ATVs and pistol shooting

Yesterday Priscilla, our temporary exchange student and I took a four-hour, 15-mile ATV cross-country tour at Mount Magazine State Park. Sunday’s ride was the third in the last 18 months Priscilla arranged with Kevin Schluterman. (http://www.schlutermanatvtours.com/Home.htm)

Our exchange student (we’ll call her K for personnel security reasons) had driven an ATV on level ground (a back yard) in her home country, but never cross-country. Priscilla checked with a person in her civic club and was told exchange student insurance does not cover such hazardous activities a driving an ATV cross-country. I suggested we just ignore what the club person said, but Priscilla did not go along with that. So, K rode on the back of a two-person ATV, with Priscilla driving.

K has been amazed at the amount of country here, both in the United States and in Arkansas itself. She expressed surprise, too at the amount of food served at restaurants, and the low prices. The amount of food is a part of the reason so many of us are overweight. Priscilla and I have long held that restaurants should cut down on the size of servings, and a concurrent reduction in prices. If restaurants did cut serving sizes, bulk food purchased would go farther, and in the long run bring in the same amount of money.

Kevin runs a five-hour, 25-mile ride, too. I am not up for five hours on an ATV. The four-hour tour is advertised as three hours, but I don’t think anyone would be upset at the extra hour. Maybe the five-hour tour is really six hours.

Most of the ride is on rocky trails, uphill and down. A couple of places the ride is on Forest Service roads, gravel, and you can open up to around 30mph. The other trails, you’ll average 5mph.

K was enthralled with the ride. When we stopped at the overlook and the beaver pond and the 100-foot rock bluff, she was all smiles and “I can’t believe this! It is amazing!”

She has been amazed at a lot of things here. On Saturday she, Priscilla and I went to an outfitters down the road and bought a box of 9mm and a box of .38-caliber ammunition. The outfitters had one box of 9mm and two boxes of .38.

After we left the store, K said, “I am amazed you can just go in to a store and buy ammunition.”

This coming Saturday, K, my daughter Kathleen and I are going to a range in North Little Rock. Kathleen recently bought a 9mm Glock but has not yet fired it. K has never fired a weapon. I think she will be amazed.

And for me, I’ll get a chance for some range firing, plus I’ll use some of that for a time unused NCO knowledge and teach preliminary marksmanship instruction and range firing to a couple of youngsters.

America. What a country.