Hitting the Trails

Last week Jim took the boys on their first off-road mountain bike adventure. Troy and Trent have been wanting to go for a while, but there are a few requirements.

1. No training wheels

2. Ability to mostly control the bike

3. No whining

The boys were finally deemed ready by their dad, so three very excited boys set off for the trails. They were still mostly excited when they returned. Two had a good time and one could have had his trip go a little better. Apparently, things went slowly for the first lap. (When I say lap I mean a small portion of the off-road trail.) After the first go-around the boys caught on and were moving along at a pretty good clip when - crash! Down went Trent...hard...in the prickly pear cactus. After screaming a bit at his first up-close experience with the rather sharp needles of the prickly pear, he got back on his bike and rode again until - crash! Down went Trent...hard...in the prickly pear cactus. And did I mention that some fire ants were hanging out around the cactus? Trent knows about rule #3, though, so he did his best and finished the loop. He only let a few tears slip later at home when Mom was removing many prickly pear needles from his knee and hand. If you have never been up close and personal with the prickly pear, let me tell you - they are a nasty little plant. We are still picking some needles out of his leg after bath times. Luckily, the fire ant bites are mostly gone. More importantly, Trent wants to go back out to the trail soon.

Troy had a good time on his ride and stayed upright the entire time. Both boys are already talking about how fun it will be when the whole family can go. Hmmm...that could be very entertaining.