It was time to take G on a more exciting ride! Riding to the Pink Park is so 2 weeks ago, and we spent 2 hrs there yesterday.   For the first time in almost 2 years we headed down to the river with Kila.   It was still sandy, still flat, still only 2.5 miles, but it was a full-on mtb adventure for G.

We packed, many important things in an entirely new backpack, which she wore for most of the day. Carrying it in my pack at the end, the inevitable result, was the cost of getting her covered in sunscreen and fired up to go ride.

We prepared our helmet. She did this all by herself. Getting good at putting on and taking off too.

The 2-bike had to be broken down to fit in the trunk. G surprised me by recognizing the handlebars and recognizing that we had to put them back on before we could ride.   She helped, if some kind of help is the kind of help we all can do without.

We were still talking about the javalina we saw run across the road while she strapped on her kneepads.

There was a rider and a horse, and G patted its nose (the horse, not the rider).   There were mechanicals, as G’s axle bolt slid forward causing 3 separate chainsucks.   There was a slow-leak in the not-oft-used ghetto tubeless rear on the Blur.   I had a hunch shit might happen, i brought a camelback and extra clothes and extra water and tools.   I explained to G that sometimes bikes break and it wasn’t her fault.   It was a social pace.   Kila romped; G commented on every mound of horse poo.

The bike slips and slide drunkenly on the trail, especially with a sloshy rear wheel.   It moves far better than the trailer with so much momentum, and G’s contribution to getting through the sand pits made them nothing much at all.   The adventure took almost 3 hrs, with maybe 30 minutes actual riding time.   Skipping rocks and hike-a-biking and playing with stuffed animals took up the rest.   No leashes, no people, just my girl and my dog and the river trail.