With enough horsepower, these...
With enough horsepower, these machines lunge out of the water.
The awards ceremony went rather quickly and included a raffle that had prizes from companies like Kawasaki, Warn Winch and a host of event vendors. It seemed as if almost everyone at the ceremony walked away with some kind of prize and a smile on their face. It was after this when the nighttime fun kicked off for Thad and I. We were treated to a true Southern feast that started with some of the best ribs I've ever eaten prepared by Team Gorilla's own Hoyt McCormick. From there, the party rolled over to a camp just a few hundred feet from where we were staying.
The camp we strolled into consisted of various race teams that parked all of their trailers and campers in a gigantic circle. In the middle of this circle was a cooking station on wheels that kept some of the finest food you've ever tasted--steaks, shrimp, some strange Cajun dish called "boudain" and all the fixings you could imagine--rolling out all night. This environment is what I'm used to; where on the starting line your only friend is the checkered flag, but after the race is over you can relax and everyone gets along and has a great time together. When I first walked up, I really didn't know anyone other than the folks we were staying with. Thad and I were introduced to new people all night long, and by the end of the night, I felt like we were all one big family.
All of us mingled around with drinks in hand sharing and listening to everyone's riding or racing stories of the weekend and having a great time. The music was blasting out of someone's truck as some people danced. Everyone we met was as welcoming as family even if I barely knew them, and that was a great feeling. If this is what "Southern hospitality" is all about, sign me up. In this weekend I made a ton of new friends and established long-lasting relationships. The people who are involved in this aspect of ATV riding are great and should be the example of true ambassadors for our sport. The attitudes and egos are left at the bog, and at the end of the day, everyone is there to have a great time.
As I hung around the party at camp, Thad was invited to go out with some of the guys for a night ride through some very deep and dark backwoods swamps and to some of the more popular "party" areas. While I had fun at last year's nationals interacting with people out there, the experience I had this year blew that out of the water. Thad returned with a look on his face of both exhaustion and excitement. He happily described swamps they bogged through that were chest deep and required the occasional dismounting of the ATV in order to keep forward momentum. He got a true taste of what backwoods mud boggin' was all about. There was no better way to end the night.
Sunday morning came upon everyone all too quickly, and the weather started taking a turn for the worse with cold temps and gusty winds. Mother Nature held off the bad weather just long enough for everyone in attendance to have a great time and pack up for the long trip home. The goal of my trip this year was to experience what the event is really like with true die-hard enthusiasts, and that's exactly what I got. Every person I met over the course of the nationals made us feel extremely welcome. It wasn't because we were the magazine guys covering the event, but because they were just genuinely good people who like to have a good time and want others to enjoy it with them.
We had plenty of people offer to put us up at future mud races, and you can bet that we'll be taking them up on their offer. Our new friends contributed to a great weekend of racing, riding and fun, which only leaves us wanting more. A huge thank-you to Team Gorilla, Dewayne Crowder, Rhonda Leblanc, Carrie Liegh and everyone else who helped make this one unforgettable experience. And we certainly can't forget to thank High Lifter for putting together the finest ATV event in the United States. We can't wait to do it again next year!