P
PNWGuy
Guest
Last week was one of my "short weeks" at work. I work 12-hour shifts. So I work three 12-hour shifts and get four days off in a row one week, then the next week, I work four 12-hour shifts and get three days off.
It's a good gig. I don't make a ton of money, but I get a lot of time off and it's low stress. Living in an area with millions of acres of wilderness a half hour away gives me the opportunity to really enjoy nature.
Last week was a short week so I had four days off. I spent the first day off, Wednesday, visiting a couple of different UTV dealerships in the region sitting in and test driving every 50"" UTV on the market.
I had just sold my Jeep Wrangler and my Polaris ATV; both of which I purchased to explore the vast wilderness at my doorstep. I discovered after a couple of summers was that the Jeep was too wide to fit around the gates that guarded every single interesting road that led deep into the wilderness. Every road that wasn't gated off by the Forest Service or timber companies could be explored with my mildly lifted SUV. Or a freakin' Subaru.
The 2001 Polaris that I rescued from a neighbor's back yard and refurbished was capable, but unreliable. Plus, my companion, Rowdy, couldn't fit on it with me. He's a 100lb Great Dane/Lab mix that my daughter adopted from a shelter in 2009 at age three. Do the math and he's living on borrowed time. She got married after high school and moved to Japan with her Air Force husband. I got divorced a few years ago and bought a house in a small town in Idaho after moving back home from Arizona. I adopted Rowdy when she moved to Japan and Rowdy kept me sane.
We have been exploring the outback of Arizona and Idaho ever since.
He loved riding in the Jeep and refused to ride in a trailer pulled by the Polaris. So I had to leave him behind if I wanted to explore the woods.
We have gone on a bunch of hiking trips and he loves them, but I'm 49 and fat, and he's old. So our trips were limited to a few miles at most.
I got the bright idea that a UTV might be the answer. I wanted something that could go around the gates and had a large enough rack to fit Rowdy. I didn't want to spend more than $10k. I watched numerous Youtube videos and learned that I didn't want used; rednecks beat the heck out of their machines after a few beers and then sell them when they can't make the payments.
That led me to my quest last week of checking out every 50" UTV on the market.
The most comfortable and best fit was the Polaris RZR 570. The most fun was the Can Am Maverick Trail 800. The most reasonable and reliable was the Pioneer 500.
I spent all day Wednesday checking them out.
So on Thursday, I loaded up my retro-camper and headed 27 miles away into the relatively isolated Idaho woods. Found a perfect spot next to Bonami Creek just off a dirt/gravel road and spent about an hour or so setting up the vintage pop-up camper...
I then decided to take a short hike up the game trail next to the camp spot with Rowdy and my custom-built Marlin lever-action rifle in .45 Colt designed to offer protection while exploring against bears and wolves.
Rowdy and I get about 300 yards up the draw and Rowdy starts sniffing and marking his territory like he does when we go for walks in town and he detects other canines.
I soon discover some wolf scat. It's very, very fresh. Less than a half hour old. I will spare you the photos of animal droppings...
So what does this have to do with buying a P5??
Rowdy and I spent the rest of the evening listening to the Sirius radio in my Yukon, next to the campfire, sipping whiskey, and pondering the various UTV choices. I was torn between the sexy and flashy Maverick and the reliable but utilitarian P5.
Suddenly, the satellite radio stopped. I had foolishly let it play too long. The battery in my Yukon was dead. I turned off the key and spent another hour or so enjoying a cheap cigar and more whiskey while wondering if our wolf friend had returned and was checking us out. I went to bed and fell fast asleep.
The next morning, I awoke with a terrible hangover and the realization that it was Friday morning and no one had driven by my camp site for the last 14 hours. I cooked breakfast, grabbed my survival pack, and proceeded to hike out of the woods. My plan was to reach cell service about 4-5 miles away and call my brother to come give me a jump start.
I got a couple of miles down the mountain when I heard a group of ATVs approach.
There were three of them and they were owned by a bunch of good ol' boys who had been chasing bears with their hounds all morning. The first two were 700cc ATVs and the last was a 2015 Pioneer 500. I told them that my battery had died and the one guy offered to go retrieve his pickup and come give me a jump start in about an hour or so.
I hiked back to camp and proceeded to break down camp and get ready to leave. The guy showed up in an old F-150 and got me started in about 5 minutes.
He then told me that he had a 2017 P5 at home and extolled the virtues of it. We talked for about an hour about ATVs and UTVs and how much he loved his 2017 but urged me to buy a 2015 with the lower gears for better hill-climbing ability.
I took the interaction as a sign from God. I drove back home, showered, and headed to the bank. Told them I wanted the 2018 Pioneer 500 and to get the paperwork started.
I pick it up on Thursday.
And that is how I decided to buy a P5.
I realized that although a sexy Can Am would make me more attractive to the opposite sex(yeah, I'm single and need a girlfriend...), and a Polaris Rzr 570 was more comfortable; that the Honda would get me back out of the woods and home safely to enjoy the things that really matter.
Since committing to the Pioneer and coming to terms with my decision, I do not regret pulling the trigger on one. It makes the most sense and I believe, is the best choice for the truly wild areas that I explore.
