Terry and I have been avidly mountain biking since last summer when we were introduced to Lebanon Hills in Eagan.  It was an amazing trail that was more intense than we were prepared for, but very fun.  One of the best things is getting to ride through the woods, see the scenery (haha) and be in the shade! Most of the time you’re staring at the trail immediately ahead of you so you don’t see a whole lot of scenery unless you’re stopping for a water break, but it is a lot of fun and great exercise! We did go mountain biking prior to the Lebanon trek but I prefer to think of it as our first “good” mountain biking experience–please refer to the following link to get the full story.

*If you want to learn the importance of drinking water while mountain biking and a little about the Minnesota River Bottoms trail you should read this post.*

Earlier this summer Terry & Trevor biked Battle Creek, Salem HIlls & Minnesota River Bottoms.

These are pictures from the River Bottoms Trail.

A couple weeks ago we (Terry, Tracey & I) biked Salem Hills. It was my first time out since having Abigail, and really my first time since last September. It was pretty rough on me but I made it up most of the hills without stopping and it was a nice area to bike in. My arms got a little scraped from close raspberry bushes but that was the closest I got to getting hurt. I got a new bike from REI which made the biking much easier than last year. It is a hardtail with lockout front suspension (Scott Aspect 55). My previous bike was a cheap full suspension and I lost so much power from the rear suspension that it make biking much more difficult.

This Saturday we (Terry, Tracey & I) went to Murphy-Hanrehan which is south of Savage. This was a pretty sweet ride.  Some real steep hils and tons of berms and quite curvy! I really need to learn how to slide the turns (like drifting in a car) instead of turning them. We only rode the Beginner & Intermediate because Tracey & I were getting tired and the Expert course would have added another 7 miles on to our ride!  One thing that helped so much more this week was that Terry and I had our hydration bladders (Camelbaks) along instead of a water bottle.  We didn’t have to make so many stops & I know I stayed more hydrated than if I’d had to grab a bottle when I needed a drink.

Next Saturday we’re biking Battle Creek with one of Terry’s work friends & his wife.

Abigail has gotten quality time with Grandma Kathy each time we go out!