"Today Was Great Until I Fell Into the Water!"

We enjoyed another fun ride at Mercer Park with the Zeimet family today. Until....I swear to God I thought the boy had shattered a bone. That's what the screams would indicate. Fortunately, he just crashed into a pool of slimy, nearly frozen water near the end of our ride at Mercer County Park. Phew.

Soaked. Totally soaked.

My first inclination was to take his picture, but unclear as to how long hypothermia takes to settle in, I reconsidered. Instead, I told him to pretend he was at the track racing a Miss and Out and to make sure he wasn't out. We needed to get to the car before his joints froze.

Kieran wanted to ride on the boat ramps.Good thing Ray vetoed this idea.

Before the fall:Ironically, I was remarking to Christine at the beginning of the ride how I teeter on that line between trying to make cycling fun and being an overbearing, over-protective nightmare. You want the kids to enjoy it but trying to control the experience by avoiding nasty climbs or too many logs is in itself a buzz kill.

Lesson learned:

1) Don't look at the place you're trying to avoid because once you see it you will go in it. I believe it's Newtown's 5th law of motion.

2) When rides turn sour, they quickly become great stories. Cases in point: Gus falling off the Pipeline on his first (and last) night ride; me crashing on Barren Hill road 4 days prior to departing for France; Jimmy turning into a boysicle on our ride at Mercer.

3) Don't try to fool a smart ass. When I showed Jimmy the Tour of California riders battling stage one's cold and rain, he replied, "Yeah well that's why they get paid." Are you kidding me? If he thinks I'm paying him to ride, he's got another $5coming.

Kieran modeling the latest in old lady leg wear: All dry, and ready for Donuts:Thanks again to Ray Z. and family for showing us around the park. We indeed had a blast, even with the high drama at the end.