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Muddy Day

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Posted by LeviLovR on May 29, 2022 at 01:47:14

This is the first day of our Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S. It's a long weekend with Monday being the actual holiday and it's regarded by many as the unofficial beginning of summer.

So here in my neck of the woods initially the forecast for the weekend was not all that great but as the week wore on the forecast changed. Today showers in the early morning with clearing by nine am and the possibility of some heavy thunder showers later in the afternoon. Sunday and Monday are supposed to be fantastic with highs around 80 degrees and absolute sunshine.

Scheduled for this weekend is the 4 x 4 Proving Ground Mud Run held in Lebanon, Maine and this is their first event of the season. So the weather guys actually got it right. I woke up and it was raining softly and by nine it had stopped and the sun was shining brightly so off I went. I had on brown, medium faded indigo Levi 501s, brown belt, an old long sleeve postal uniform shirt from my work days, blue tie, Levi vintage jean jacket and brown hat.

I really wasn't interested in the main events and competitions that were taking place. I headed immediately to the mud bog area off to one side. People can drive their trucks, quads and atv vehicles through it any time they want. Sometimes it was quite busy and at other times no one went through. I sat and watched for a while. After the rain and with the sun coming out it was quite humid and hot and I was beginning to feel hot. Hence time to take a flying leap in the mud.

The mud bog area has two bogs. The front one, the one I was interested in had mud of varying depths as there were several holes the vehicles could sink down into and had been stirred up quite nicely by the vehicles churning through. There were a few trucks, but mostly smaller atvs going through. Beyond this area was a larger area, still part of the front bog that was wet, almost like a small pond, with standing water about crotch deep that the trucks were not going through. Then there was a row of marshy, grassy hummocks that divided the front bog from the back bog. I never made it to the back bog as the front one was too good to leave.

Once things had quieted down for a bit I made my entrance into the mud and did a belly flop into one of the deeper holes. It was very bouyant and you could definitely swim in it. I rolled over on my back and did a backstroke.

Much to my surprise and delight I was soon joined by a young man who just couldn't get over what I had done. He was wearing big, honking leather boots, jeans, a wife beater, ball cap and had a beard. He did a dive into the mud but landed in a shallower place. I told him to move into the deeper stuff which he did. Then bam, a friend of his, dressed exactly the same as the first guy came running down and jumped in too and swam around. So the first guy wasn't totally muddy and I started splashing him with mud, which he loved and told me to get him covered. I even took off my hat and filled it with mud and poured it over him. Then his girlfriend walked out but didn't get totally covered even though we tried to convince her to join us. The second chased her, caught her and threw her into shallow mud and basically just got her pants dirty. T even got the first guy to do some synchronized mud swimming moves with me before we got out and I retreated to a nearby log to rest.

I'm not sure how many times I jumped in the mud exactly but I think it was around six. I just jumped in whenever there was a lull and I felt like it and was alone as no one jumped in with me after the initial dive although I was getting lots of signs of approvement

And then I almost got attacked by a dog! Some guy had brought his Labrador Retriever down to play in the mud. He was throwing sticks for the dog to retrieve. I have never seen a Lab be viscious so this was a total surprise. I had been swimming farther back near the watery area testing things out and stood up, dripping mud. The dog, who must not have seen me at first, went bolistic! He charged a few feet showing every tooth in his head, snarling and growling and barking. If Cujo and White Fang had a baby this dog would be it! I just stood there, not knowing what to do. The owner tried calling him but the dog would not listen. Everything had gone silent. All the people standing around the bog stopped talking and looks of shock on their faces said they were scared as I was. The owner yelled for me to try to step away, but when I moved the dog would charge again and when I stopped, he stopped. I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree but I have owned dogs and I know that dogs are predatory and motion and movement trigger those predatory instincts. So I decided it was better to stay still. I think everyone expected that dog to just take a leap and tackle me. Fortunately, after much screaming and shouting the owner finally got the dog's attention and the dog went bounding right back to him as docile as anything. I truly believe this dog was suffering from Rage, I've seen it before in a few other dogs and it's like someone flips a switch in their brains and they go from Lassie to hound of the Baskervilles in a second and then suddenly they flip back to Lassie. I did see this same dog later, back on a leash and it almost attacked another dog who did nothing to provoke it. Scary stuff.

After that I figured I better go to the wash area for the trucks and get hosed down. I then went back to the bog area to drip off and sat down on my log to drip and dry off a bit before heading home. Big mistake. The log was relatively close to the exit spot out of the bog and two guys in an atv came roaring through and sprayed me so that the front of me was as covered with mud as I had been when I was swimming. Might as well go back in again, so I did.

After that I was sitting on my log and a guy across the way called to me and motioned for me to come over. When I got there he had blown up a floatie and wanted me to go out into the watery part of the bog with him on a second floatie - which he was blowing up - and drift and drink beers. He had a package that had four floaties in it and the floaties were shaped like llamas. They were hysterical! They had long necks and little tufted tales.

I liked the idea of the floaties. I liked the idea of the beer. I didn't like the idea of that watery area. The water wasn't that deep but the mud underneath it was thick and gooey and hard to manuever through - yet I agreed. Maybe it would work. It did work for the other guy, but not for me. He did it so easily but he was wearing shorts and no shoes. As I anticipated I mired down and could not climb on the floatie, hold my beer and try to dislodge my feet. I wound up dropping the beer into the mud, which I really wanted, and let go of the floatie, which a breeze sent sailing to the far end only to be stopped by the grassy hummocks. No way was I going after it! I had to half crawl, half swim to get out of there and it was very difficult and I was exhausted.

It really was funny seeing this guy floating around on his llama drinking beer. Then a friend of his pulls in, blows up another floatie and joins him. A third friend pulls in and decides to retrieve the llama I lost and wades out after it. How can these guys move so easily through that thick muck. They made it seem effortless. Of course they are about forty years younger than me, but it couldn't be that! It really was priceless to see them floating like swans on those silly llamas sipping their beers. Everyone was laughing their you know what's off and taking pictures. I waited and watched until they finally came out then went back and flopped down in the mud again myself for a final swim. Then went and got hosed off again before heading home.

The event continues tomorrow. I had planned to go both days but will probably go to the lake instead. The major reason being clean up. I had big balls of mud in every pocket of my jeans, shirt and jacket. Grit and sand were in my underwear, inside my shirt and all down the inside of my levis. Still, with the exception of almost being devoured by a dog, it was a fun day. So tomorrow it's mud vs. lake. We will see what tomorrow brings.



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