The Trail That Keeps Going and Going and Going...

Emily, Lauren and Julia make a stop on the Zorinsky Lake Trail.
Aunt Dee-Dee and Uncle Jon invited us to walk/bike on the trail at Lake Zorinsky Saturday. Of course, the 9 a.m. start time actually became closer to 10 a.m. by the time we got everything loaded up and out to West Omaha.

The Zorinsky Trail is not nearly as nice as the Keystone and Papio trails we frequent. It might be a lot more scenic, but that doesn't make up for the lack of directional signage. So, as you are pedaling along on a narrow (six-foot) trail that features blind curves, some steep uphills and a few scary, windy downhills, you wonder just where you are and how far you have to go to get back to where you started.

In the case of Emily, Lauren and Julia, it was a 7.4-mile ride that seemed a lot longer. When you think the parking lot where you parked is "just around the next corner," it can be a little frustrating. Also grating on Dad's nerves were the cyclists who did not announce their presence before passing (I think we heard about four people do it all day.) and the cyclists who are zooming around at 25 mph (if you're going that fast, please ride on the open road, not a narrow hiking/biking/running trail). At least the girls know to say, "on your left" and not to pass anyone when someone is coming from the opposite direction.)

So how did the girls do on the ride? Emily's bike sounded like it was ready to fall apart by the end. Lauren did a tremendous job of pedaling and pedaling and not complaining about her legs or the fact that she was spinning at about 150 revolutions per minute. Julia was also spinning out (on an even smaller gear), so Dad frequently towed her along or pushed her to stay up with the other two.

Editor's note to Julia: Please start riding larger bicycles. The little purple one you cruise around on in the driveway is not the best for riding miles and miles and miles. And we know pink isn't your favorite color, but most girls' bikes are pink.

We finally made it back to the parking lot to meet up with Mom, Olivia and Veronica - who were enjoying the playground nearby. It was quite a ride!