ATV Adventures: Ride to Paradise
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- Enjoying a break at Julius Park Reservoir on the Ride to Paradise near Vernal.
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- Mark and his new purchase on the Ride to Paradise near Vernal.
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- A rock formation and a summer sky on the Ride to Paradise near Vernal.
The Ride to Paradise is near Vernal, Utah.
I know, you thought Paradise is where your cabin is in the mountains, or where you go for that annual family vacation, or that favorite fishing spot you dream about when you should be working. However, it isn’t Paradise unless it has a sign that says “Paradise”.
Now, you can put up your own “Paradise” sign anywhere you want, and I guess you would have a point, but in this case, the sign was already there, and it had a reservoir, a dam, and a campground, all named Paradise.
Why did I go to Vernal to find Paradise?
Well, it’s a good story.
It all started with my grandson, Mark. He has loved four-wheelers since he was a little boy, and his grandpa was not unhappy about that. I got him a subscription to a national ATV magazine — he called them his four-wheeler comics. We got to babysit the kids from time to time, and when we wondered where he was, we would always find him in the garage sitting on one of my ATVs.
Mark grew up and got married to a girl who also loved to ride four-wheelers, so he bought a used Polaris RZR 800 ESP. Those of you who know me know that I have a reputation for getting lost. Not lost, lost — I know where I am and how to get back, but no one else does. He told me he got it for a good price and that he wanted one, but I think he wanted to ride with Grandpa so that Grandpa wouldn’t get lost. I am not so dumb that I couldn’t figure that out.
He put a new suspension on his RZR, bigger tires, and more bells and whistles than a man should be allowed to have. Then Grandpa bought a RZR XP 1000 Premium with Ride Command. Ride Command is a GPS with an amazing feature that tracks all the other machines on the ride equipped with the same feature. Mark didn’t have Ride Command on his RZR.
Right after I wrote the review on the 2024 Polaris Pro XP, Mark called me and said, “I found a good deal on a Pro XP” in Vernal.
I said, “Let’s go get it,” and so I loaded up my RZR on my 22-foot PJ trailer, and that is how I wound up in Vernal.
Good deal doesn’t do it justice. It is a 2021 model with only 1,133 miles on the odometer. He got it for half the price of a new one, and it has more bells and whistles than mine, with 71 more horsepower, but the best part is that it has Ride Command so that he can keep track of me. It is now more important than ever that I stay in front of Mark. If he gets ahead of me, I will never be able to catch up.
The rest of the story is how we wound up in Paradise.
With this new purchase, Mark wanted to try it out on a trail, and at this time of year, not a desert trail. My job was to find a cool mountain trail to ride. I remembered one I rode last year at the Vernal Outlaw ATV Jamboree. I had the track in Ride Command, and Lesha Coltharp, who is in charge of the annual Outlaw Jamboree, helped me with directions to the trailhead.
We couldn’t have picked a better trail to ride on a hot July day. The staging area was at a cool 8,000 feet. This is a beautiful trail that climbs through stands of aspen and pine in the Ashley National Forest.
Our first stop was Julius Park Reservoir. These pristine waters glistened in the July sun as we enjoyed a break at the water’s edge. At 9,700 feet, we enjoyed a cool breeze that brushed the surface of the lake.
We found a rocky path that took us to another viewpoint. Mark was looking for a good test of his Dynamix suspension. It was more than a good test.
After a little more exploring, we came to Paradise Park Reservoir, where we found a shady picnic table and broke out our fine trail cuisine. Those who ain’t cultured call it lunch.
Satisfied with the break, we headed back to the truck, finishing a ride of 27 miles. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and find your trail to Paradise.
Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com.
