Riding with the Mud Buddies at Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park

For those who don't know, April is Autism Awareness Month, so I wanted to Light It Up Blue Today.  I'm sure that I'll be blogging more about this later, but today's post is all about our day trip yesterday.

Bob searched online to try and find something fun to do with Bobby, and low and behold he found a group in West Virginia called Mud Buddies.  They are a non-profit who takes people with disabilities for guided tours on 4 wheelers and ATV's on different trails throughout the state.  Bob emailed them and they said that they were going to be at Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park in Sophia, WV on March 30 and to come on down and ride with them.  Plan made.  I didn't have anything to do with it.  For those who don't know what it is like to take a child with autism (especially with Bobby's level of functioning) somewhere new and not be the one to make the plans and know every detail of what was available there, where we were going, who the people were....well, I just had to step back and let Daddy have this one. 

We got up at 5 am.  I packed a cooler, snack bag, changes of clothes, and a few other things for Bobby.  Bob loaded up the car (he loaded up the Rhino on Friday night).  I woke up Bobby and said, "Lets go for a ride in the car."  No more beautiful words have ever been heard by Bobby Smith.  So, he got right up, went potty, got dressed, took allergy medicine and got right into the car. 

Hillbilly parade float (Friday night)



We only made one stop on the ride down to Sophia (which is right outside of Beckley).  We stopped at a Go-Mart to get gas.  I took Bobby in to use the bathroom and to buy something small so that we could get change for the toll-road.  When we went into the bathroom, Bobby said "swimming."  In my head I was thinking, "swimming!!!!  We are at a convience store using the bathroom, pulling the Rhino behind us and you want to go swimming!!!  What in the world makes you think that we are going swimming.  I can't even believe it...swimming!!!!"  Then I looked around.  All 4 walls in the bathroom were tiled in white, glossy tiles with a band of pool blue tiles about 3/4 of the way up.  The floor was tiled in the small 1 inch white tiles with black grout and it slanted to the middle where there was a drain.  A clean, white bathroom.  So I said, "yes Bobby, you're right.  I does look like a bathroom that would be at a swimming pool!!"  This boy notices EVERYTHING!!!!  If I had gone in their myself, I would have not been able to tell you what color the walls were, let alone that they had tile or dry wall, etc.   I definitely do NOT notice the world as fully as Bobby.

Bob and I were excited to see this sign.  We made it!!  No problems with Bobby or with the trailer.  Starting off to a good day!!

Bob went into the general store and bought the trail passes.  I took Bobby to the bathroom, which are the two green doors in the front and the two green doors on the side.  Nice facilities with showers inside (since there are cabin rentals just yards away).  So far, I really like what I see.  A nice, clean place.  Now, time to unload the Rhino and get this ride underway!

Not sure how/where Bob met up with the Mud Buddies, but he found them...

Mike and Susie of the Mud Buddies Foundation (I didn't take this picture, I snatched it from the Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park Facebook page), but it was taken right before they took off with Bob and Bobby.

3 Mud Buddies 4-wheelers on the left and Bob and Bobby in the Rhino on the right.  Taking off with the Mud Buddies leading the way...

Ready to ride the over 100 miles of trails!!!  Have fun!!

Bob could have taken Bobby for a ride all by himself.  There are no rules that you can't take someone for a ride with a disability without a guide, but it just would not be safe to take Bobby alone.  What if Bob had a accident?  Bobby wouldn't flag down another rider or call 911, he would instead, run off into the woods.  Bob had enough to worry about on the ride....making sure Bobby kept his seat belt on, his helmet lid down, kept the door closed, kept his arms in the Rhino.  When you have that much going on in your head, trying to follow a map and remember where you are is much, much more difficult.  That is where the guides come in handy.  Guess what, they still got lost.  You can get a guide from Burning Rock, you have to pay of course, and it is just plain old easier when you have someone that knows about and understands the unique situation of a person with a disability. 

What did I do while they rode for over 3 hours?   Well, thank you for asking!  I shopped in the little general store and bought the boys each a t-shirt.  That took about 5 minutes of my time.  I sat out on one of the picnic tables in front of the general store and bathrooms and read a book.  One of the owners of Burning Rock visited with me for a while as did a couple of other staff from Burning Rock.  But the rest of the time, I read a book.  Nothing to cook or clean, no one to watch after.  I just got to sit for 3 hours and read.  I am reading "Carly's Voice" which I am sure that I will have to blog about soon.  Yes, it is about autism.  I also took pictures.  Watched a couple of people go down the zip-line, which scares the &*#% out of me.  (Bob at the end of the ride kept trying to egg me to ride the zip-line.  No amount of anything would ever get me on there.  60 mph through the air.  No thank you.)

They came back dirtier than I even anticipated.  So glad that we brought changes of clothes.  Bobby would not sit in the Rhino long enough for me to get a picture of the full effect of dirtiness. 

Bob was freezing because they were soaked through.  Bobby didn't care that much.  He even took his shoes off during the ride. 

I got out the change of clothes for Bobby and he was like, awesome, dry clothes and took off his wet, dirty ones right there for me to change him.  He then pulled on me.  While Bob put the Rhino away, I took Bobby for a walk.  Really Bobby pulled me, straight to the bathrooms.  He went right it and went about his business.  Poor kid had to pee.  Bob finally made it over to the bathrooms to shower off and change his clothes and Bobby once again started pulling me.  This time towards to food truck...

You can't tell from this picture, but the food truck was in the middle of a field with a couple of tables around.  Bobby was beelining towards the food truck.  Me thinking..."Oh Bobby, I know that you won't eat barbeque.  Lets go to the car and get some of your snacks and then we will stop and eat on the way home."  Bobby ran over to one of the tables and was sitting down beside someone to eat the french fries that were on his plate.   Oh great, the truck has french fries (I know that he must have smelled them, we have never eaten from a food truck).  He had difficulty (understatement) waiting for his french fries, but once he got them, he took them over to the table, sat down with the Mud Buddies crew and started eating.  Bob and I laughing about how EXTREMELY well Bobby is sitting to eat.  I wish I would have had my camera, but it was back at the car.  So, I don't have any pics with the Mud Buddies afterwards or Bobby sitting and eating.  After Bobby ate, we loaded back up into the car...

He decided to have some snack afterall.  I wish that you could see how dirty his face still was.  Bobby got a little fussy on the ride close to Flatwoods, so we stopped.  While Bob got gas, I walked Bobby over to the Outlet Mall to walk around on the sidewalks.  Once again, he dragged me...right into the bathroom.  He had to pee.  (He knows how to say, "pee potty" and has used it in the past.  Didn't use it once today).  He peed, we walked, he got right back into the car and rode home without any issues. 

Daddy planned an outstanding day!!!!!!

If you have a motorcycle, 4 wheeler, ATV, I totally recommend that you check out Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park.  A great, family friendly place to ride.  Saw many children on their 4 wheelers and little Rhino's.  Met some very friendly people.  Very clean, well manicured establishment.  Burning Rock does rent things to ride and do have guides.  Not sure the cost.  Check out their website.
http://www.burningrockwv.com/

Also, if you are interested in riding with the Mud Buddies, check out their website.  They have different events all over the state, yesterday they just happened to be at Burning Rock.  They are supposed to send me the list of their events if anyone is interested.  They also have a 4 seater to take a couple of people on a ride with them. 
http://www.mudbuddiesfoundation.com/

"Trail Therapy" rocks, thanks Daddy for such a great day!!!