Ride With the Beaumont's? ...If You Dare.

Bryan loves the show "Gilligan's Island". We have had the first season on DVD for a year or so. I bought him the second and third for his birthday. (I gave them to him early.) He was so excited to have the whole series. He watched them almost non-stop the first few days. The kids and I like watching them too. "Good, clean, family fun".

Natalie wanted to see the Mesquite desert so we ask Bryan to take us on a four wheeling ride on the Friday after thanksgiving. He took us on a trail that I had never been on and I let Natalie drive my wheeler. We would get to a rough spot on the trail and being on Alex's wheeler I would panic. I kept telling Bryan I didn't like the trail. Bryan kept saying, "this is the last one". I think it was the last rough spot we came to that when bruised and frustrated I got off the bike and pouted. Bryan drove my bike through the spot and I walked. I was getting back on the bike when he said it again. Natalie and I rolled our eyes and laughed and I said to Bryan, "I'm putting 'this is the last one' on your headstone."

When we finally got to the top of the mountain Bryan noticed that my bike was smoking and leaking gas. We had no choice but to head for home. He decided to ride Alex's. I was assigned to ride Nathan's. Perfect, a new bike to get used to.

I told Bryan to just hurry and get as close to home as possible before it broke down completely. Natalie and I would head for home but more at our leisure. On a much easier trail. Bryan did race ahead, Natalie and I would catch-up, he would get the bike running again. Then we'd start over. At last I could tell we were getting close to home. We were going to make it. Or so I thought until Nate's bike died for no apparent reason. I got it to start again right away. I drove maybe 200yds and it died again. It took me a little longer but I got it started again. This time I got maybe a mile down the rode. Natalie and I tried and tried but no luck. We gave up and called Bryan. It was possible for Bryan to be home by then but I was afraid that he was still driving and would not be able to hear his phone. Of course he heard it, he was broke down again. He had HAD it by then. He didn't know what to do now.

He called back and ask Natalie to drive the green bike to where he was then she could stay with his bike. Then he drove the green one back to me to try to get mine started. No luck. I began to be worried about Natalie being alone. There can be strange people on that road. Another riding group stopped to ask if we needed help. We told them we were not out of options. They said they would check on us on their way home. I was embarrassed by our old broken down wheelers. Thirty minutes, three shoe laces, a bungee cord, and Bryan's patience later I ask him to please call someone to come and get us or at least bring us a tow strap. (We usually carry one.) As politely as he could muster up he told me to shush and let him think. I was quiet for two seconds as it came to me I asked, "Bryan are you wearing your belt?" He smiled as he felt his waist and answered,"Yes, I am, I knew that, why didn't I think of that?" I couldn't resist making some comment about how he shouldn't shush me, sometimes I have good ideas.

We were finally on our way. Bryan driving the green one towing me on mine. I kept my eyes on the belt the whole two miles making sure it didn't break, like everything else we tried. (There's a whole other story there.) Just before we went over a hill where we could see Natalie, a car, full of odd looking guys, passed us. It gave me an uneasy feeling. I was glad to see Natalie safe where Bryan had left her. The belt broke just as we got to her.

Once Bryan had us two girls together to wait and he could ride the green bike he headed for home to get the truck. While we were waiting I ask Natalie if she had been nervous while she was alone. She said just once just before you got here. We compared descriptions, it was the same car that had creeped me out. She said it had passed her then stopped and acted like it was going to turn around. But then another truck appeared and the car took off again.
I asked her if she had noticed that while Bryan was getting ready to leave the car had passed us again. The closer it got to sunset the more wierdos we saw. We were glad Bryan got back with the truck pretty quickly. Finally we were home. Very worn out but home.

As I was cleaning up and thinking of our adventure, I noticed we had been gone for four hours. What should have been a one hour trip had turned into a four hour tour. Bryan had been singing a catchy tune all day. I had an idea. I shared it with Natalie. The plot began. We did a lot of sneaking around on Saturday. Bryan knew we were up to something every time he caught us giggling. A few minutes before he left for work we sang him a song. Natalie did most of the work. She is so clever.

A SONG FOR BRYAN

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a four wheeler trip.
That stared at this desert trail,
Aboard three quads so hip.

The leader was a mighty man,
the quads seemed ready and sure.
Three people set out that day for
a two hour tour, a two hour tour.

The trail started getting rough,
The girls were nervous and tossed.
But there were words "this is the last",
And no we are not lost. And no we are not lost.

The quads took smooth on the very edge of an old rock so white.
With Natalie, and Bryan too. The leader and his wife.
No toilet paper, the water and camera,
Here on the trails of white.

Now sit right back and I'll finish this tale.
A tale of a four wheeler trip.
That started on this desert trail
Aboard three quads so hip.

They got to the top of the Canyon Grand.
No further could they go.
The wheeling trip then became
a four hour tour, a four hour tour.

Another quad started giving out
And Julie was left behind.
If not for the thought of a belt,
Bryan would still be out of his mind,
Would still be out of his mind!

The quads were gathered in on a truck of a frustrated Bryan.
With broken laces, a bungee too,
the two four tracks, and the green,
the sis-in-law, the leader, and fraidy cat.
Back in the House of Bryan
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I had to sneak a DVD so we could learn the real song.
We sang it so many times. It took us days to get it out of our heads. Thank you for helping me Natalie.