Hope everyone had a nice long weekend, I know I did. Just tired from too much playing. Left out of Monkeytown, camper in tow, heaeded to the lake this past Friday. This was going to be a weekend of much needed R&R. The Misses and I have been stressd with life (work, kids, etc.) and a getaway was definately needed to recharge the batteries and mind.
Pulled into the driveway around 6:15 Friday evening of my father-in-laws lake house to set up camp on one of his sweet RV pads he had installed a couple of years ago. Water, electricity, cable, you name it, this was a pretty sweet setup. If things got hectic with the kids (which they did by the way) we had the house as backup. Got the camper set up, played with the kids, enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, what a great way to start off the weekend, or so I thought. It wasn't midnight yet. A lot of things, little did I know, would change in a just a few hours!
Got kids 1 and 2 down for the night and hung out with all the family, laughing and pretty much cutting up till about 11:00pm. Decided it was about time to turn and the Misses and I hit the bed in our new camper. It wasn't an hour later, our little girl KA wakes up totally freaked out! And she stayed freaked out! At about 3am, I finally had had enough and put her in the car, and we went back home to Monkeytown. I knew there was no way my wife and I could survive on no sleep, let alone our little girl. Somebody had to get some sleep. Got on the sofa about 4:05am and crashed. Why is it that kids, no matter what time they go to bed, wake up at the same time every day. If I had gone to bed at 4am, I would have slept till noon. Not our little girl... KA wakes up about 7:30 the next morning and is ready to go! Game on daddy! I could hardly get my eyes to open to fix her milk. Daddy only had about 3 1/2 hours of sleep and this was turning into a very long vacation with very little R&R... and we were only 14 hours into it. About 9:30 am, we hit the road back to the lake. We get there and I could have curled up next to a tree and slept for 4 days straight. My wife and I were totally exhausted.
But the best way to get over being totally exhausted is physical labor. Trust me it works. There were a lot of chores around the lake house that needed to be done and everybody chippped in. We got a lot of things taken care of and I think my father-in-law apppreciated all the hard work.
But after a long day of yard work, I was starting to feel pretty good. The kids were napping so I got the go-ahead from the Misses to hit the trail up at Swayback. Man, was that just what the doctor ordered! Nothing better to clear the head than an hour on the mountain bike and fresh air. Iknew I wouldn't be setting any personal records but I needed the time on the bike.
Arrived at the trails and there was a couple just finishing up a ride. The guy was in from Colorado and was riding his Intense Downhill bike. This downhill machine had Profile cranks, full XTR, double piston hydraulic brakes, and over 6 inches of travel on the front and rear! It was sweet! It is pretty safe to say he didn't feel any of the roots and rocks our trail had to offer. But I am sure those climbs had their way with him!
I hit the trail with the intentions of putting in about 8.5 miles, and average above 10 mph. Mission accomplished. Got in 8.5 miles with a 10.2 average speed. I am far from where I need to be for this coming weekend but I was also not feeling real well, full of congestion, and running on 3 hours of sleep. I had plenty left in me but I knew I did not need to push it and risk getting worse. Overall a great ride.
Got back to the lake, rested for a little bit, and we were off on the boat, headed to Sinclairs for dinner on the lake. We got there right in time, missing a large crowd. Food was great and the beer was cold. What more can you ask for?
Got back to the lake house and after some talking, we changed up the sleeping arrangements and our nights would end up being a lot more peaceful. Little KA is just a little young right no, but if she has any of her Dad in her, she will come around.
Sunday, we had a couple of friends come by to visit with their children, who are the same age. The kids had a blast playing and were completely worn out by nightfall. We cooked some mean filets on the grill and had a good time.
Monday was about the same, a little work, a little play, it was all good. But I think everybody was done and pretty wiped out. My father-in-law and his wife we gracious in letting us stay the weekend with them but there comes a time when you need to be by yourself. And I think Monday afternoon was about that time. So I got the camper all packed up, the Missses got everything loaded up and we hit the road back to Monkeytown about 3pm. This worked out perfect cause the kids needed to get a power nap in before dinner and they did just that on the ride home.
As I said earlier, this was a much needed getaway for our family and I think I can speak for everyone and say we had a great time. Friends and family (and a little mt. biking) is always a good thing!
