Get Your Motor Runnin’

ATV riders take to the trails

All day, as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Baxter Health, Debbie Henry navigates spreadsheets covered in numbers and maneuvers through the halls of Baxter Health going from one meeting to the next.

But on the weekends, she’s far more likely to be navigating a trail in her side-by-side, maneuvering through dirt and mud. It’s not everyone’s idea of a good time, but for Henry, it’s just the ticket.

“Our family really started getting very active in riding side-by-sides when COVID hit,” she said. “That’s when we purchased our first vehicle, or buggy. We ride as a family a lot, and we ride with a church group in Harrison. They try to do a group ride at least once a month during the fall and summer months.

“They ride mostly in Arkansas and a lot of times south of Harrison and down by Russellville in the national forest. There are a lot of trails in the area. It’s just beautiful country.”

Henry was so smitten with the activity, she started to notice that many other members of the Baxter Health family shared her love for trails and the open road. One of them, Nurse Recruiter Kim Beavers, is as passionate about riding as she was.

“My husband and I actually started about a year and a half ago,” Beavers said. “We live up on Bull Shoals Lake, and I have a side-by-side that I use down at the lake. It’s a larger side-by-side, and I can get all the grandkids and our kayaks in it.

“We go riding all year long. On New Year’s Eve, we were over at Batesville at Greasy Bend, and on New Year’s Day, we were out there riding. We’ve also gone to Kentucky since then, and of course, over here in Arkansas, there’s a lot of good trail riding around the Witts Springs area.”

Both women said the allure of side-by-side riding is in its stress relief. Slinging mud or splashing water is a great antidote for the tribulations of corporate life, and fresh air and sunshine do a person good anytime. Even the fickle temperament of Mother Nature makes for a good story.

“The most exciting thing we’ve done is when the hailstorm hit Northern Arkansas,” Beavers said. “We were headed back, and we knew the storms were supposed to move in around 5 o’clock. We were planning on being back around that time, but the storms hit early over there, about 3:30. So we were out in that hailstorm.

“We’ve got videos of the hailstones; they were pretty big — bigger than a golf ball, definitely. My husband got dinged and got a bruise on his arm. But we made it back all right.”

“You never know what you’re going to come up against because sometimes there’s a lot of water and a lot of mud,” Henry said. “Sometimes there’s just a lot of dirt, but when we’re riding in the forest and on the back trails, a lot of times there’s rock. You just have to maneuver your way through, and it’s always challenging.

“Sometimes, you get stuck or turn over — depends on the day and where you are or what you encounter. But most of it’s just fun with family and friends and out in nature and away from the masses. It’s different than being in the city.”

The duo enjoyed their rides so much that they thought it a great idea to form a group of like-minded individuals at work. Under the banner of “Girls just want to have fun,” they posted flyers to anyone who’d like to come along on the inaugural ride, held at Cloud 9 Ranch in Caulfield, Missouri.

Wynne Woodard, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, NE, Baxter Health Education and First In Service Hospitalists, has been a Baxter Health employee for over 28 years. A Cloud 9 Ranch member, Woodard was helpful in planning the group ride and said, “In addition to the thrill of the ride, my favorite part is when a patient or their family recognize me from the trails. It gives you an instant connection with the people you are caring for to identity with them on a personal level. This has a positive impact on the patient-provider relationship.”

“We sent flyers to all of our directors and encouraged them to reach out to anybody they knew they enjoyed riding side-by-sides,” Henry said. “We had a core group we all know that rode often, and many were Cloud 9 Ranch members, where we rode. So, we just decided to organize a group ride for our Baxter Health Family.

“Most of the employees that signed up for the ride were couples and families. The Baxter Health Marketing team helped organize the ride and capitalized on the opportunity to support marketing efforts with adventure pictures and videos.

“It was a great day with not only our work families, but our actual families, too.”

The event accommodated drivers and riders of various experience levels from relative beginners to more experienced riders like Henry and Beavers, who chuckled at the memory of taking newbies for their first real spin.

“Janie Pugsley is our Director of Home Health; she was on this ride when we went to Cloud 9 Ranch, she, her husband and her grandkid,” Beavers said. “When the girls were driving, she didn’t want to drive. She said, ‘Can I ride with you?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ I think I scared the badoogies out of her. She kept going, ‘Oh, I want to ride with Debbie! I want to ride with Debbie!’ I was giggling, and Janie was hanging on for dear life. I felt guilty about that later, but it was pretty funny.”

Both Henry and Beavers said the inaugural ride was so much fun they’d like to organize another outing among Baxter Health employees and families. They said the combination of the scenery, the speed and the people they meet puts side-by-side riding in a class by itself.

“My daughter and her family have a side-by-side, and I love to hit the trails and ride with family or friends, either one,” Henry said. “Being out in nature is always a blast.”

“We have met so many nice people on these rides that you would have never met otherwise,” Beavers said. “I mean you’ll be out somewhere, and you’ll come across somebody that works hourly wages and somebody else who’s a retired doctor. It’s just a huge group of people who get together and want to have a good time and enjoy the outdoors.”