My favorite place in the world is away from civilization. That won't come as a shock to anyone who knows me. But whether it be some dark woods, excruciatingly tall mountains, the vast open deserts, or golden plains, when I get to be alone and experience the natural world around me, I'm happy.
But I haven't had the chance to indulge in that lately as life has been busy. Parent-teacher conferences, dance recitals, soccer and gymnastics, the endless hours of work I do here to make RideApart the best place on the internet, and countless other pieces of life haven't let me get outside. These are facts of life, ones I signed up for, but they can take a toll on you and your soul after a while. At least, that's the way for me.
I needed a break. I needed time away. I wanted to stand out on a mountain's knob, stare off into the distance, close my eyes, breathe a deep breath, and exhale, letting my anxieties and fears and tension free. Setting them aloft to make myself lighter. And I got that in the deserts just outside of Las Vegas, a desolate place that further bred my need for adventure and time away from people. A place gorgeous in its starkness.
Yet, I was also reminded that we must still do better in keeping those wild places pristine. I shouldn't have had to pick up a garbage bag's worth of trash.
I was set into the desert to experience Destination Yamaha's latest foray, an introduction in UTVing with its partner Eagle Rider. The route set us off into the deserts outside of Las Vegas, where newcomers can experience the brand's RMAX Compact UTVs, wild horses, as well as the beautiful desolation of those deserts that surround Sin City.
Out of town and into the mountains surrounding the Red Rocks National Conservation Area, the route zig-zagged through the mountain's cliffs. The route penned by Eagle Rider gave allowed me to experience sandy washes, steep inclines and declines, big boulder rock crawling, tight canyons, and all the crystal clear blue skies you could ever want. There were wild horses, buzzards, and coyotes yowling in the distance, as well as new and old mines, the tantalizing possibility of a WWII-era crashed plane, and one of the locations for the video game Fallout.
And there are stops along the way. Stops where you get vistas stretching clear across the horizon. Places where it feels as if you're alone and everything is right in the world. Knobs where I could quiet my mind, close my eyes, listen to the rustling of the wind, and breathe deeply. I could connect with the world around me, ground myself, and clear out those worries and issues I still needed to solve. Push Slack and my email away. I felt lighter again.
And the whole thing is a brilliant marketing move by Yamaha, as it's way more likely for folks to do this trip and then go look at buying one themselves. It's hard to justify an expensive purchase like a side-by-side these days, what with interest rates being as high as they are, and everyone's lack of disposable income. But when you can experience it firsthand, and do so in a place as beautifully stark as Las Vegas' surrounding wilderness, it's hard not to fork over your money to a Yamaha dealership.
But an issue kept creeping into my serenity: Trash.
I want my three kids to enjoy the same wild places I have. I want them to have the ability to go out and explore and get lost and do so for all of their lives. That's why I've been teaching them since they were old enough to talk that whenever we leave the woods, backcountry, or any wild place, "We leave it better." It's something I've drilled into their heads so much, they get mad at people whenever they see trash along trails, at campsites, or anywhere else we visit. It's why they each have their own Tread Lightly!-branded garbage sacks stored in our UTV and why we routinely pull out anywhere from 5 to 10 pounds of trash whenever we go exploring.
And while the vast majority of folks who come and enjoy the Destination Yamaha route will be captivated by the beautiful scenes, the wild animals, and the history of the landscape in front of them, I kept being distracted by the trash. I will make it clear that it wasn't like we were driving through a garbage dump. Most of the route was pristine. But each place we stopped there were beer cans and broken bottles, leftover plastic bottles and spent ammunition, and other trash littering the landscape. It likely wouldn't bother anyone, but it did bother me.
In total, our guide from Eagle Rider and I pulled out a full garbage bag's worth of trash. And that'd likely be the case with any off-road trail we visit in nearly every state, so I'm not just picking on Vegas. I just wish people were better stewards of the land, and wanted to note it so maybe it gets through to someone else.
Despite my impromptu clean-up, I enjoyed Destination Yamaha's ride. Any time I can leave the hustle and bustle of daily life and tamper down my anxieties is a good time. And I did quell them.
I remember one particular spot along the trail vividly. It overlooked Red Rocks in the distance, the high desert sun baking the crimson sediments. The wind whipped through the air, cooling the warm autumn temperatures. We were high up this steep and rocky trail with a valley below us and a rising steppe to the left. And not another soul was around save for our group. The Yamaha's got us there. They got me there. And for the first time in a while, I could breathe.
So if you need a second to reclaim some sanity, I highly recommend this Destination Yamaha experience.
