Thursday morning

I took an early morning trail ride. The HD trails are down-right pretty this time of year. And busy.

Rich Landers wrote a really interesting column last weekend in the SR about the history of the high drive trails. I can usually take a coaster ride down the top trail after dinner from the trail head at Bernard and pop out at 25th. But this week, with the sun and the renewed interest in the trail, it's been too busy for a post-dinner coaster. Tons of walkers, bikers, dogs.

The middle and lower trails are less busy.

Liza went to a sub gig up at Chase Middle School and Maddie has late start on Thursday, so we enjoyed a ride down to Lindeman's for breakfast. Charmed life or what?

On the way back, as we pedaled through Manito, Maddie asked if I'd ever ridden my bike down the huge sled hill. She wanted to try it. When we got to the top, her eyes got big, and for a moment, she had second thoughts about the idea. But then she told me to go. I went. Then she went.

I wish I could've caught a photo of her smile as she bombed down the hill. It was tentative at first, then ear-to-ear by the time she got to the roll-out at the bottom.

We squeezed in another run then went to school.

After I dropped her, I took the trails back downtown, getting a pinch flat along the way, and made sure to acknowledge my gratefulness for such a happy sunny day.