It was one of the coldest days we had this year, when Eddie came in one afternoon and said, “I’m going four wheeling up on the hill. Are you going with me?”

I didn’t answer real quick because I had to study on that for a few minutes. I wondered if it was too cold, too late, would I really enjoy that, what if I didn’t go? Finally I told my husband of 43 years that I would go along.

I put on another pair of pants, shirt, hat, neck warmer, gloves and heavy boots and grabbed a chair pad out of the living room. I didn’t know just where my bean bag chair was that I usually use for padding on the back rack.

We climbed on the Arctic Cat and I called the fox terrier dog to go with us. Ruby is only a year and a half old, but she loves to run with the ATV. She really doesn’t like to ride because she can’t take her many side trips.

The tires are worn on the ATV so we slide a little in the four inches of snow as we climb the hill behind the house. I wasn’t sure this would work, but we made it to the gate at the far side of the pasture. Ed pulled up beside the gate and threw the chain back off the post. I tried to pull the gate open as he backed the ATV, but the gate was frozen in the ice and snow. Eddie had to give it a hard yank and the ATV died.

We had to get off and he had to pull the rope crank since it is sometimes stubborn with the electric start. Soon it was running again, but I took my digital camera out of the pack and walked out beside Aunt Verna’s pond and took several pictures. We have an enlargement of the pond in the fall season and I had told Eddie earlier that morning that I wanted to get all seasons. This was a good shot with the snow and ice.

He stood up so I could get back in the seat and off we went to pass the big area where turkeys had scratched back the snow in a hunt for food beneath the winter  ground coat.

Ruby raced ahead as we turned the stiff curve at the bottom of the hill and began the steep climb. We slid some and swerved and Ed stood up to get better traction. The ATV kept moving and eventually cleared the first slope, went over the wide water break and climbed again.

Another curve and some spinning and we were on the last stretch before we made another hard climb to the top of the knob field that Eddie mows with the bush hog and tractor. It is a nice field and we are in the process of fencing it in for more pasture for the nine horses.

Uncle Bunk always said, “On a good clear day, you can see the radio towers on Greasy Ridge.” Since they are probably 30 miles away, you still have to have good eyesight to see them.

The field that is usually orange with many butterfly weeds in the fall of the year was now white with unbroken snow cover. Ruby raced on and took her side trips chasing squirrel, deer, turkey or rabbit scents in the tracks that appeared after we got back in the tractor road past the field.

We continued out around the ridge until we came to the trail that went over to Coleman Creek. We turned around there and Eddie called for Ruby to come back to us. The little black and white dog turned to race to get back in the front, jumping frozen mud holes that we crashed through.

“There is a crow or a turkey or something flying down through those trees,” I told Eddie.

“It’s probably a turkey. A crow wouldn’t be flying this late in the day,” Eddie said.

When we came again to the top of the ridge, I looked at the sky through the bare tree trunks. It was so pretty that I just kept looking at it in order to try to describe it to myself. I wanted to call it apricot streaks, but that was not really the color. Orange was definitely too dark. Finally I decided the sky was aqua with marble streaks of peaches and cream! It was so unusual and so beautiful. I rode in contented silence and appreciation as I enjoyed the sight. Ed and I are so lucky. We do such unusual stuff for people of our age. Or any age for that matter.

Ruby ran down the short cut that other ATV riders had made when the great oak tree fell and blocked the path. Later somebody had brought a chain saw and cleared the trail again, but the short cut was still very apparent even with the cover of snow.

Chasing Ruby out through the woods, we saw her find many excuses to take great leaps over brush, rocks and mud holes. We arrived back at the knob field and traveled back down the hill with the crooks and turns and came to the frozen pond with the deer tracks crossing the ice.

After going through the gate, I got off to go back and put the chain back over the post while Eddie made sure the ATV motor didn’t die again.

Back at the house, we drove into the barn and parked the Arctic Cat.

What a nice trip. I’m glad I didn’t pass this one up.