Farmhouse Go-Carts mud fun around the two-mile course in Gabriels. (Photo provided — Diane Chase)

I’m not one to go on thrill-seeking rides. I probably won’t ever bungee-jump, and I’m always mentally questioning the mechanics of any roller coaster ride. That is why I even surprised myself when I heard about the Freeburg’s Farmhouse Go-Carts in Gabriels, I really wanted to go. I wanted to do something outside my comfort zone.

We meet our friends at Farmhouse Go-Carts, sign our waivers, given helmets and safety goggles, and a safety lesson. My daughter (if her experience on carnival go-kart tracts are any indication) is a bit of a speed demon. Thankfully she can’t get behind the wheel until she turns 16 years old. We have a few years before she’s driving me through mud and dirt. I find out later that reservations are required for safety reasons. Only one group is allowed on the course at a time.

When owner Dick Freeburg asks if you want to borrow a rain jacket, just say yes. You won’t regret it. We are already wearing old clothes so at first I decline. After checking out the carts and hearing about driving through the mud, I’m back for a coat. This two-mile dirt tract through the 52-acre farm fields is not a beauty pageant. We are there to get dirty. We have a “before picture” taken and then put the camera phones away. The only camera out is a Go-Pro and we will test its waterproof claims.

Two carts take off before us. I’m a bit slow to get comfortable. Soon enough I’m driving through the mud puddles instead of around them. My daughter is attempting a video, but soon discovers it isn’t worth trying to keep the lens clean. We catch glimpses of the other carts, but we are essentially alone most of the time. I drive back to the barn when I realize I am clutching the steering wheel in a death grip. I get a few words of encouragement from Mr. Freeburg to “just relax and have fun.” Those are words to live by. I eventually get lapped, but no one is there to compete. Through mud puddles and dirt, over rolling hills and through farm fields, we drive around the 2-mile loop a few times in the 45-minute allotted time frame.

We return to the barn mud-splattered. Our clothes are soaked through so we take the offer to use the hose to clean away the mud. The “after photo” has us still carrying away a fair bit of the farm with us. Before you go, bring a few plastic bags or old towels to cover your car seats for the trip home. Wear old clothes that you do not care about, including any under-layers. Just do what Mr. Freeburg says, “Relax and have fun.”

Currently there are four carts for hire that hold up to eight people (two people per cart.) The cost is $60 per cart. Farmhouse Go-Carts is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., by reservation only. Please call 518-327-3429 or go to FarmhouseGoCarts.com. To get there from Saranac Lake, take state Route 86 north to Gabriels, turn onto Hobart Road (of Tucker Farms Great Adirondack Corn Maze fame) and turn left onto 129 Hobart Road. It’s just pure fun.

Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time: Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities.” For more

family-friendly activities go to www.AdirondackFamily

Time.com.