Away They Go

I am amazed at how quickly we reach new milestones.  The kids get so much smarter and faster and more capable each year than I ever predicted or thought was possible.  I am sure every parent feels this way.  It's like a twisted analogy to Global Warming.

Last summer, I celebrated a dramatic mountain bike ride from Breckenridge to Frisco, filled with thunderstorms, babies (Well, one baby.  Sometimes seemed like more.), never-ending hills, never-ending rest stops.  Then, last week, the big kids biked down from Vail Pass to Frisco and back up to Breckenridge, all in one swoop.

We added stories to our biking lore:  cruising for a record number of miles with out pedaling, eating wild raspberries, June's minute by minute "gear report" from her trailer bike, Clara's frequent stops to tend to her sore bum, Will's "joke"-telling to pass the time (which none of us could hear anyway).  

Driving beside the bike path that follows I-70 for miles and miles, I've dreamed about that Vail Pass ride for years.  Jeff and I divided up the ride.  Drawing straws, he got the downhill with two kids, and I took the up with three.  I've now got it in my pocket to claim the next adventure.

June, John and I met the downhill riders here at Zach's Stop on the Frisco path.   The three of us were quite content:  I had coffee, John slept, and June beat me twice at Uno.

At the end of the ride, the three adventurers' sweet faces shined proud, tired, and content.