Good Morning!

 This morning I surprised my mom and sister with some breakfast crêpes adorned with Greek yogurt and fresh blueberries that we recently picked! Yum! 

Summer

Longer days dark shades 

Escapades in the sun's rays 

Saneness summer saves 

Wallet Chase

"Uh..Dad...your bike...Dad stop!!"

It was a hot Saturday morning and we had just gotten out of the rough forest canopy from a long fifteen mile ride through The Rusty Bike Trail and my sudden outburst stopped Dad in his tracks. Hitting his brakes, he turned to me.

"What's the matter?"

"Your bike bag is open!" 

With a quick jerk of his head, he scanned the open bag. 

"Is my wallet still in there?!" 

Rummaging through with his glove donned hand, he found no evidence of his brown leather wallet's presence. Exasperated, he began to turn his bike around.

"We have to find it." He said roughly, "It could be anywhere....it could be back up that gravel driveway.." I gulped...that was roughly the entire way back.

      Meilee began to slowly turn around and started to follow slowly behind. Sprinting to catch up with Dad, my gears clicked like mad and my legs began to burn once more. Meilee dawdled in the back and began to turn into nothing more than a tiny silhouette on the blacktop.

"Meilee come on! Get up here!" I yell, "We need to catch up to Dad!"

Turning back around, I sprinted once again to catch up with him. I could tell he was frustrated by Meilee's sense of urgency towards the situation. So I decided to sprint in by myself to allow him to stay with Meilee. 

      I dived in headfirst, out for blood and any clue of where the wallet had gone. I scouted the ground, checking every bush or tree that it could have happened to have fallen out at while holding my pace. Whirling in and out of obstacles and weaving my way around the trail, I began to climb a hill when I noticed an unfamiliar addition to the trail. Picking up the treasure, I quickly recognized it as one of Dads bike tools. Smiling, I held it out. 

"Hey I found one of your tools!" I said proudly, "Let's keep an eye out. If this fell here, your wallet's bound to be around nearby." 

      Handing the tool to him I, once again, began my hunt. After not even another two minutes up the trail, I found my theory to be correct. Laying open in the middle of the trail was none other than Dads wallet. I flipped it open to reveal his drivers license. 

"Your wallet! I found it! It was right here! I was right!"

Dad hurriedly caught up to me. Holding up the prize, I triumphantly handed the wallet to him. He skimmed through it to be sure of no missing items and when he was finished, his sweaty face showed a mixture of relief and satisfaction. 

"Good job, Avery." 

Beaming happily, I began to jump back on my bike to ride down with them. I was so giddy, I ran into a tree when Meilee and Dad were in front(and not watching)-no injuries(and even after that I was smiling). I was just glad that the wallet was found with everything inside intact and still there(and that it wasn't super far in the trail, regarding the fact that we were all entirely pooped after the ride). After the ride, we went to the beach and celebrated with ice cream from Dairy Queen. It was a good day. 

Recent Update

Hello guys! Sorry for being gone so long. School has been taking up most of my, er, somewhat of free time. I have been in cheerleading and track so far. Cheerleading in the early fall, and track this spring until late May.  Not to mention the fact that I was trying to test out of English freshman midterms and finals(which I successfully accomplished). Now I am starting high school in sophomore English. Yay! 

But anyway, I am planning on making a comeback on my blog. I have decided that I will be writing on here at LEAST once a week, whether it be a story from the past, recent happenings, family adventure retellings,  poems, and even just random thoughts. Once again, sorry for being off for so long. Stay tuned! 

P.S. My little sister, Meilee, will also be writing often as well. Read up on her story on the mountain bike trails we recently rode on right on her blog! Link here.

http://meileesworld.blogspot.com

Thanks! 

Paint Chip Pictures

These are two recently finished pictures that I have created, using paint chip samples. 

The Dead River Falls Adventure!

     Located two miles west of Marquette lies the Dead River falls, a series of falls and rapids that also include several dams on the Dead River above and below the stretch with the falls. With beautiful scenic views and the occasional thimbleberry bush along the way to the larger falls, what could be better? The only difficult obstacle was the....um..whole way there...? Let's just say that the trip to the larger falls was not your average walk in the park. Not only were there rocks, boulders, tree roots, and lots of trees in the way, but also slanted, steep mountain-like hills to climb up and down. But there were more than just climbs as obstacles; lots and lots of odd cuts needed to be made(for us at least, cuz we kinda started off on the wrong side of the river when we got to the falls)in order to make it to the falls. 

