Benjamin Anderson carefully guided his Bombadier ATV up and down a small wooden ramp, around orange pylons, backed it up, stopped at a stop sign and used proper hand signals for turning.

For the 12-year-old Rochester boy, however, the most important action of the day was when an adult handed him a piece of paper — he had passed the state ATV safety course and could legally ride on public trails. He's already planning on riding with his parents, Mike and Kathy Anderson.

He was one of 15 kids who took the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources training, first going through a CD at home, attending a morning of reinforcing the information at Wabasha-Kellogg High School and taking a written test. In the afternoon, it was their time to show they could safely drive their machines.

Before he took the test, he only rode with his dad also on the machine. The test was the first time he's gone solo and he's looking forward to a lot more, possibly at Snake Creek near Kellogg or in Michigan.

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Source: http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1458345