Sorry for the long rant, but I am a published author and enjoy pounding the keys once in a while...
It's a good gig. I don't make a ton of money, but I get a lot of time off and it's low stress. Living in an area with millions of acres of wilderness a half hour away gives me the opportunity to really enjoy nature.
Last week was a short week so I had four days off. I spent the first day off, Wednesday, visiting a couple of different UTV dealerships in the region sitting in and test driving every 50"" UTV on the market.
I had just sold my Jeep Wrangler and my Polaris ATV; both of which I purchased to explore the vast wilderness at my doorstep. I discovered after a couple of summers was that the Jeep was too wide to fit around the gates that guarded every single interesting road that led deep into the wilderness. Every road that wasn't gated off by the Forest Service or timber companies could be explored with my mildly lifted SUV. Or a freakin' Subaru.
The 2001 Polaris that I rescued from a neighbor's back yard and refurbished was capable, but unreliable. Plus, my companion, Rowdy, couldn't fit on it with me. He's a 100lb Great Dane/Lab mix that my daughter adopted from a shelter in 2009 at age three. Do the math and he's living on borrowed time. She got married after high school and moved to Japan with her Air Force husband. I got divorced a few years ago and bought a house in a small town in Idaho after moving back home from Arizona. I adopted Rowdy when she moved to Japan and Rowdy kept me sane.
We have been exploring the outback of Arizona and Idaho ever since.
He loved riding in the Jeep and refused to ride in a trailer pulled by the Polaris. So I had to leave him behind if I wanted to explore the woods.
We have gone on a bunch of hiking trips and he loves them, but I'm 49 and fat, and he's old. So our trips were limited to a few miles at most.
I got the bright idea that a UTV might be the answer. I wanted something that could go around the gates and had a large enough rack to fit Rowdy. I didn't want to spend more than $10k. I watched numerous Youtube videos and learned that I didn't want used; rednecks beat the heck out of their machines after a few beers and then sell them when they can't make the payments.
That led me to my quest last week of checking out every 50" UTV on the market.
The most comfortable and best fit was the Polaris RZR 570. The most fun was the Can Am Maverick Trail 800. The most reasonable and reliable was the Pioneer 500.
I spent all day Wednesday checking them out.
So on Thursday, I loaded up my retro-camper and headed 27 miles away into the relatively isolated Idaho woods. Found a perfect spot next to Bonami Creek just off a dirt/gravel road and spent about an hour or so setting up the vintage pop-up camper...
I then decided to take a short hike up the game trail next to the camp spot with Rowdy and my custom-built Marlin lever-action rifle in .45 Colt designed to offer protection while exploring against bears and wolves.
Rowdy and I get about 300 yards up the draw and Rowdy starts sniffing and marking his territory like he does when we go for walks in town and he detects other canines.
I soon discover some wolf scat. It's very, very fresh. Less than a half hour old. I will spare you the photos of animal droppings...
So what does this have to do with buying a P5??
Rowdy and I spent the rest of the evening listening to the Sirius radio in my Yukon, next to the campfire, sipping whiskey, and pondering the various UTV choices. I was torn between the sexy and flashy Maverick and the reliable but utilitarian P5.
Suddenly, the satellite radio stopped. I had foolishly let it play too long. The battery in my Yukon was dead. I turned off the key and spent another hour or so enjoying a cheap cigar and more whiskey while wondering if our wolf friend had returned and was checking us out. I went to bed and fell fast asleep.
The next morning, I awoke with a terrible hangover and the realization that it was Friday morning and no one had driven by my camp site for the last 14 hours. I cooked breakfast, grabbed my survival pack, and proceeded to hike out of the woods. My plan was to reach cell service about 4-5 miles away and call my brother to come give me a jump start.
I got a couple of miles down the mountain when I heard a group of ATVs approach.
There were three of them and they were owned by a bunch of good ol' boys who had been chasing bears with their hounds all morning. The first two were 700cc ATVs and the last was a 2015 Pioneer 500. I told them that my battery had died and the one guy offered to go retrieve his pickup and come give me a jump start in about an hour or so.
I hiked back to camp and proceeded to break down camp and get ready to leave. The guy showed up in an old F-150 and got me started in about 5 minutes.
He then told me that he had a 2017 P5 at home and extolled the virtues of it. We talked for about an hour about ATVs and UTVs and how much he loved his 2017 but urged me to buy a 2015 with the lower gears for better hill-climbing ability.
I took the interaction as a sign from God. I drove back home, showered, and headed to the bank. Told them I wanted the 2018 Pioneer 500 and to get the paperwork started.
I pick it up on Thursday.
And that is how I decided to buy a P5.
I realized that although a sexy Can Am would make me more attractive to the opposite sex(yeah, I'm single and need a girlfriend...), and a Polaris Rzr 570 was more comfortable; that the Honda would get me back out of the woods and home safely to enjoy the things that really matter.
Since committing to the Pioneer and coming to terms with my decision, I do not regret pulling the trigger on one. It makes the most sense and I believe, is the best choice for the truly wild areas that I explore.
Sorry for the long rant, but I am a published author and enjoy pounding the keys once in a while...
