It's no secret that biking is our favoritest thing to do these days. How's this for excitement---wait for it....MOUNTAIN BIKING! That's right people, Topie and I were feeling adventurous this afternoon and thought we'd take on the Wheeler Trail loop. It was the best decision we ever made ;)

Ready, set, strap yourself up in that trailer little one, while I do all the hard work! Several guys stopped me and said, "How are you pulling that UP here?!" I'm not gonna lie, there was some walking involved.

But look what we found, seekers of beauty that we are. I just wanted to sit forever and absorb nature. Thank god I can capture it on camera!

Mmmm, sepia stone...

This was the stream we lunched next to. When we finished eating, we watched some of our grapes and popcorn race in the current. You're welcome, fish.

And THIS picture is relevant because I'm always encouraging Topaz to be less timid. Climbing down to the site, she clung to me like a spider monkey, but once she warmed up to the concept of bugs and bumpy terrain, she was all over the place---even wanting to maneuver the ascent solo.

But I'm getting ahead of myself because prior to our downhill ride, we spent the greater portion of the afternoon exploring and teasing each other.

And posing, like the girls that we are.

We found these cool hieroglyphics, circa 2004, and tried to decipher their secret language.

I think it's pleasant graffiti.

As you can see, Topaz is still an aspiring photographer. She's so lucky her mom has no shame and will patronize her for hours.

One pose required that I become spiderman...

Ultimately though, I had to spend some time with the Earth. I love her. I am so glad there are areas where I can lay near a bubbling brook, smell the forest and "be one with nature." Yes, I'm a hippy at heart.

What I find amusing is that the blurriest photo in the bunch was the one taken by a passing stranger. People! Put some effort into your good deeds---if you offer to shoot, take some pride in your work. Clearly my 4-year-old (almost) can do it.

And there she is, Topie The Magnificent.

Usually when the timed lens goes off prematurely, it's annoying. I thought this was funny; me laughing while Topie scrambled to pose with me.

I wanted to remember this secret tunnel before I potentially broke my neck on the descent. I survived. The whole way down Topie screamed, "THIS IS TOO MUCH FUN, THIS IS TOO MUCH FUN." She was right.

The Good Earth

Seems like you're lucky when you find something both you AND your kid enjoy doing together. Before uprooting all my little plants that I'd salvaged from my "past" life, I used to love, love, love gardening. Topie---not so much. Guess she won that battle and all I have left to show for it are the sporadic pots scattered around our new home.

Even so, like her mom, Topaz is a child of the Earth and we thrive when surrounded by the elements. Topie, specifically, likes to conquer stone quarries. I think it's because her name is a mineral, so she has to let the other minerals know she's boss.

Here, I was relaxing after 5 miles of pulling that tank of a bike trailer and looked up to see my happy little daughter playing in the wind like the wild ponies we passed along the way. The sky was GORGEOUS! I forgot how immense it can be when it's not cluttered with buildings and other various people-prints.

Sighhh.... the bench says, "Sit here and contemplate the universe."

And this is me, happy on my bike, but all crazy-looking as usual. I mostly just wanted to show the world what an awesome trail we have at our fingertips. There are wetlands surrounding the area, which serve as a habitat for numerous bird species, foxes, raccoons and the occasional feral kitten. Just an FYI, wild kitties are impossible to catch, no matter how innocent and pathetic they look on the side of the path. I know this from multiple recent experiences...

I wish this picture hadn't turned out so grainy because it really is so pretty to look across the fields in the dusk. You can hear the cows nearby and there are almost always friendly people walking their dogs. I'm glad Topie has a chance to grow up where I did and gain an appreciation for "country" life.

This just goes to show the recovery efforts that follow pedaling up a steep hill with a 40lb kid-drag attached to your bike.

Even though I complain, I heart the bike trailer. And my dependable little mountain bike I bought years and years ago is still one of my favorite things. Before moving back out to Davis County, our Sunday tradition included a spin around Liberty Park. Now I wish I'd blogged about it because it was really fun too.

You can't really see us, but Topie and I tried to pose in front of the sunset. We're really into the sky lately. In my opinion, too few people actually stop to enjoy it...