Tag Archives: nature

Running Trails with the brand new 2026 Polaris ATV

When I got home from Dallas for the first time in months I first hugged my family, held my cat, and then immediately started prepping to head out to Croom for a day of trail running with Adam. Adam who usually rides a dirt bike recently bought a brand new Polaris. This beast was the trail model so it came with a lift kit on it, a winch and the bars you would usually see on an ATV have been removed. It is a black beast of a four wheeler. I never personally thought I would love an ATV with an automatic transmission but let me tell you this thing was so smooth running those trails.

We got out to Croom a couple weeks before the fourth of July and Croom was totally empty. The weather was brutal, to be specific the intense heat was brutal with a average temperature of about one hundred degrees. I can see what sitting on top of a extremely hot motor may not sound very fun to most people, especially my cousin who wears work out gear when he rides, but I am not a normal person. So I came anyway. The dust was intense at the sand pit but because there was no one there we got to really see the Polaris at speed off road which was apparently on half throttle. Adam is making a point of easing it in which I totally agree with just not great at practicing it. There has been a couple times that Adam had to be a little more clear about slowing down until it is completely run in. Sorry Adam, I am working on this.

We were pulling into the perfect spot with a good canopy lining up our trucks, Adam in his white Dodge Ram that is a beast just like the ATV it brought into the Withlacoochee Forest today. I, of course, was in Big Red, my ’79 Ford F-150 with my ’98 Honda Foreman 400. We didn’t waste time before jumping on the trails. Adam was eager to find some mud to put his four wheel drive to the test and maybe even to get stuck and give his new winch a test drive. The heat and how dry it was I wasn’t too sure we would find any serious mud but we had only been running the trails for about ten minutes before we found the same exact spot my ATV had gotten stuck the last time we came out there with Chris. When Adam saw that mud he went straight into it.

He hit the mud and at first he was plowing right through it until he started to come to the other side of this miniature lake and he got bogged down. I had gone through a smaller cut next to him so I wouldn’t get stuck since he was very stuck and I was gonna need to help pull him out. I cam around and he looked up with a huge grin, the kind you would expect on the kids on Christmas morning, and says out loud “WINCH TIME!”. Yes, it was indeed winch time. We first were going to set it to a tree, why not my ATV? Adam also wanted to see how long it was. When we couldn’t reach the tree so we hooked it up to my ATV. It came right out, I loved it. It was so awesome rolling through here now with a winch. I even bought one for my ATV, I just need to take it my ATV shop and have them install it because, surprisingly it is much more complicated than just bolting something on. So I would be visiting Haps in Sarasota very soon.

We probably rode for about three hours before having to return to reality but we already have started planning a longer moto-camping trip, something we have been talking about for a couple years. We are currently looking at the Ocala National Forest, since we already know the terrain really well, we can make that our first location for a full on, off the grid, moto-camping trip. Both of us having 4x4s, winches, and the ability to carry a decent amount of cargo. The possibilities are endless. I look forward to telling you more about this in the future. Thanks so much for reading, don’t forget you can watch this adventure at my YouTube channel Dan Goes Outside and check out Mud, Dust, and High Speed Rust. I promise that you will enjoy it, and please like and subscribe, it truly does help. I hope you have an awesome day wherever you are my friends, God bless, and don’t forget to go outside!

