After saving the funds, StevetheBikeGuy and I finally purchased our mountain bikes a few weeks ago. We’d been watching mountain bike YouTube channels where balance-talented folk race from top to bottom on precarious trails and jumps. Steve loved the idea of running these trails. I firmly declared my assumption was these would mostly be used for gravel rides. We have a lot of them right around our house for exploring. Gravel rides are awesome if you have the right bike. They usually are away from busy highways and stoplights.

Our first ride was fun, if hot and a bit dusty. Calm. Enjoyable. Not that bumpy at all! We started out at Celebration Park in Gardner, KS. It has a small chat trail we could ride off and onto a gravel road. Social distancing was easy. There were only couple of cars over our hour ride. We were alone except for the birds, wind, and open fields.

Then, we tried a bike trail at Bull Creek park in Edgerton, KS. It had several sets of trails ranging from beginners to more advanced. Cool, I thought, give me the green ride along with the kiddos. How bad could it be? We are in Kansas after all! Flat land USA.

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But we went right instead of left and the adventure began. My first ever mountain bike trail ended up an intermediate level!

Here is a woman who has trouble keeping tires on small trails, was now twisting and turning through a forest of dips and downed trees. At several points, we walked our bikes around roots. The biggest obstacle of all is a fallen tree which would could have clotheslined both of us.

I am not fully scared off of mountain bike trails yet. There is one in Lawrence, KS which is a beginners trail. Hopefully that will build my confidence and balance. But for now, another gravel ride is in order.

Keep pedaling,

DeanaOutside