On the Trails!

Josh here. So Erin and I had a blast this past weekend. Her boss invited us to partake in some mountain biking...a first for both of us. Now before you think biking in the Rockies, I would like to explain. Basically, we did some dirt/mud trail biking, as well as some biking on paved trails. It was described to us as this great rush where you're biking through these narrow trails, jumping logs and fitting between narrow trees. Sometimes you bike through fairly large rocks, through streams, and down some pretty steep grades, and of course add in hairpin turns which avoid trees, big rocks, lakes and other bikers. Smithville Lake is near Platte City; it has some great trails and LOTS of scenary, so we decided to give it a shot. There were some nerves throughout the week because we didn't know what to expect. Nevertheless, on Saturday we loaded up the Tacoma and drove to Smithville...Awesome. To our relief, both of her co-workers also had some butterflies; it turns out Erin's boss, Kristina, and her boyfriend, Phillip, are what some might call "pros" at mountain biking. They were so great, though...both patient and understanding. We couldn't have had better teachers. So things started off great and we were well on our way when all of a sudden Erin's bike started making a constant squeaking noise. It was kind of nice b/c we always knew where she was. =)

I should also note that before the squeaking noise both Erin and her friend, Tara, bit the dust. Erin tried to navigate between two trees, but she misjudged something...and lost the battle w/ the tree. Not too long after that, Tara decided it was her turn to biff. They were great sports about it, though...LOTS of laughing.

About an hour or so into the ride, Tara ended up getting a flat. Not to worry, as Phillip and Kristina came prepared. A portable pump solved the problem temporarily, but we didn't have a spare w/ us...so it was time to head in.

We had decided on having a picnic of sorts after biking, but couldn't decide where to go. No worries...there's a Sonic in Smithville! YES! So we drove to Sonic and set up shop on one of their picnic tables. Two words...Awesome Food! Chips and dip, fruit, tortilla rolls, dump cake, broccoli slaw, preztels, and some delicious Sonic slushies. What a great way to end an amazing Saturday!!