To The Left, To The Left

We are at McDonald's in Bryson City so I decided to take advantage of their free wifi. This is much easier than posting with my phone.

Today Michael and I tackled the Left Loop at Tsali. It was around 11.9 miles. Michael did great, but after about 7 miles, he really didn't have any legs left. We pushed the last three significant climbs. That was okay, though. Before this week, he had never ridden more than five miles at one time. Now he has two 11+ milers under his belt. After three days, I'm guessing we have around 27 miles in.

And after 27 miles, I am even more amazed at Michael's apparent physical inability to ride around a mudhole of any size, shape or depth. Needless to say, I have had to douse his chain daily with oil. It's worth it, though, to see him having such a good time celebrating who he is... a boy. I wouldn't have him any other way.

Go West, Young Man

Michael and I had another great day of riding. This morning we rode the red loop at Dark Mtn. It started with a really tough climb for a 9 year old and his fat daddy, but I couldn't have been more proud of Michael. He climbed like a pro. That was probably the longest, toughest climb he has ever faced and he made it without stopping.

The loop was pretty short, so when we got done we headed here to Tsali. It was further than I thought. It didn't help matters that the gps took us through downtown Lenoir and Morganton. I bet we turned 50 times, down every little side street there was.

After supper, we went to the Tsali trailhead. Since we had an easy day today, we decided tomorrow we would tackle the long Left Loop then go easier the rest of the week.

Riders On The Storm

We had a good day of riding today. From Bandits Roost, we rode to Shiner's Loop and back for a total of about 10.5 miles on a recommendation from Richard Rhoden at Foothills Cycling. He was 100% right. It was a very fun loop. But really, the entire ride was fun. The trails are a lot different than what we are used to. Since they are built with machinery, they are relatively smooth and very fast. One of the greatest things is all the banked turns. Several times I heard Michael yelling "Woohoo!" as he went through a fast, twisting section.

Tomorrow we are riding Dark Mountain. Today we went to scout out the trailhead. Unfortunately while we were gone, a violent storm came up and destroyed the awning on our camper. Luckily, no one at the camp ground was hurt and ours seemed to be the most damage.

Happy Trails

Michael and I are on a mountain biking trip. There isn't any WiFi here at the campground, so I'm using my HTC Hero and an app called AndroBlogger to update my blog. I'll keep you updated on how our rides are going.