      But in the end, it was all worth it. With the beautiful scenery and a nice dip in the clean, refreshing water when we got to the falls, I was won over. On our way to the falls, we had to overcome several obstacles, and one of those obstacles was having to cross the river(like I said earlier, we accidentally started on the wrong side of the river). Finding a good spot to cross was not the easiest considering the fact that none of the rocks full-on led to the other side of the river and none of us were really up for getting wet in the river(except for lucky little Mei, who had water shoes on), but in the end, we ended up having to take the risk. While we were climbing the rocks, dad wanted a picture so Meilee and I both sat on a rock, so as I placed my hand on the rock, I felt something sharp, and as I looked down to inspect the odd sharp object, I flinched, thinking that the thing that the item used to be connected to was still connected to it and that the whole thing was there. 

      When I finally realized that it wasn't connected/alive, I picked it up. It was a crayfish claw!

Pretty cool, huh? :D

Anyway, when we finally made it to the falls we decided to take a break and we ended up taking a dip. Not only was the water quite refreshing, but we also had the chance to jump off the rocks near by the waterfall and dive in, which was a pretty great experience. On our way back, we hopped rocks to get back to the other side and picked(well, more like I picked)some thimbleberries.

      Anyways, it was a really awesome trail and being able to witness the beautiful falls as they cascade over the sharp jagged rock edges was truly an amazing sight to behold.

Make sure to check out Meilee's page!

http://meileesworld.blogspot.com

Betsy Bunnie

      Now this is what you do in Michigan when it's 50°(Fahrenheit)in March. Mom and I recently created Betsy Bunnie out of pure Michigan snow, frozen grapes, small plants, pinecones, a small heart scarf, and twigs.
Betsy Bunnie is over six feet tall and is our pride and joy.

     "The band student of the month for the month of February in the Brass and Percussion section has improved very well." said Mr. C, the Brass and Percussion teacher,

"This band student has been improving in counting beats and has made the most progress out of their section,"

      I turned to my other drumline friends, Liam and Cody(which, considering the fact that they're my only drumline friends, and that the other 6th grade percussionists quit and/or dropped out), smiled at them, then turned back to the front of the room.  "Might I add that this band student is female, also."

This time it was on the cue of Liam and Cody to turn at me with a face full of inquisitive curiosity, yet somehow I felt many other pairs of eyes turn to look at me for a mere second before turning back around. "...and she is from the Percussion section." 

My eyes widened and and I gasped.

"Avery Evans!"

    I hurriedly skipped to the front of the room(while high five-ing my fellow band members, well either that or fist-bumping them on the way)and Mr. C fist-bumped me and handed me an XL HERSHEY'S Symphony Candy bar and a flourished certificate that said:

Rockin' and Roller Skatin'

      This was no ordinary Saturday night, that's for sure! Meilee, me, and little Miss Sophia went crazy on the Roller Skating Dancefloor! With flashing lights and catchy tunes, I wished that night would never end! This was my first time Roller Skating and I must say that it was quite enjoyable(and yes, I did fall a few times in the beginning), and might I recommend this to many others also! Afterwards, Mrs. Dawn(Sophia's mom), my mom, Sophia, Meilee and I went to Olive Garden for soup and salad and went home with full tummies and thoughts about the day.

Biking Goals for 2015

Some of my biking goals for this new year include:

* Trying to finish the LUMBERJACK, a 100 mile mtn bike race that is held on the third week in June.

This race is in 'Big M' mtn bike trail. There are three laps, each lap consisting of thirty-three miles. 

If I finish this race, I will be the youngest to finish, as so with the Ore2Shore and the Iceman Cometh.

* Another biking goal for 2015 is to try a new approach to the trainor. 

