New Experiences=New Knowledge

My date and i went mountain biking today with a group of friends. It was my first time and i was nervous. It didn't help that my date is ridiculously athletic (we are talking 5% body fat. Seriously. No exaggerations this time). i was assured that the trails would be easy and graveled and that even my little cruiser could handle them. Then, yesterday, we decided to both rent nicer mountain bikes from a place in town to make the ride a little easier (better gears and better shocks).

Now, at the end of the day, this is what i learned:

1- There are no graveled, super easy, flat trails at Harriman State Park.
2- i am so glad i rented a mountain bike instead of taking my cruiser. i would have died. Multiple times.
3- One should not decide to take up mountain biking on the hottest day of the year.
4- i have bruises in places that people shouldn't be bruised.
5- If all the girls decide to go one way and all the boys decide to go another way, next time i should follow the girls.
6- Another clue: two black squares at the beginning of the trailhead= experienced bikers only.
7- Ten miles mountain biking is a lot harder than ten miles street biking.
8- Boys won't slow down for you. Even when you are flying down a very steep, very narrow trail covered with boulders and tree roots. Or climbing a very steep incline that never ends.
9- My date doesn't like me-- he was out to kill me.
10- i can do hard things. (Even keep up with the boys on a "two black squared" ten mile long mountain biking trail.) i did keep up. i did not fall down. i did not walk my bike. i did not whine. i am proud of it.

Last, but definitely not least-- if you are accident prone on your feet, adding tires, hills, tree roots and a skinny trail does not help. i seriously did SO well....until out of nowhere the back tire fell completely off my bike.

True.

The entire tire ended up three feet away from my bike.

It shook me up quite a bit; i considered walking the bike back to the car (once we got the tire back on) but i am too proud and too stubborn. And i'm glad i didn't quit. Look where i ended up.

Harriman State Park (by Island Park, Idaho)

i loved it. The view. The biking. The rush.
It was a blast.
::grin::