A four-wheeler, otherwise known as an all terrain vehicle or ATV, often lives two lives. Most of us probably think of a four wheeler as really cool recreational vehicle. To rent an ATV for an afternoon and venture into the back woods is one of the great ways to explore nature riding a vehicle that is pretty much unstoppable. A four-wheeler can go on any road in the nation but, to use borrow a phrase, an ATV "don't need no stinken roads". You can easily go off-road with a four-wheeler and go just about anywhere your curiosity wants in the wilderness within limits.
The other life that four wheelers live may not be as well known but it is just as important. To many people who live in remote sections of the country, an ATV is a big part of how they manage to live in rugged environments and get their work done each day. A four wheeler gives someone whose home is back in the mountains the ability to get to town for groceries, to get out in the woods to check on problems or to collect firewood or to just get out in the remote parts of the mountains to simply enjoy what God has put there.
ATVs represent a perfect fit of transportation design and technology to the demands and needs that off road travelers have. There is perhaps no greater feeling of freedom and power as being able to travel at a relatively rapid rate of speed over hills and meadows unrestrained by the need for roads. The rugged construction and powerful tires and engine of most ATVs mean you can go up the side of a hill without difficulty using a four-wheeler and explore virtually in any direction that your eyes can see.
The very freedom that a four-wheeler gives you to go off-road is also one of the areas that you need to be most concerned about. Because you can literally charge over hill and dale with an ATV, that same rugged terrain that is your playground could become your nemesis. Four wheelers are built with a low center of balance that do reduce the chances they will turn over and they are built tough. But when exploring the back country with a four-wheeler, be sure you are prepared should something go wrong. A break down, an injury or just getting stuck out there can become a real problem if you are remote from civilization and out of cell phone communications. Proper preparation can save your life as can taking the simple precautions of taking reliable communications and notifying people where you will be just in case something goes wrong.
Like any sport, these precautions will mean that you can get out there and have a lot of fun going off road in your four-wheeler. Perhaps the greatest fun will be when you make it safely home and have all those great stories to tell. Then you can load up and get out there and do it all over again.
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