Simone Rides

On Friday, Simone had a play date at a friend's house.  We brought over her bike and they rode around in a parking lot nearby.  Well, "rode" was a relative term.  When we got there, Simone's bike had no pedals - it was a push bike.
Simone looked really confident on her bike.  She would start by the curb on the high end of the parking lot and coast down to the center.  She was having a great time, so I asked her if she would like to put the pedals on.  She coasted a couple more times and I went to get the pedals.
We put the pedals on and she went back to her starting point, coasted down, and then pedaled around.

She spent the next ten minutes coasting down, and pedaling around in a circle with a big smile.
She was very excited out biking and immediately began making plans for the next biking excursion.
So, today, we rode the trail-a-bike to the market and back, and then headed over to Starker Arts Park, where we both rode our bikes around the bike path there.  Simone worked hard practicing her starts on flat ground (not quite as easy as when coasting downhill).  The day ended up being a bit frustrating for Simone because she really wanted to ride, but couldn't quite string together all the pieces to keep riding.
She couldn't see it, but I saw how much better she was at the end of the hour when compared to the beginning.
It'll really help to have a bike that fits her - you can see how small her current bike is for her.
To be continued...

Sunday Afternoon

After church, Simone and I headed home to grab some lunch before our big adventure in the woods.

We loaded up the car with our bike and a half. Simone had her Camelbak full of water, snacks, tools, and extra clothes. Yes, I made her carry stuff - she did it without complaint. 

Riding toward Dimple Hill

We started at Lewisburg Saddle and took the high road to the top do Dimple Hill. There we ran into some friends, Maddie and Ashley, who had walked the same route we rode. The girls played in the leaves while Ashley and I caught up. 

Making a bed out of leaves

We had a little snack and then it was time to get back on and ride down Dan's Trail (singletrack), over the road Horse Trail. We actually ran into some folks on horseback while on the roads, which pleased Simone to no end. 

We passed a gaggle of college kids on bikes at the bottom of Horse, so I macho-ed it up by riding with Simone up Horse Trail.  Most of it was ride able, though I faltered on a couple of the switch backs.

Simone definitely helped out quite when she pedaled - it was pretty easy to go up the slight inclines. I think she was probably pulling more than her weight at those points.

Horse Trail

Another glorious fall day in Corvallis.

Tagging Along

Simone and I took a little ride through Avery park and to Crystal Lake sports fields. The original plan was to go to the south co-op and have some hot chocolate, but Simone was so into the ride that we just kept on going.

We took some dirt/mud trails at both parks because Simone said she did t mind a little mud.

Other than being a little cold, it was a most excellent ride.