Cuz, hey, I'm gonna have to get used to it soon! Oh, and my lucky stars, I got six new trainor videos,

 each holding new levels of pain to endure, new techniques to be taught, and longer amounts of time to learn to suffer for. Like for my LUMBERJACK goal, I have to be prepared for the distance, sweat, blood, and time needed to be able to survive this sufferfest.

* Like last year, I am going to try and ride 1,000 miles, which I came really close to doing.

* ...and last, but not least, improve my confidence, and also my area of self motivation! Especially when I'm going solo for a race while dad is racing with Meilee(speaking of Mei, make sure to check her blog for recent updates!)and my confidence levels are dwindling. 

So that is my list of 2015 Mountain Biking Goals for this New Year!

Do you have any big 2015 goals? Personal or relating to sports? If so, please leave in the comments!

               

                                            HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

                                                      -Avery-

 

Vacation at the U.P.

      Sure, one BIG reason we came to the Upper Peninsula was for the Ore-2-Shore, but we also came to have some vacation time. WAIT! Before I get into vacation, let me tell you some OUTRAGEOUS news. Bella Rose, my dog I got for my 6th birthday, had PUPPIES about a week before we were gonna travel up to the U.P., we decided to take them with us. Now they are about three weeks old, with eyes open, their personalities are beginning to draw out on their blank slates!!! There are SEVEN puppies, six girls and, get this, one boy. 

   

ISN'T THAT THE MOST ADORABLE THING EVER??? 

So that's the scoop.

      Anyway, back to the vacation. We decided to camp at a campground that had waterfalls and beaches close by so we could hit two birds with one stone. First we were at Otter Lake Campground from August sixth to the tenth(speaking of between the sixth and the tenth, the seventh was Dad's birthday. So for his little present, I took Mei with me up to the campground office with my wallet, the office had nice little things in there like...ice cream. When we came back, I handed Dad my present, a Choco Taco. It was a nice little birthday treat). Then it was the Ore-2-Shore, which took a lot out out of me, but afterwards, we went to the beach, which was basically my shower at the moment. But soon we decided to switch camps. 

      Next thing we know we are at Perkins Park unloading our things. Pretty soon we became friends with our neighbors which lived in Marquette. There was John, Jill, and their son, Izzy, which we spent a night hanging out with while the parents talked around the fire. Wherever there was a waterfall, there was a hiking trail to the it, so Meilee and I found walking sticks and ran ahead while Mom and Dad stayed behind talking. This year we decided to visit waterfalls that we haven't been to, so there was a lot of variety in the scenery, but every one we went to we were able to walk in. Then, at the end of the day we would sit around the fire and make s'mores or talk about our favorite part of the day. Pretty soon it was time to leave the U.P., so we said our byes to our neighbors and we were back on the road for another thirteen hours. I really loved being in the U.P., the scenery was awesome, it was really great meeting and making friends, and above all, spending some quality time with my family.

CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!!!   XD

-Avery

Biking Buddies

      When dad and I were riding from Ruby Campground to the Avoca Rail Trail(on training biz), on the way back we ran into a fellow cyclist that was having a quick snack break... We started talking and it turns out she comes all the way from the San Francisco area. She was heading towards Port Huron to get some passports to Canada to keep riding upwards. Her name is Veronica and her goal is to ride all the way up to the northeastern seaboard.                      

After Dad told her that I did the 48 miler(ORE-2-SHORE)and the Iceman(and that I was the youngest to finish both)she asked for a picture, and of course I said YES. At one point Dad told Veronica about my blog, and she wrote it down so she could visit it. 

      Next thing we know, we are riding on the rail trail together. Soon Dad and I came to our road we had to turn on to get back to Ruby campground. But before we went, I asked her for a picture so I could write a blog post about her(which is, as you can see, already done). 

     So, Veronica, if you're reading this, hi! The post has been put up successfully! Hope you have safe travels!!!

-Avery : )   : )  : )

The State Games of Michigan

      Cannonsburg, a trail where some mountains are usually underestimated as natural elevations of the Earth's surface, or hills(or at least underestimated until the caller climbs the so-called 'hill') . Packed with enough hills(or mountains, depending on your perspective) to go around, this is not the easiest of trails. Because there was no SPORT class that was 11-14, Dad put me in  JUNIOR WOMEN 11-14 .The only thing was that they reconstructed the trail, so I wasn't used to it. About a couple days before the race Meilee, Dad, some Team Troll guys, and I pre-rode the trail for the race. Because Cannonsburg was close to where some of my family from the west side live, some family came over to support Meilee and I racing.

