I had Tiya and Devyn over the weekend because their mother's visiting family in New York. This was a perfect time to put some miles on the new mountain bikes. They looked nice hanging in the garage all new and shiny but they looked even better when we brought them back all dirty and used.
I took them on one of my favorite rides- Haskel Canyon. It's a fire road that starts near the corner of Copperhill and Haskel Canyon road and has fairly moderate climbs. The great part about this ride is that all of the climbing is in the beginning while the rest of the ride takes you on a relaxed journey through this beautiful, quiet and secluded canyon with mostly rolling hills and amazing views.
I had thought originally that Tiya being as competitive as she is would give Devyn a run for his money out on the trail but Devyn's level of energy- he is a boy after all- proved a little difficult to keep up with. The initial climb took it's toll on my little girl. Tiya's eyes spoke volumes leaving her mouth for the more urgent task of breathing. Those eyes spoke loudly and directly too- "Daddy, this is not what I call fun! Daddy, this is not biking- this is work!" Her red face, the look in her eyes and the slow trudging push of her bike up some of the hill all culminated into the one phrase she allowed her mouth the time to speak... "Daddy, how far are we going to go?" I know of course what she really means to say is "Daddy, I'm done."
Meanwhile, Devyn is nowhere to be found. The last I saw of him was the back of his jacket blowing in the wind as he rounded the corner- legs pumping like a locomotive. There was no, "I think I can" in his stride. His mind was already there and his body was simply catching up.
After a lot of coaxing and praising Tiya made it to the top of the climb. I thought I was going to lose her for sure at this point but she surprised me by continuing back into the canyon with us. We put a couple more miles between us and the car before Tiya's tires grew roots. I knew that no amount of coaxing or praising was going to get those tires another inch. Reluctantly, Devyn does a 180 and begins to disappear into the distance again but this time in the direction of the car. All I could do was laugh watching him. He was a man on a mission. We had to climb one short hill on the way back and as I rode next to Tiya she was saying, "I'm going to concur this hill!" Her competitive spirit was beginning to show.
I spent a good portion of the ride back explaining some things like shifting, braking and body position which they caught onto quickly. The first descent we came to caught Devyn a little unprepared. I'm not sure what he was thinking but he took off at this hill like he was going to unfold wings and fly down it. Not more than 10 feet into the descent and his front tire catches a rut that swallows him bike and all. I'm glad it happened sooner rather than later because I can only imagine the air he would have caught further down the hill. He was a little more cautious after his first fall- just a little.
Tiya was now trying to figure out how to descend without dying or so the look on her face seemed to say. She quickly got the hang of it and was riding down the hill with confidence. She was now smiling for the first time since we started our ride.
We all got back to the car in one piece and the kids looked like they had fun. Tiya even said that she wanted to do it again. If the kids only knew how much fun I had. I'm so glad they are mountain biking with me now. I only wish I had remembered my camera!
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