It was another beautiful day in northern California. The sun was shining and we had blue skies. I could not (and would not) do another workout inside my gym. I absolutely had to take my workout outside… with the boys. The workout wasn’t very intense… but the fresh air and movement gave me the needed energy and mood boost.
The boys and I hit the local trails to ride bikes. It was a slow ride (really slow). We enjoyed taking our time and checking out the animals and scenery along the trail.
We saw lots of ducks swimming in the water. We even saw a beaver dam… but no beavers. Thank goodness.
We saw lots of turtles sunning themselves on a log. The boys tried to yell to get their attention but the turtles must have been in a deep sleep because they didn’t move at all.
The ride was slow with lots of stop and go. After admiring the wild life along the trail, everyone would hop back on their bike. There was lots to see on this beautiful trail ride.
More turtles and a duck taking refuge on a fallen tree. I am not sure if these are snapping turtles or box turtles… can you tell a difference?
The ride may have been slow with lots of stops… but at least they were moving forward. Even the T-man was determined to catch up with his big brothers. There was times that he had to get out and walk to push the bike up the hill… but he did it without whining. For the most part.
All of these photos and I had to do a bike ride selfie of myself. I was there too. This is the face of a happy mama. Fresh air, outdoors, movement, content kids. Happy.
The boys trucking along. Slow and steady. The T-man is totally ready to forgo the training wheels, but he has no desire to ride a big boy bike. He is a master at his balance bike (no pedals or training wheels) but is unsure of riding a bike with no training wheels. Silly boy.
We love this bridge. I think it is so pretty and often find many local photographers feel the same way, as they take senior and family photos near this spot.
The boys knew once we crossed the bridge we were at our halfway point. The park was near and we could give our legs and bum a break to play.
The boys climbed monkey bars, zoomed down slides and played a game of chase. You know because riding four miles before this was just a warm up.
After they have sweated buckets and we were super close to the point of overtired and hungry, we loaded back up to ride the 4 miles back home. Only for someone to decide that he was “too tired” and his “wegs don’t work no more”.
I won’t name any names or anything. He was pretty content and I could tell that he was tired and would more than likely take a nap on the way home.
That is my I am not amused face… but with the T-man in the trailer it frees me up to go faster and catch up to the big boys. It also freed me up to take more photos along the trail.
Yes, I did a lot of riding while taking photos. I am loving my new Canon Power Shot A2500 camera. I got a great deal on it and love that it is lightweight and takes great photos. I ran with it while running the Rock N Roll San Francisco half marathon last weekend too.
I enjoyed the beautify of God’s great creation along the trail. Flowers, birds, bugs (I ate a few as they flew in my mouth), and more were out today. When the boys got a bit out of my view, I enjoyed using the walkie-talkie to regroup. No more yelling on the trail and being that mom.
The big boys had a walkie talkie clipped to their bike. They were not allowed to talk and ride at the same time… but if I needed to get a hold of them I would talk through the walkie talkie to get their attention (stop, go right, come back, go slow). No more yelling and ruining nature. Happy mama. Happy kids.
Apparently the little man was pooped from all the fun riding and adventure seeking. He passed out halfway to home. Isn’t he just the cutest?
Successful afternoon bike ride with the boys in the books. We covered 8.5 miles and there was no major accidents or tears! Success. Now to train their little legs to ride a bit longer so we can explore the American River Trail again this summer!
Gorgeous ride. Looks like a wonderful time with family. Plus I always love any outdoor workout over gym time.