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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Ticket to Ride

Well not so much a ticket to ride, but I am now legal to ride in all of the OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) areas in Oregon.

A week or so ago Troubadour and PolarBear headed to Huckleberry Flats (a specially designed off highway vehicle area southeast of us).  I could have gone since PolarBear has a few extra dirt bikes, but I would not have been riding legally.

In order to ride at the many open to the public ATV and dirt bike areas in Oregon, a person must take an online course and pass a multiple choice test through RideATVOregon to acquire an ATV Safety Education Card.



At the beginning you give them your name, date of birth, sex, and specify whether you will be riding an ATV, side-by-side, or motorcycle, or any combination thereof.  I checked only the box for motorcycle.  I waited while it "tailored" the course for me.  

My online course was 11 chapters.  Each chapter had anywhere between 2-9 pages and a short quiz at the end.  This was followed by 50 multiple choice questions for my test.

I was disappointed with how much of the course had to do with ATVs and side-by-sides and how to handle them on the dunes and uphill, etc.  I can understand the parts about not over riding your sight distance and not drinking and riding, those should be common sense.  I was also disappointed that so much of it had to do with supervising children in these areas, something that just does not apply to me.

While reviewing part of the materials on riding dirt bikes uphill and downhill, one of my favorite Carbon Leaf songs kept echoing in my mind - A Girl and Her Horse.  I rode horses way back in the day so leaning forward uphill and shifting your weight back when going downhill is not foreign.  



I passed the test with 90%.  Yes, I got a whopping 5 questions wrong.  No worries, I needed only 80% to pass.

So, now I've printed a temporary card and my official laminated one will be mailed.  

Time to get dirty!

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And on a side note I finally got my hair chopped off and highlighted blonde and red.  A little edgier, but not drastic. It should be better under my helmet too.  No more braids flapping in the wind. Whatever shall I do?


Good timing with Halloween tomorrow.

- Au Revoir

"  Naturally curly hair is a curse and don't let anyone tell you different." - Mary Ann Shaffer in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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50 comments:

  1. Love your new do, looks great! Good for you on your off road license :)

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  2. I like your new "do", too! Congrats on the license.

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  3. Trobairitz:

    I can't imagine you WITHOUT Braids. It's your trademark. I like them fluttering in the wind but I imagine your new style is less maintenance.

    congrats on your new Off Road Licence. Must have felt a bit funny to be studying for a test again

    I always like the trick question . . . d) None of the above

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. Long braids wick rain right up into your helmet and down your collar when riding so it will be a treat not to have them in winter riding.

      And yes it did feel a little funny taking the test. One wrong answer was just me clicking the button twice by mistake and another I knew was wrong as soon as I hit enter. I don't feel too bad about it considering I felt it hard to pay attention to the atv and kid stuff.

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  4. Congrats on the new permit. I'm sure you will have fun testing the limits of traction in the dirt ;)
    On another note, I've found that curly hair is more agreeable as you get older!
    -Colleen

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    1. Thansk Colleen. Brad believes dirt riding will also improve my street riding and I am inclined to agree. Should be fun.

      Is the hair more agreeable or so we just say 'f*ck it' and become more accepting?

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  5. Great new do - have fun getting dirty.

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    1. Thanks Karen. One can't help but have fun when getting dirty. And I have enough old gear for now that I don't have to worry about trashing my good stuff.

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  6. Yay! Legal off road and a snappy new hairstyle!! Have lots of fun.

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    1. Legal is good as you never know when the rangers will be patrolling. It is free and easy, no reason not to be legal.

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  7. "Insert wolf whislte" !! Do you come here often...?

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    1. Aw shucks, now you're making me blush. Thanks Dave.

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  8. Congrats on the new permit, now time to get some seat time on the new bike on some trails. And a very nice new look though your camera lens has some serious diagonal scratches...

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    1. Thanks Richard. Huckleberry flats is mostly beginner and intermediate trails and I hear their warm up track is some of the most fun. It is 1.5 hours away, but luckily Andy (aka PolarBear) has a trailer.

      Yeah, I don't usually like pics of myself so the pencil drawing setting on PhotoBooth suits me well. It softened the red in the hair so I didn't frighten anyone too, lol.

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    2. Now you need a new profile picture...

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    3. A new Google one in place of the Eyes Up shirt or you mean my Blogger picture on my about me page?

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    4. The one that shows up for your replies on the blog is the "thumbs up' one. A very nice photo but it doesn't show the new you!

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    5. Done. Took me a minute to remember how to change it, but for you, I did.

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  9. Cool! Gonna see some off-road ride reports! Can't wait!

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    1. Have to find time to go play, but then yes, you'll see some off road reports. Pics at least. Brad had too much fun when he went out and only took pics after they were loaded back on the trailer nice and dirty.

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  10. Looking forward to all of the upcoming posts about riding off road!

    Your hair is very nice! Quite becoming. :)

    Smooches,
    Sash
    www.SashMouth.com

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    1. Thanks M'lady. I needed something a little edgier. You inspire me. :-)

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  11. Looking good, gal!

    ATV is not for me. In Germany we call those poor man's SUV. ;-) I'd rather like to ride a hack instead.

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    1. Thanks Sonja. I am not a fan of ATVs (quads and trikes) or side-by-sides but dirt bikes and dual sports are fun.

