Weekend Madness

Have you ever committed to so many things, that you just feel overwhelmed and unsure how you could possible pull them off? Well that was me during the second week in September. I had committed myself to repairing my 4Runner, to attend an event 2 hours up north, and co-hosting (Kristie Moore and I) our first Local Leader meet and greet event at Frozen Ocean Motorsports Facility another 2 hours in a different direction. Here is how it all played out.

Wednesday night after work I drove 2 hours north for a transfer case that was going in my 1984 Toyota 4Runner so I could go wheeling with the Mohawk Valley Mud Crawlers Saturday. Another Toyota enthusiast agreed to trade me his transfer case for mine that had a whole in the casing (he just needed the internal gears). It’s nice when you can count on your fellow off-roaders to keep your rig on the trails. Just like Jeep communities, us Toyota people are always willing to help each other.

Friday night after work, I go see an old friend Doc (David Watkins) who has been racing NHRA for a few decades. What an amazing man, and a mentor for so many in that sport. Doc’s House of Power is his company. What does he do? He makes smiles, makes people go fast, and is insanely smart. He wants to help me expand on the Ladies Garage and start a new structure. I sat in his car and listened to his stories about drag racing and what it’s like to be in the seat of a 1000hp machine. We sat for hours, and I listened to him tell me the amount of pressure you put on the acceleration pedal just to spin the tires, the thoughts you must have, and the theories behind a perfect take off. Amazing night and I am getting off track, but I wanted just to throw this into the story.

I get back to the shop about 9:00pm Friday after chatting with Doc, and I still had to install the transfer case I picked up Wednesday night. I am exhausted, but still must pull the Toyota into the garage. I had already done this job once about a week prior, but when I installed a transfer case I found out the it’s not compatible. 80’s and 90’s Toyota transmission and transfer case bolt up, but they will not work together, and that is another reason I had to get another transfer case. The transfer case itself only took me about an hour to get out and install. There were some other complications that didn’t allow me to get home till about 2am Saturday morning.

Saturday, up by 5am to get ready to head up north to Rome NY, and meet my good friend Kate Stankiewicz. Kate and I usually go on the crazy adventures together. I had been anticipating this off-roading event with the Mohawk Valley Mud Crawlers for months. The option to miss it was very limited, and I really wanted to get out and enjoy off-roading, instead of always hosting for other people. This was the best decision, making it to the “Farm” and finally getting to see some of the obstacles and trails, was well worth the lack of sleep. We headed up to the first trail, and stopped at the top of the mountain to an amazing view. I am in love with the NY colors this time of year. The green, yellows, reds, and purples are breathtaking! Off to the trails the first downhill we come to one of the trucks almost goes on its side, so my heart starts racing knowing I must go down the bank next. I start to breathe through my nose and out through my mouth to keep my heart rate down. I must keep my mind clear of panic to make the best decision for the safest line. My turn, I make it with no issues, then I come up to large boulders that I AM going to crawl over! Off camber, up water falls, and watching Jeeps fall on their sides. I can’t thank the Mohawk Valley Mud Crawler enough, for all their support and encouragement. My first experience at Rausch Creek was with the Mohawk people, and they are always pushing me out of my box. This amazing day came to an end about 10:00pm when I finally got home and started loading up for an event I started planning about a month prior. Yes, that is right, it was thought up, planned, and executed start to finish in one month.

Sunday up at 5:00am to finish getting everything ready for Frozen Ocean’s Mud Bog 3.0, Ladies Offroad Network Local Leader Meet and Greet. #allarewelcome theme, trucks, ATV’s, and UTV’s all come together to have fun and to learn from each other. I had brought the idea up to Kristie Moore and Ryan Walczak. They both liked the idea, and we started planning after our first conference call. We also invited Cheryl Lord with North East Mud Offroad, Amy Rice Martin a very inspirational lady in our local area, Gabriel Lewis, Jennifer Scrafford, and some amazing supportive men. Donald Mallery with BHM Auto Service LLC’s 2017 Maverick X3 (also my husband). Jeremy Lord with North East Mud Offroad with their quads. Kwiatkowski Cassidy a huge supporter of all the Southern Tier Offroad Club members. They are a great team and always there when you need help. Huge shout out to Northeast Offroad Adventures Inc. and Jon Mapes that represents them. He has been a huge supporter of our events for the ladies, and when I reached out to him for this event he was very happy to help educate the new people to this sport. I am excited to have him as a supporter. I also want to give a big thank you to Chris Cabisca from Cascade Fabrication for providing onsite welding to anyone willing to learn. He has a very nice MiG, Tig, and Arc welding set up that is portable. Frozen Ocean Motorsport Facility killed it! They kept in contact with me thought all the organizing to allow us to have an amazing and successful event.

This event was a Mud Bog at Frozen Ocean Motorsports Facility in Auburn N.Y., and it is about 60 acres and that doesn’t sound like a lot, but the team at Frozen Ocean is very organized and well prepared for a large crowd. This event, Mud Bog 3.0!, had over 900 attendees. That is a huge number for us, and all that have been involved from the beginning. Our first planned event we had 250 attendees, 2nd event was 400 +, and this one, our third attempt, was a huge success with over 900. Not only was the crowd a win, we gained the support of Monster Energy Drinks, Summit Chevy, and Andre and Son Powersports. This sport is growing and it’s all great things from here. We are always looking for new members for the Ladies Offroad Network, and our local clubs. Kristie Moore and I, as Local Leaders, want to bring the opportunity to you. We make nothing off these events, and this is strictly a volunteer process. So, come help us make this growing sport that much better with your ideas, and visions.