Dirt Bike Date to Snoopers Rock

Last year (I think), Daniel purchased his first dual sport bike after going several years without a motorcycle. He has several friends who enjoy this sport, so when their schedules align, he likes to sneak off for a few hours in the woods.

But he has always hinted (maybe not so subtlety) that he would like me to go ride with him. He has big aspirations of doing a ride out west some day. Last January we watched The Long Way Round, and I have to admit the adventure of an epic ride like this has some appeal (especially when Ewan McGreggor's wife joined him for part of the ride through Africa... if she could do it, I probably could too).

I guess Daniel has had his eyes open for a specific size bike, and when he found out that a friend was selling a TW200 for a good price, he asked if I would at least try it out.

So I did. I haven't ridden a motorcycle since 2004, but I still have my motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license...

Even though I haven't been riding motorcycles, I did take up riding mountain bikes about ten years ago, and I have been driving a stick shift for the last 15 years. So in a sense riding the TW200 was like riding a bike, I hadn't forgotten. Though I did need a refresher on how to start it.

The new-to-us bike was purchased at the end of September, but I had not been on it since my initial test ride. In the meantime, Daniel has taken it out on the trails several times and really enjoyed it. The bike is geared really low with really wide tires, so it is really forgiving and easy to ride. Perfect for learning how to ride (again).

During Thanksgiving, we had a houseful of guests and Daniel requested that we leave our kids with my family and sneak off for a date to ride in the woods.

And so we did.

To start, I rode around the rocky parking lot to make sure I felt confidant on the machine. The parking lot was small and rocky, but I didn't fall off, so we ventured away from our car.

We started out on a gravel forest road. In hindsight, we probably should have just found some jeep trails. The gravel made me nervous and I fish tailed at least once. I also couldn't muster the confidence to ride above 20mph (mostly 15mph). I did a lot of deep breathing from yoga to stay focused and not freak out. Thankfully I didn't fall.

Then I agreed to follow Daniel down the rocky trail to Snoopers Rock. This was the scariest part of the ride and I had a hard time not riding the brakes the whole way down (and I was relying on the front brake only, which I know is a bad idea, but trying to use the foot brake simultaneously for the rear was a bit much for my brain to handle). Thankfully I made it to the bottom without a problem. I immediately hopped off my bike to a break and walk off my adrenaline rush from being afraid during the ride down.

We walked out to the Snoopers Rock viewpoint and I tried not to think about the ride back up. Daniel gave me a pep talk and told me it would be easier if I went faster and that I just had to trust the bike. Both things I know, but it is so hard to do when you are in the moment.

We agreed that I should follow him back up the trail, and it was much easier than the ride down! We also decided he should lead on the way back to the car. After a nerve-racking, narrow, winding gravel climb, I finally got the confidence to keep up with Daniel on the flat parts, going 30-35mph on the way back.

I still have a lot of riding to do before I will be truly confident on a dirt bike, but it was a lot of fun and I always enjoy doing adventurous things with Daniel. When our boys are bigger, this will be a great bike for them to learn on.

Summer Kickoff 2017: Mushroom Rock

About a week ago I started eying the weather forecast, hopeful that we would be able to do some big adventure to kickoff the start of summer this holiday weekend.

I initially thought we might be able to go camping, but then an old friend asked if we wanted to go on the Lost Sea Adventure with his family on Sunday. We really wanted to see our old friend, so I nixed my camping idea.

It wasn't too hard to drop the idea... camping with littles can still be a bit daunting.

Even though we couldn't go camping, I had high hopes of spending Saturday on the Cherohala Skyway with stops for several short, kid-friendly hikes (reminiscent of a trip we did about this time last year). But the closer we got to the weekend, the higher likelihood it seemed that it would rain.

The weather and children are two things that do not really care about your plans.

Saturday morning started overcast and our weather app was suggesting thunderstorms that afternoon. We had a long breakfast and convinced ourselves that we should stay in town, playing at the park with friends and then doing a local hike.

We knew there was a good chance there would be no rain since we had committed to staying home...

After a quick lunch, we loaded the boys up to drive to Prentice Cooper State Forest and one of our favorite trails. Jack is a big fan of going to Mushroom Rock. I'm pretty sure this is due to the fact that we always run into trail runners and he is in love with the idea of running in the woods (and the fact that we often see teenage boys running shirtless – I think one of Jack's life goals is to run shirtless).