      With no trainer, Meilee and I rode around for a while until it was time to race. It was really weird being in a group with at least one of my same gender, for I was (and still am) used to riding with boys. When we got lined up, I was feeling pretty crummy and my stomach felt like I was on a rogue roller coaster for a straight 9 hours! I only had two other competitors,  Emily and Madison, and when I asked ages, I turned out to be the youngest.

"3,"

"2,"

"1,"

"GOOO!!!"

With a kick off the ground to get me started, I began to pedal to the first hill.
      Madison was able to pass me, but I kept Emily behind me with a quick sprint on a couple flats, but within the first few turns she was gone. I had a feeling Madison was already gone, but I kept up my pace. In the beginning, it was almost all uphill, except the few downhills and flats thrown into the earthy concoction for good measure. As I did in almost all of the races that I did before, I told myself,
WHAT WOULD THE DAD SAY???
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
WHAT WOULD THE DAD SAY???
To not just get me spirited, but upbeat, too. About 75% of the way through I felt much more comfortable, I was getting more agile and maneuvering around all obstacles in my way just got much more manageable.  Soon I came to the end of my first lap, with a rip of the tasty gu pack, I ate it really quick and got it down with some water, and let my 2nd lap commence.
      To start the 2nd lap, I avoided the small mud puddle by jumping over it with a quick spring of my feet on my clip in pedals. Because I knew more about the trail than a lap before, I was able to read the trail with ease. With a pace kept strong, the tightness both internal and external began to cease and my mind felt more clear. With the shiver of good vibes running up and down my spine and back again, I felt very energy-filled. But after 5 miles of hills, flats, downhills and everything inbetween, I came against a slight flaw that taught me something that would really help in the future, and it all came from watching Dad years before... I was going up a quick hill that I didn't notice at first, so I went down 3 gears in the back, and CLICK my chain came off. Instead of panicking, I calmed myself down enough to think, so I got off my bike, got to the side of the trail and inspected my chain.
      Okay, Avery, remember what Dad did for quite a few years whenever your chain came off? Don't panic! It may be a race, but DON'T panic!!!
So carefully, I took my chain and tried hooking it back onto the gear. It took a couple tries, but when I got it I was all like,
YEAH!!! I FIXED MY FIRST CHAIN!!! WITH NO HELP!!!   : ) x 1,000,000!!!
But like at Stony Creek Marathon, now was most DEFINITELY not the time to celebrate, finish the race first!!! With some quick turns I saw Dad, swiftly Dad joined behind me for the last half mile. Next thing I know I am climbing the last hill to the finish line.............DOWNHILL!!!
FINISH!!!
      Madison turned out to be 5 minutes faster than me and Emily was 5 minutes behind me, so I got a 2nd place! Meilee got a 1st place for 10 and under girls, or 3rd place if she was in 10 and under boys and girls.


-Avery

Stony Creek Marathon

      Stony Marathon, one of my favorite races. Because of my changes in classes(from BEGINNER to SPORT class!),  I have to do THREE laps, ten miles each. I, of course, was SUPER nervous. So, yes, I knew the trail, but what if I fell, or got lost(like last year), or lose count of my number of laps(Yes I can count to three, but what if I get too caught up in the moment and forget? My head is already spinning!), or even(DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN!!!!!) DNF?!?!
       Because Meilee was racing with Dad, I was going solo again. Meilee and her BEGINNER class only had 10 miles of riding to do, or, 1 lap, so after Meilee is done, Dad was going to join me at the beginning of my 3rd lap. Instead of riding the trainer(cuz we didn't bring one), Dad, Meilee, and I rode up and down the cement hill that was nearby the restrooms until it was time to begin, which came quite quickly...

