New beginnings: All of the hard work at the Launch Pad really paid off. Not only did the Pad work great, it made the kids feel great. They absolutely loved it. They were all over, getting their bikes, selecting their helmets and gloves, using the bathroom, checking out the photo board, and generally amazed at the set-up. I think they were truly humbled (and proud) that it was all for them. They couldn’t get over the fact that we all volunteer and most everything was donated….for them! That was pretty cool….and special.
Participants: We had 6 kids and 2 guardians from Tyler House on the ride. Alli, thank you so much for organizing that. They were a great group. There were a few bumps and bruises along the way, but no injuries that rose to the level of an injury report. You might want to follow up with Tyler house to get their feedback on the ride and thank them for coming. The guardians, Maria and Billy, were fantastic. I will post the trip log, kids consent forms, and photos in our drop box.
Ride volunteers: It turned out to be just Dawn and myself. Alli tweaked her back the night before, and couldn’t make it. Alli, I hope your back is getting better. Dawn, you were awesome (as usual) with the kids. Thank you…..You rock! Could you send me your photos…..and write a blog (“hella-fun”)?
Ride: We all road together as one group on the Nisene Aptos Creek fire road to the steel bridge. At that point, we broke into 2 groups Dawn led the girls further up the fire road, and I rode single track with the boys on the Terrace and Vienna trails. We all reconvened back at Epicenter for some riding on the pump and short tracks, and general hanging out and soaking up the vibe of all of the volunteers buffing on the short and pump tracks. Note to self and others: we really need to stash some energy bars in our packs for the kids. They wind up just eating their energy bars in the van on the way to the trailhead, and then their starving by noon or 1…
Shuttle Smith: Dave was once again the ‘man with the van’.
Community Bike Collective 