After being stranded a hand full of times, I have started packing some common tools on our off-road ATV adventures. Since then I have noticed that I feel much more prepared for the simple flat tire or spark plug change that can occur.

Even though you can’t expect the unexpected, there are several items you can bring along that will help to ensure you make it to your destination.  Check out the list below before you go on your ATV adventure!

What to pack:

1.       First Aid Kit

2.       GPS / Area Map

3.       Compass

4.       Flash Light

5.       Source of communication

6.       Spark Plug Kit - (spark plugs +wrench) \

7.       Tire Inflator/Repair Kit - (Kit = Tire plugs + Plug tools, CO2 inflators with inflator tool, or a small air compressor)

8.       Canteen - (Water)

9.       Tow Strap

10.   Source Of Flame

It’s always a good idea to let someone now when you’re leaving and when they should expect to hear from you. If a bad wreck should occur and you can’t reach your source of communication, they will know something wrong has happened and they can send help your way. Plan for the worst and hope for the best!!

Be safe, Have fun, and ride hard!

Summer has arrived and with it brings the new 2011 ATV’s. These 2011 ATV’s are the most advanced on the market.

With the design of electric power steering, bead lock rims, engine braking, and the new 1000cc ATV class, there is plenty to talk about.

  I have searched high and low to find the baddest utility ATV on the market. Below is a list of the top 5 rated ATV for 2011. Feel free to leave feedback as we enjoy hearing from the riders.

1.       Artic Cat 1000LTD – If you think your ATV is bad to the bone…the meanest on the block…the best there can be. Then you clearly haven’t seen the Arctic Cat 1000. That’s right a 1000 EFI stock from the factory. With the engine displacement falling in at a whopping 951cc, this ATV has all others in 2011 beat by over 100cc, s. That’s crazy power right at the tip of your thumb.

        Artic Cat pulled out all the stops and went all out crushing the competition.  With electric power steering and the most fuel capacity out of all five ATVs, a 3000lb winch, and with 2wd/4wd electric front differential locks, you will be able to do what you want when you want. I guarantee you. With this machine people will look and wish they had one!

2.       Polaris Sportsman XP 850 EPS – The 2011 Polaris falls just shy of first place for one main reason, and that is the motor. Even though it has an 850cc V-twin that has ranked high on the list for years, it was still no match for the new 1000cc of Artic Cat.

        Having said that, there are some incredible features that are better than the Arctic Cat.  For example, the new engine braking system (EBS), and the On-Demand All Wheel Drive (AWD) 4x4 system which is the best in the business. In simple terms it’s basically the same drive train system that Jeep uses, just smaller in size. To me that screams hill destroyer!!

        But that’s not all; Polaris has a 12” ground clearance beating the Arctic Cat by 1”. That doesn’t sound like a lot but 1” can make or break you in the all-terrain world. This is defiantly one ATV to look into with a very reasonable price tag.

3.       Can-AM Outlander 800xt-p – Just two years ago the Outlander was at the top of the list. With basically the same ATV in 2011 the competition just passed it up. Packing a 799cc EFI Rotax V-twin engine it makes HUGE power for its size. Can-Am claims it makes 71 HP and the Polaris makes 69 HP making it the second most powerful utility ATV to the Arctic Cat 1000.

        Can-Am unleashed there new bead lock rims which not only look cool, but will also make sure no rocks will have a chance on causing a flat. The Outlander, in my opinion, is the well-built and possibly the most versatile ATV on the list.  

4.       Kawasaki Brute Force 750 – With the Kawasaki really stepping up their motor department unleashing their own engine braking system, and beefing up the engine displacement to 749cc. The big V-twin is being fueled by a unique DFI fuel injection system pumping fuel thru two 36mm throttle bodies. With the lightest weight of all the ATVs on the list, it helps this ATV keep up with the competition and sometimes leaving them in the dust.

        The one aspect I was concerned about was the 9.7 ground clearance. That’s over 2” lower than my #1 choice. Let’s face it; if you can’t make it over the obstacle, nothing else really matters. In my opinion this could limit the type of terrain you can ride in. All in all it’s still a great ATV or it wouldn’t have made the top 5.

5.       Suzuki King Quad 750 AXI –The Suzuki team has always been leaders in the motocross industry, but have lacked in there ATV division. The new 2011 King quad 750 shows they are starting to make head way. With the engine displacement falling in at 722cc’s, just 29cc’s behind fourth place, and 77cc’s behind third place, they are catching up to the competition in a hurry. Since bumping Honda off the list this year, it won’t take long to make this ATV rate mid pack.

        The King quad 2011 has electronic power steering, Suzuki’s fuel injection, and awesome five way adjustable shock absorbers. They have recently upgraded to the automatic variable v-belt design. This ATV might not be the baddest, or the fastest, but it definitely is a great buy for the price.

          It can be tricky knowing when you should use ash hair colors. I have put a few tips below for times when you should be using ash hair color over natural or other toned colors.

·         The major reason for the use of ash colors is when you want to eliminate the “golden” or “red” tones in your hair color.

·         Another reason to use ash colors is when you have natural gold or red tones in your hair. For many who color their hair, the pesky “golden” tones that result can be resolved by using an ash based hair color.

·         Not only can using ash colors help prevent unwanted tones; it can soften your color to a more even all over color. If you have hi-lights you are covering up with an all-over color, or only using one color, it can help to even out the uneven tones that may result from starting with more than one color in your hair.

So the bottom line with ash hair colors is to be sure you really need the extra counter effect of color that ash provides. Ash colors can be beneficial if used correctly, but if you try to use them when they are unnecessary you can end up with green or blue toned hair. Always remember; Ash colors have a green base that counters the red tones in hair.