"3,"

"2,"

''1,"

"GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

With a kick of my cleat off the ground, I made my way up the small false flats in the beginning. Next thing I knew, there were packs of cyclists EVERYWHERE on the gravel hill.
      It was like the ULTIMATE traffic jam, the only place that could top a traffic jam like this would be the Iceman and the Ore-to-Shore! After finally coming out of the pack of cyclists, I made my way to the next obstacles. Sand, sand, sand! Stony Creeks specialty is and was sand with a sprinkle(more like... a GALLON)of humidity on top. Halfway through I was getting some speed, ramping my way up each hill like it was a false flat. But at one point, I was really feeling the heat!  I was really getting sweaty 3/4 of the way through my 1st lap, but I told myself there was a mocha(MY FAVORITE!) flavored gu pack waiting for me at the start of lap 2(which there was at every start of a lap, except for the 1st lap).With a hint of encouragement, I was able to keep my race pace 'till the end of round 1.
      At the start of lap 2, my legs felt very achy, but I told myself:
AVERY! You are OK. Get up and get ready for round 2! You are anything BUT exhausted and undetermined! Pretend that Dad is behind you, barking at 'ya. What would Dad say if he saw you slackin' off just cuz your tired? Huh, what would he say? 
To keep myself going I kept on saying in my head, What would Dad say? 
      By the time I got to the dry, hot area, I felt like a deflated balloon. But with the help of the tasty gu pack I was going again, but with a longer, stronger pace. Pretty soon I felt a vigorous shake come from my seat when I went through the bumpy, rock infested trail, which was about halfway through lap 2. My seat was coming loose!!! Luckily, I was able to tolerate it through the rest of the lap. Well at least it didn't start at the VERY beginning!
      So at the beginning of lap 3, I told Dad that my seat was messed up immediately. Dad borrowed a tool and straightened my seat up while I ate my gu pack. Then, we got straight to business, no hesitations. Even though the seat was tipped to far forward. Soon, the hills didn't feel as hard as they would normally, and we spun through the flats like they were downhills. Next thing I knew, Dad wasn't behind me... It was on the last humongous hill, which I pedaled like crazy to get to the top. I looked behind me an Dad was fading off into the distance.
      I      BEAT      DAD!!!   was the only thing I was thinking of, over and over. But it wasn't time for celebration yet! First things first, finish the race! I was coming into the home stretch and....................
FINISH!!!
So...Dad and I have this bet. If I beat him, he has to wear a big frilly(did I mention fluffy?)pink tutu. Cuz of me leaving him on the last big hill(/passing him), he has to wear a pink(not red, not navy blue, not yellow, not even purple, but PINK) tutu!!! Anyway, I got 3rd place and a satisfyingly won bet, who could want more?


THANK YOU DAD FOR HELPING ME ACHIEVE GOALS SO HIGH, THAT I NEED 7 THICK WEBSTER DICTIONARIES IN ORDER TO EVEN HAVE HOPES OF CATCHING MY "IN YOUR DREAMS"  WISHES.




-Avery :) 

Bloomer Park Daze

      Bloomer, a tricky trail with lots of of surprises up its sleeve. There was switchbacks, gravel patches, and on the day of the race(not surprisingly)rain. We were doing(as in my competitors and I, for Meilee was a little sick but could come out to watch and hang up)2 laps, 6 miles each. But it wasn't going to be an easy 6 miles, sure it's a fun, fast paced race, but it has some tricky spots. Because lil' Mei wasn't racing, Dad decided to chaperone me. For our Bloomer Park Daze video, Dad wanted to have unique angle for us when we were coming down the big switchbacks. So an hour before the race, Dad, Megan, and I walked up to the big switchbacks and Dad showed Megan a spot to videotape while I watched the riders maneuver around the twists and turns and the lines and curves.

      When we got back, I hung out with my friends, Sean, Porter, and Nathan until it was time to get on the trainer. When I was on the trainer, I thought about a lot of things. One was the switchbacks, and the other was the sky, which was a hue of dusty gray, so I was kinda expecting rain. After 20mins of spinning, it was time to line up. Seeing Dad behind me reminded me of good old times...

"3,"

"2,"

"1,"

"GOOOO!!!"