NYE in the Wild: Lake Delancy, Ocala National Forest

New Year’s is the trip I always wait for—the one I plan hardest and look forward to most. Since 2020, it’s become a tradition: camping out the turn of the year, welcoming whatever comes next from deep in the woods. This year, Adam and I returned to one of our favorite spots—Lake Delancy, tucked away deep in the heart of the Ocala National Forest.
As with any good adventure, getting there wasn’t without its surprises.
I’d booked the site for December 30th and 31st so we could roll in easy, set up camp, and settle in. My driving, however, started on the 29th when while loading gear, Adam called—naturally I did the responsible thing and ignored it. Then came the text: “We have an issue.”
My heart skipped. I called him immediately.
With a laugh, he said, “I knew that would get your attention.” His truck repairs weren’t finished, and the truck he was using couldn’t haul the extra dirt bike Chris would need when he joined us on New Year’s Eve. This meant I needed to load my ATV, drive an hour south to Sarasota, pick up the dirt bike, head back home, finish packing, and be ready to roll the next morning.
Simple enough…
I loaded up the Foreman and headed south, hung out with Adam for a bit, strapped down the dirt bike, and made the return trip. Back home, I finished packing everything else—camp gear, food, tools, layers, and a banger play list that would leave the forest in awe, undoubtedly bringing out all natures creatures in curiosity of the awesome music. The next morning, we met at Publix, stocked up on supplies, and formed a little convoy to pick up Leonor.
This trip was special—it was Leonor’s first tent camping trip, and our first together. Sharing my favorite tradition with her was very special to me.
The drive took about two and a half hours. When we turned onto the Forest Service Road—pockmarked, dusty, and barely maintained—my heart swelled. That road means remoteness. Quiet. Freedom. We passed the familiar sign: “Welcome to the Ocala National Forest.” That sign always feels like crossing a threshold—into the bush, into God’s country, where the wild things are.
Adam had already arrived and pitched his tent. We wasted no time setting ours up, Leonor helping lay out blankets and gear since we knew the temperature would be dropping fast. As the sun slipped behind the trees, Adam grinned and said, “About time to get the fire going.”
Dinner that night was chicken thighs with squash and zucchini, the veggies chopped by Leonor and cooked to perfection by Adam. It was one of those meals that makes everyone go silent for a while—nothing but the sound of chewing, fire popping, and my occasional “Mmmmm”.
As we were swallowed by the dark, the cold had settled in hard. Around 35 degrees and falling. We walked laps around camp, half-hoping to spot the bear Adam and I had seen on a previous trip. But after several rounds, it became clear: it was too cold for anything to be moving, including Old Smokey.
Leonor and I turned in first. The rest of the night was brutal.
The temperature dropped to 28 degrees—bone-deep, painful cold. My feet ached. I shivered uncontrollably. None of us slept. At first light, I got up immediately, Adam built a fire, and we stood in the sun slowly defrosting. I’ve slept in cold places—reenactments, winter camps—but this was the coldest night I’ve ever endured.
Breakfast fixed everything. Runny eggs, bacon, cheese, Wonder Bread—Adam has this ability to create a feast anywhere we are, it is one of his superpowers. After eating, Leonor and I drove about 30 minutes into town for more firewood, blankets, hand warmers, food, and water.
Back at camp, it was finally time to ride.
We unleashed the machines and disappeared into the Ocala backcountry—Adam leading on the dirt bike, me close behind on the ATV with Leonor holding tight. Out there, far from everything, the noise of the world falls away. All that’s left is peace. Pine, sand, sky. Truly wild Florida.
After the ride, I sent the drone up and captured a bird’s-eye view of Lake Delancy and the endless green ocean of forest stretching to the horizon. It truly moves you in a way I find difficult to articulate. A feeling of adventure and beauty, awe and excitement.
That night’s dinner was ribs—the best ribs I’ve ever eaten. As the fire crackled, we counted down the final moments of 2025. In the distance coyotes howled at the moon adding a beauty and calm to the darkness of the night. When midnight hit, we all celebrated another glorious year and shouted, “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Another year closed the right way.
That night, we were ready for the cold. Two socks with a hand warmer sandwiched between them, extra blankets, sleeping bag layered just right. I slept like a rock—confirmed by my snoring, which Leonor kindly pointed out the next morning. A brutal first night, followed by a perfect one.
As we packed up to leave, nostalgia tugged at me. Leonor and I took one last slow walk around Lake Delancy, and I told her stories—past trips, mishaps, and my favorite: the night we followed a black bear I’d happily nicknamed Old Smokey.
“I always see something,” I said. “I hate that this time—when you’re with me—we didn’t.”
I hadn’t even finished the sentence when a black bear cub wandered calmly through camp.
We stopped. Took photos and video. Followed at a safe distance while alerting others. Campers watched in awe as the bear passed through, unbothered, wild, and perfect. A gift from God—a beautiful sendoff.
Ocala will always be special to me. And Lake Delancy will always feel like home.
If you ever get the chance, go. You might just find paradise.