!! For about five seconds we all froze and just stared open mouthed at each other. Then all heck broke loose and we were all running around hollering, "What do we DO??" Leigh, being the bad ass chickadee that she is, ran outside and with hands on hips started staring at the sky...sort of like, "Bring it!". Sid hollered that he thought he saw something in the lightning flash, and then I saw the same thing in the next lightning flash and of course did what all girls should do in a scary situation, I screamed...which triggered a big yelp out of Leigh, in return. Leigh noticed the little old lady from next door and went over to talk to her with a few of the guys. Jason, in the mean time, is slightly stunned to look down and realize he forgot his shoes and was standing out in the pouring rain in his socks. Leigh and Ryan came back to tell us all the good news: Waynoka, OK thought it would be a GREAT idea to alert the town people of fires with an alarm that sounds EXACTLY like a tornado siren. Hmmm...isn't that a super idea?? Why, nobody will EVER confuse the two!! So here we all are, no jackets, no ID's, some of us without shoes, standing in the pouring rain and the popping lightning, hearts racing a mile a minute, ready to hop in the truck and try to outrun our certain death...when all that was actually going on was a grass fire two counties over. Well, heck. Sounds like a great excuse to have some more pie.

Sunday morning came cool and calm after the previous night's storm. We hurredly threw on our riding clothes and headed out for a morning ride before we had to head home. After riding around for a few hours, Leigh's bike suddenly popped and decided enough was enough. It died. Thankfully it didn't happen on Friday as soon as we all got there! No worries, we were all about ready to head back in. Jason and Ryan, being the sweet guys that they are, offered to ride back to the house and get Sid's truck and trailer and come back to pick up Leigh's poor broken 450. We all loaded up on the trailer, but Scott and Jesse decided that they weren't quite done yet, and wanted to ride a bit more before they headed in. After a yummy lunch of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers we started loaded up to head on home.

It was sad to leave the dunes, to leave our friends (and our new friends), but I guess all good things have to come to an end. I'm already itching to head back out there for some more!