Mud, Mud Everywhere… 3.5 Hours Ago

1:00p. my dad and i arrive in Old Koloa Town at Da Life Outdoor Gear to check in for the Kauai ATV Tours. after we checked in we had about 20 minutes to kill before the staff gives us an overview and directions to the ATV staging area. so my dad and i just browsed the store checking out the gear and what not.

1:20p. we head outside of the store where we exchanged pleasantries with a few of the tour participants. shortly thereafter a staff member comes out and gives us the lowdown of what to expect which is basically don’t bring anything with you because everything will get ruined. they will provide clothes, socks, boots, helmets, and goggles. no cameras unless you have one of those water-proof cases. they have two guides that conduct the tour. the lead guide and support guide/photographer. of course there’s the added cost of the photo CD at the end but nice thing about that is that you don’t have to worry about taking pictures of the scenary as well as action-shots of you driving the vehicle.

1:30p. we leave for the staging area and are met outside by our two guides Laurel and Mike. Laurel, from Colorado, came to Kauai four months ago and found this job four days after she got here. Mike is a local through and through. they give us added information and take us within the staging area between the vehicles and the lockers/changing area. after we get clothes from Laurel and Mike, we suit up and then had vehicle orientation.

1:45p. we get into our assigned vehicles (my dad and i had a two seater Mud Bug) and then headed off single file. taken from their website – “ride your own ATV through 22,000 acres of private dirt roads and trails. enjoy breathkaing mountain and coastline views, unspoiled tropical landscapes inaccessible to the general public, and a half maile tunnel through the heart of the Ha’upu mountain range.” that’s what we did for about 3.0 hours. riding the trails and getting muddy doing it.

4:45p. mud, mud everywhere. when we got back to the staging area, my dad and i were completely covered in mud. if you know anything about Kauai, its the kind of mud made from the red dirt. i had mud in places that i didn’t know i had places for mud to be. after hosing off the mud from our person, we realized that the mud had even seeped through the clothes… my underwear is now a nice shade of red dirt. we changed back to our clothes, went back to our villa, had a real shower where the more sneaky dirt was exposed and washed away, and then went out for our last meal on Kauai at Poipu Beach Broiler.