Another 10 Miles

(Argh! Blogger informed me, after I'd uploaded the post, that it no longer supports Firefox for the upload-from-Picasa function in Picasa. So, now I understand where random pictures disappeared. Carrying on...)

We took another ride this weekend. (Just realized I hadn't blogged about the previous ride. Last weekend, James and John began the rides required for completing the Cycling Merit Badge for Scouts. They'll have to plan and complete seven rides: two 10-mile, two 15-mile, two 25-mile, and one 50-mile. This weekend was their second 10-mile ride.) This merit badge may kill me, but the boys are learning a *lot*. They were up, dressed, had their gear packed and their bikes ready to load before Zorak and I had even thought to wonder if there was coffee. If I'd thought about punting (and I'm not saying I did, but yeah, I had), their enthusiasm and willingness to do a little thinking for themselves shamed me out of bed and into motion.

 Did I mention this badge may kill me? Yeah. We rode the Richard Martin trail, which is really not all that *hard*, except that, well, it's hard if you're old and out of shape. Or just a weenie. It's uphill both ways, I kid you not. The downhill portions aren't downhill enough to be able to coast and get that feeling of just cruising downhill, and the uphill portions aren't steep - but they are loonnnggg. So long.

Jacob hung with us like the champ that he is. Even when his deraillier dorked up and he was stuck in sixth gear. Even when the cold got to his nose and made it run, and made his eyes water. Even though he's grown about three feet since his birthday, and we'd already gone a couple of miles before I realized we needed to raise his seat. He never gave up, and he really didn't complain, at all. Again, if I'd considered whining, I quickly realized I had no wiggle room, there.

The scenery was beautiful. The few dogs we saw were mostly friendly. (One small dog with a Napoleon complex chased James down and nipped at his heels, but he was easily deterred.) We saw some neat places - a covered bridge, an old church, and some relic railroad cars. In all, it was a great day with the boys. And at the end, they could take a victory lap. (Or just sit there and raise their arms a bit.) Plus, Zorak had packed pie and milk in a cooler for us, so we got to sit on the trailer and watch the little Elkmont Christmas Parade while we chatted with the folks parked beside us and admired their horses.

Kiss those babies! ~Dy