Anyway, this particular hike felt easier. It is only about 2 miles round trip and Jack pretty much ran the entire way. Isaac walked a good portion himself and we didn't have to coax the kids to keep moving (when Isaac gets tired, we just stick him in a backpack).

The only thing we had to bug both kids about was staying out of huge mud puddles. Our boys love to get muddy, but they both had on tennis shoes and we didn't want to deal with them complaining about squishy feet or getting blisters. Isaac shed a few tears about not being able to wade in the mud puddles and Jack managed to stick one foot in the mud that resulted in a hot spot at the end of the hike.

But overall our hike to the rock formation went relatively smoothly and quickly. When we arrived we took a break for snacks, water, and a little climbing.

As we sat there, the wind suddenly shifted, the air got cooler, and we thought the long-awaited storms were on their way.

So we decided to get moving.

Problem #1: We left Jack's beloved stick at Mushroom Rock. Tears ensued and we insisted that he could find a new stick, and that we needed to keep moving because we didn't want to get caught in a storm. It didn't actually rain, and Jack was upset for part of the hike back but refused to pick out a new stick.

Problem #2: It was Isaac's nap time and he didn't want to walk, but he also didn't want to ride in our backpack carrier. It was my turn to carry him, so I sang the Great Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts song on repeat, which settled him down for a bit until he fell asleep. When it comes to kids, you do what you gotta do. #amiright?

Overall it was a good hike. It didn't rain. It wasn't too hot. Endurance is definitely improving in both of our kids. If we had hiked before lunch instead of after, it would have been a better experience for Isaac. It wasn't the same as hiking on an open bald on the Cherohala Skyway, but it wasn't a bad way to kick off our long weekend doing something together as a family.

Previous Mushroom Rock Hikes: January 2016⎮March 2016

Mother's Day Weekend, cont.

After our strawberry picking and quick trip to Atlanta on Friday, we were supposed to get up early (for us) on Saturday morning to take Jack to get his T-Ball pictures. On this particular Saturday there were no games, just team pictures, a cookout, a home run derby and bouncy houses. Daniel had scheduled a vet visit for Sophie so I took the boys to the baseball festivities.

Let's talk kid's pants for a minute... Jack's baseball pants are white. The morning of pictures I realized that while his pants were clean, they were no longer white (rookie mom mistake?). With no time to spare, we headed out the door with dirt-stained knees.

Once at the ball field, each team had to wait their turn for photos. Our team was third up. This translated to little kids jumping off of bleachers, which lead to more stains of the grass variety (in addition to dirt-stained knees). Barring threatening your child to sit quietly and not play, how do parents keep kids clean for outdoor photos? Knee stains and all, the photos were completed and I took Jack to the bouncy houses.

We were early enough in the day that it wasn't too busy. Jack had a blast while Isaac was stuck in the stroller. I finally convinced Jack to leave by way of teaching empathy: Isaac is stuck in the stroller, how would you feel being stuck in a stroller?

We headed home for lunch and a nap for our littlest. After nap time we loaded the boys up and headed to Prentice Cooper for a quick hike. 

The weather was perfect. We didn't have enough time to go to Mushroom Rock , so we did a shorter trail with lots of bridges. Jack was happy to explore some and cross all the bridges.

Isaac just wanted to chew the straps on the kid carrier he was riding in. Which lead us to sing the mom version of "My Answer is No," while we hiked. It was a great way to wrap up our afternoon. 

On the way home, we grabbed dinner for my guys (McDonalds for the boys and Guthries for Daniel) and then I got ready for a girl's night out. I have only really come to understand the importance of GNOs in the last couple of years. I don't think I have really participated in this type of thing since college, but as a mother it is nice to take a break from parental duties and catch up with other moms.

We discussed the first movie that made us sad, the one where you realize life doesn't always have a happy ending. For me that movie was My Girl. I was 10 and it was shocking to sit in a movie theater and realize that there wouldn't be a happy ending. We discussed our kids, what we are cooking, things we are worried about, vacations we have taken, and just generally caught up on life. All while eating delicious food at Tupelo Honey Cafe.

It was a great day to end a Saturday. I didn't get home until 10:30. For me that is a pretty late night, but it was worth it!