As the whistle blew, I pushed off the ground and began my way up the hill.
      The beginning is mainly hills, so it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. To get the ball rolling there were some switchbacks that gave me some speed. As I rode through the trail, within the 3 mile mark, I came across the BIG switchbacks.
"WE'RE COMING!!!" Dad shouted to Megan.
VERY carefully, I went around the turns and twists of the switchbacks. Soon I began to gain some confidence every time I survived an intimidating turn. WHOOSH! I went down the last switchback with a relieved sigh.
      Luckily, the rest of the ride was fast and paced. At the start of the 2nd lap, Dad took a cup of water from one of the Tailwind volunteers(without my approval!?!?!?!), and dumped it directly on my head. If you think that was unfortunate, there was much more to come. In the beginning, it began to rain, and cuz it was the beginning, the trail was hills, hills, hills! To make matters worse(as in W to the O to the R-S-T), I had dirt in my nose, eyes, and mouth(ACK!!!), plus I was beginning to hit "the wall", and the slippery mud was playin' with my gears. Against all odds, I was able to keep my rhythm with the Dad barkin' behind my back. So I told myself to push it to escape the depths of the barking Dad(which really helped, even when I felt sluggish).
      When the BIG switchbacks came( and OMG I am STILL thinking about how lucky I was), I was REALLY freakin' out. Rain+Dirt=Mud, and Me+Bike+Mud+Scary Switchback= a perfect recipe for disaster! As I was coming down(Dad yelled to Megan again), I looked at the ground expecting(okay maybe not expecting, but 99% expecting.)to see slimy mud, greeting me before my dastardly fall. Instead, I saw partially wet ground(YES it wasn't completely dry, but I mean, it's a give or take), and when I got down to the bigger switchbacks it basically dry(YAY!), as I worked my way down the switchbacks, I ceased my breathing until I got through the danger zone. Soon I came down the last switchback, and a great relieved exhale escaped my lungs and I began to breathe again. I made it a goal to keep close to the time I got in my 1st lap, so I upped my pace an got into the zone.
      Pretty soon I was a mile away from the finish(by the way, it stopped raining and the sun was coming out!Yay). As I turned a corner, I saw Sean walking his bike, which had plants and a stick stuck in the gears. I couldn't really think about what to say so I just gave a plain old "Hi." Out of curiosity, I wondered what happened, so I saved the question for after the race. After a while of hard riding, we came to the home stretch....and........................
.............FINISH!
A few minutes later Porter finished, and after I told him that Sean was still in the trail, we waited, talking to each other about some flaws we had in the trail.
      When we saw an exhausted Sean come in we shouted and encourage him to make it to the finish. When he finished, he told me that he got scratched by thorns, fell and got stuff stuck in his gears. So...yea. Cuz the awards were being finalized, we had time to hang out. Out of nowhere, Sean looked at me and said,
"You have a camera on your bike, right?"
"Yes." I replied.
"Did you get me on video?"
"Yesssss..." I began to catch on to what he was asking.
"Does you make the videos?"
"Not exactly, my Dad makes the videos,"
"Sooo... Can you put me in the video?"
"Sure! I'll ask Dad to put you in the video."
"Awesome."
So Sean, if you are reading this, CONGRATS! Dad put you in the vid above.
      Back to the race! I got 3rd place and my times were only thirty seconds apart.  

-Avery

Island Lake Update

      For the Island Lake race I got 6th. I checked the results and I got sixth place and some other 11-14 yr old must have left early or something. So, that's the scoop!

Avery ; )

Helping at Field Day

     In the morning, I got dressed and filled some powdered Gatorade into my bottle with water and went out the door by 7:25 so Megan(my big sis) could drive me to school. I had been picked to come down to school early to help with setting up field day with some other friends that were chosen. When Megan and I got to school, we waited in the lobby of the school. Soon, I spotted Abby, one of my classmates that were chosen, come around the corner. We said hi and asked her what were we supposed to do. We had to take the field day items and bring them out to the field. The grass was wet and soaked my feet in minutes of carrying items out to the field and coming back for more.