So if you have blonde hair and want to become a brunette, DO NOT use ash hair colors. If you are a brunette and want to become blonde, or just want to put in hi-lights, using an ash color can be helpful to get the cleanest blonde tones. However, using a bleach to lift darker hair colors would be the best for hi-lights, but that is a totally different process. Bleach can be a lot quicker of a process, but it can cause several problems if you don’t use it correctly.

Using an ash tint to lift hair from dark to light can sometimes give you more even tones of color in your hair if you are not trying to drastically change the color. Just lifting a couple of shades can change the whole look of your style, as well as add some “effect” to your look.

So always make sure you know what you want your end result to be, and be sure you have the necessary tools and products to achieve it. Hair color can be fun and less expensive to do at home, if the end result turns out the way you want it to. So good luck! And happy coloring!

As the Earth passes through a phase of heavy dust from behind Comet Swift, tiny particles will enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Those particles then begin to burn up, giving us some spectacular views. Though you may be able to see some meteors from late July through August 22^nd, the peak will occur around August 12^th and August 13^th. 

The best time for viewing should be after midnight in the northeast sky.  The naked eye is best for viewing as they pass thru the night sky with a speed up to 140,000 MPH.  Even though we haven’t seen Comet Swift since 1992, it is still creating an amazing show for all of us happy night viewers!

It’s always been said that you should never touch a bird’s eggs, or its nest, in fear the parents will not return to take care of it. Well… Recently we had a heavy thunderstorm come through with high winds. The next morning we noticed that a bird’s nest had been blown out of a tree. This has happened before, but this time there was a baby bird that had fallen out. I have never seen such a small bird, and to our surprise it was still alive after falling out of its nest. It had no feathers at all, but you could see it breathing.

So the question arose!! Should we try to put the little guy back in its nest? Or would touching the baby Robin, as well as the nest, make the parents abandon it?

After doing some quick research, we were surprised to learn that birds have a low sense of smell. So we decided to try and put the bird back in its nest and put the nest back into the tree.

So after getting the nest and the bird back into the tree, we checked with binoculars to see if the mother would come around and care for it. To our surprise she did rather quickly! As we watched, we noticed it was unhappy with the location or positioning of the nest. She kept throwing sections of it on the ground but the baby was still inside hanging on by a thread. So we started to worry and decided to take the nest with the bird and set it in a better place for the mother.

It has been a couple of days and the baby is doing great. Its feathers are starting to come in now, and the parents are doing great with it. The mother Robin keeps it warm and feeds it… just waiting for it to grow big enough to fly away with her.

I would have to say that not being able to touch a bird’s nest or its young when it needs help is an old wives tale. It can be done, however, you should keep a watchful eye over it for a couple of hours to make sure the mother is coming back to take care of the eggs or babies.  So the next time you are hesitant to help out a baby bird in need, try to remember that a life is at stake! And you can help without worrying about it not being taken care of.

For those of you who own a cat or kitten as a pet, it can be sometimes difficult to find the right treatment to prevent fleas from causing problems for your pet.  For us we have a cat that likes to go outdoors, so it can be even more of a challenge to keep the fleas away. 

When we first found our cat he was a stray that came around for the attention and a meal. We knew we would have to clean him and up and and treat him for fleas or anything else he may have so we could take him in. The treatment we have found is rather inexpensive yet it is very effective for our cat.  It is available at your local Wal Mart so it is readily available to pretty much everyone. 

 So if you want to make your cat happier and flea free, we would recommend this treatment to you and your cat.  We have used it ever since we have taken him in and have not found any signs of fleas since.

Have you blown a head gasket or maybe cracked your block? Your mechanic is quoting you 4 figure numbers to have it repaired. The question goes through your mind to junk the ride or maybe replace the whole engine. Neither is cheap so which is the best route? 

Well why not fix it yourself in under 1 hour? If you have a basic understanding of an engine then you’re on the way to a quick secure fix for cheap.

The product is called Thermagasket. This product is well worth the time and money of trying to fix your problems. At worst case you try it and it doesn’t work. But I don’t think that will be the case. If Thermagasket doesn’t work then the mechanic has more in store when they tear it apart and your bill is sure to go up.

Have you been looking into the clear spring skies? But you’re not sure what that flicking light really is? The guessing game is now over. Welcome the software starry nights. It’s a perfect fit for the beginner and the novice astronomers. Simply type in your zip code and you can browse the night sky with ease. It's an easy to follow program that can answer many questions to what is really out there. Even If you don't have a telescope, this program can help to understand what that light in the sky really is. We can see so much with our telescopes, yet knowing what we are looking at makes it that much more exciting.

We have put this program on the read more section of this article. Feel free to use it at your convenience. Be sure to check into Starry Nights from time to time, as the night sky is a changing place. Many planets come in and out of view. Maybe you will get the chance to see them all!

2. Type in your zip code and choose what you would like displayed. {Planets and stars}

3. Hit done and choose what direction you witch to look in.

Hint: If you can’t see what you know is out there. Like the moon. Then make sure you’re pointing in the right direction

then use the arrows to move around the map.

It's that time of year again. Time to break out the lawn equipment and get to work. If you’re like me then your job takes up a lot of time, leaving you with little time to get all the yard work done. So having time limitations requires good equipment to get the yard work done in a suitable amount of time. This is where I love owning my ATV. Having a yard that is too big to push fertilize, I attach a 100 pound spreader to the back of the rack, attach the 12 volt motor wires to the battery,  fill it with some fertilizer and off I go. It makes fertilizing the yard a whole lot more fun and it gets done in very little time.