      I could see you rocking a hack. Would Roland be your monkey?

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    2. Well, that would be something, eh? Squeezing a beanpole into a can...

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    3. Physically it would work best with you as the monkey, but wouldn't we all like to see Roland in a sidecar?

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  12. All this testing and you still have to ride north of the Columbia. river for legal dope? On a good day I miss the order and neat lines of the West Coast. When you whistle Dixie for a living everything is illegal and nothing is regulated, which can be very confusing to bears with small brains.
    Quoting the Guernsey etc... Is inspired.

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    1. Yes yes, unless you possess < 1oz then it is a violation here in Oregon. We see people charged with that all the time.

      Some day I'd like to see the East Coast, sadly I've never been.

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  13. Awesome! I've been eyeing the possibilities for off-roading here on the Middle Coast. Of course, my bike will be extremely upset with me if I try to take it off-road... I'm a little jealous of the adventures you'll get to have out there!

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    1. I am sure there are a ton of off road trails and fun waiting to be had in the middle coast. The triumph may kick up some fuss if you try and take it off road. My Gladius has been on the forestry roads. Max handled it like a champ though.

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  14. off road permit? congrats trobairitz! any weird fees with it?
    loving the red and blonde highlights!!!!!!! looking fab!! hey, any trouble with your red running?

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    1. No weird fees at all. Surprisingly it is mandated and completely free. Well, I am sure our taxes pay for it all.

      Thanks for the hair compliment. The red runs a little into the blonde for the first week or so then rinses and the blonde is brighter. It can have a bit of pink to it for a day or two until it settles in. My hair doesn't always hold anything but blonde well. Give it a month and it won't be as bright.

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  15. I like the hair and think its very flattering! You may miss the pony tail flapping in the wind, but not the maintenance LOL! Congrats on the license too! I don't think we need an off road permit in Cali, but not sure of that... Have fun and looking forward to those pics in the mud!

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    1. Thank you m'lady. You are correct, I don't miss the maintenance so far. It is light and I don't have to use as much product in it. She left it a little longer in the very front and I am not sure I like that part yet.

      Raining today so I am sure there is a lot of mud out there. I worked yesterday but Brad and Andy went out again and he took pictures this time so I am sure he'll blog about it.

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  16. Hated my natural curly hair as a teen in the 70s. Lovin' it as an old lady! No one should have to spend more than 2 minutes messing with their hair! Good for you! Looks cool, cute, and classy (and sassy!).

    Ohio should force classes on people riding ATVs. We have more deaths related to them each year than for motorcycles.

    Enjoy the dirt!

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    1. For me, I had straight hair until the last time I grew it out then I ended up with ringlets like my mom and brother. And I agree, as I've gotten older it is easier to handle. Wash, gel, comb, done. I don't like to spend more than about 5 minutes total between hair and make-up. I am pretty low maintenance. The shorter hair is less pouffy in the humidity too.

      Oregon gets called a Nanny State sometimes, but the regulations are usually for the good of the people. People can ride without taking the online class but if caught there is a hefty fine.

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  17. Nice hair. (Although you'll still suffer Helemt Head like the erest of us!

    On a side note, here's an interesting factoid about the Beatles tune, Ticket to Ride: John himself once claimed a "ticket to ride" as a Lennonism for a prostitute that has been given a clean bill of health and is ready to start tricking again.

    Just thought I'd share that...

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    1. Oh yes, everyone gets helmet hair, unless they are bald, and then they get helmet head instead.

      Interesting info on the song. Sure changes the theme of the post doesn't it? Why do I feel like I need a shower now?

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  18. I'm behind in my blog reading again. I love your new look! That safety course/certification seems a bit over the top, but it's a good idea. If only other parts of life were so instructional. I'd love to learn how to ride off-road. In theory anyway. The reality is that I barely have time to ride on tne road. 😔

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    1. We all get a little behind on the blogs sometimes. I got behind on answering comments too.

      We don't always have time to ride on the road either. Well, I don't anyway. Hubby commutes on his so he always makes time.

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  19. Nice 'doo', and glad your legal. looking forward to some dune jumping pics!

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    1. Thanks Ken. I dunno about dune jumping, lol. The dunes are usually so packed with people on quads and side-by-sides I don't know how safe they are. The staging areas for the dunes are full of campers hopped up on red bull and beer so I am thinking it isn't really our scene.

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  20. Like you new do! Are you going to keep it or go back to braids in the future?

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    1. Thank you. Not sure if I will keep it short or let it grow out again. We'll see how it goes. Seems weird not to braid it though.

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  21. Nice hair cut, Trobairitz.....:-). Congrats on passing your exams too!

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    1. Thank you Patricia. I was slightly perturbed I got 5 answers wrong, but at least I passed.

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  22. I like the new doo too! It looks really dark in the profile pic, very attractive on you. So, what were the questions you missed on the off-road test. I'm just nosy that way.

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    1. Thanks Julie. It isn't quite as dark as it seems since my hair doesn't hold the color very well. Wait, it holds blonde but not the darker colors so the red has faded quite a bit and looks more like my natural red with blonde highlights.

      It has been a while now so I don't really remember the questions I got wrong. One was about backing quads down hill if you got stuck and couldn't go any further up. I didn't pay as much attention to those as I was more interested in bike stuff. I don't think any of the 5 were bike related. One may have been about kids and riding.

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