Mountain Biking!

My boy, who never poses for a picture.

This past weekend we went camping with Uncle Tripp in Belleview at the Santos trailhead. In spite of the rain, we had a great time. We went with my in-laws. Grammy and Pappy took their motor home and Pappy cooked most of our meals for us. Uncle Tripp camped in his tent. Aunt Lisa and Uncle TR, Heather and Jacob stayed in a tent and we stayed in a bored travel trailer.

The focus and primary entertainment was of course, mountain biking. This area has trails for all levels. Yellows are the easiest, blues are intermediate, and reds are the most difficult. I rode a few of the reds but I didn't get crazy and managed the weekend without taking a spill.

Right at the trailhead they have a pump track. It is made up of berms, moguls and narrow bridges. It allows riders to practice what they will encounter on the trails. The kids loved it. The main focus for the kids was to "get air." In the above picture, Nathan's front tire is getting a lot of air.
Jacob did really well. Here he was able to get both tires off the ground and "get some air."
This little girl was out at the pump track on a bike with no pedals. It was so funny to watch her on this little bike. Her dad called it a walking bike. She was only three and did everything the older kids did walking her bike.
The narrow slat bridge was quite a challenge. It requires good balance. The kids fell off the sides several times, but before long they had mastered it. This particular day, I was just watching the kids. I wasn't going to try any of the tricks. But, I couldn't stand it.
As you can tell, I had on flip flops and no helmet. I sure hope the "Helmet Nazi" (Uncle Tripp) doesn't see this picture. But, I did it on the first try. Then, I was done. I only have to prove to myself one time that I can do it.If the bridge wasn't hard enough, they also have a board no more than three inches wide they expect people to ride across. I didn't even attempt it. I know when to quit. Jacob mastered it, though.

Nathan made it through the weekend with two skinned elbows (one seen in the pic), lots of bruises on his legs and a sore behind. On one of his spills, his seat poked him in his bottom. He got up kicking it and really mad at his bike. I went over to him and tried to make light of the situation and asked him if he needed a "butt cup." Exasperated, he just said, "MOM!" But, I didn't miss the grin he tried to hide.