      After Megan brought out a few items, I told her to tell Mr. W, our gym teacher, she was here helping and stuff.  In the meantime, me and Abby finished carrying out the stuff and were helping Charles(another classmate in my class, chosen to help)fill water balloons for the water balloon toss. FINALLY I figured out how to fill the water balloons. So Abby, Charles, I and Iook turns. For some reason, after Abby's first few water balloons she filled, she got little bubbles in the part when she tied her water balloons, so Charles and I joked that every balloon she tied was cursed, either had a hole or a water bubble(it was true). Which got us a bit drizzled when Abby's turn came up to fill a water balloon. But Abby wasn't the only one that was cursed, after Charles tied the balloons and gently plopped them down in the bucket we used to put the water balloons in, they popped, which ticked him off cuz it takes a bit to put the water balloons together.

      Whenever Abby got bored, she checked the bucket for 'Midget' water balloons, or the runts. So when she found ones that were to small, she would(it was usually Charles's balloons)take it and throw it against the wall we were working by(it was like a paint balloon that didn't have paint). After the first bucket was filled Mr. W got us a second bucket to fill. Pretty soon we had more water than water balloons in the bucket, for Charles kept accidentally popping them. Finally we were finished with the second bucket of water balloons. When Mr. W came to see how we were doing, he had a bag full of Trident gum, and let us pick two packs for helping out with field day. We said thanks and went to class, it was really fun helping out with field day. Abby, Charles, and I were proud to say that we set up everything for field day. Yes, this was one field day to remember(almost forgot, Megan went home and got ready to volunteer helping for field day, she gave out third place ribbons).

Your Zany Mountain Biking Girl,      :P

– Avery

Island Lake

      On the day of Island Lake, we ate breakfast, and hurried out the door. The car ride was a long hour and twenty minutes, which left me a nervous wreck. I had gotten a road rash from the road at home about a week before the race. What happened was that Meilee and Dad had these Nerf guns and I was on a Razor scooter trying to avoid the small, squishy, bullets. I was able to dodge all three of Dad's bullets, until, I lost my footing and basically body slammed the road, but without meaning it. :>| 

So that's what happened, I was a bloody mess. 

      When we got to the race, we got registered and ready for the race. Dad set up the bikes and Megan(my big sister), me, and Meilee set up the chairs on top of the hill where the race started. I planted my chair on top of the hill across from a bench from the track after Dad gave me the cowbells to cheer on the other racers. After cheering for all of the expert and elites, me and Meilee went exploring in the sandy hills and pebbles. Soon Dad called us, we had about twenty to twenty-five minutes until the race. On the trainer it was until it was time. 

      I had to get in line soon, so I got lined up behind the Clysdales with the other 11-14 year olds.  Pretty soon it was time to start. 

"Three,"

"Two,"

"One,"

"GOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Quickly I push of with all of my energy and started to pedal. Most of the racers in my class were already up the hill, Ride your ride Avery, don't worry about the other riders. I pushed my way up the hills. Suddenly, I suddenly  felt the ground slide underneath me I looked down and saw a root slip and I was on the ground. Having a crazy instinct, I looked at my bad elbow that got a really bad scrape from the scooter incident. It got scraped, again.

      Instead of looking at the scrape, I looked at the GOPROS and made sure nothing happened(because Dad fastened one on my front wheel)real quick then hopped on my bike and started up again. Up and down, more hills. I passed some road crossings and suddenly came across a train crossing and there was a train. One minute, two minutes, three minutes..... Soon the train passed and we were able to go again. Soon, I fell, again(luckily not on my arm)but it was three quarters of the way in. 

      The up hills were the best of the ride. Not to mention the jumps, of which I got a few high ones. I asked some people how many more miles were left, one of the riders said two miles, so I started to go harder. Soon we started to go into a dirt track and I saw the finish line! PEDAL, PEDAL, PEDAL!!!! 

Almost there and......finish!!!! Turns out Meilee's(speaking of lil'Merwee,  make sure to check out her blog too!) derailer broke three miles in and she had to do a single-speed the rest of the way. 

      I got...umm. I'm not sure, fifth or sixth. But I will post up what I got when I find out. :P

Your Zany Mountain Biking Girl,

-Avery

Pontiac Lake

       Pontiac Lake was the first race of the biking season(cuz Yankee Springs was rescheduled due to the bad weather), and guess what? IT DIDN'T RAIN THIS TIME! Yay! It was actually pretty nice out there, other than the blustering winds tearing at my face. To be completely honest, I was kinda FREAKING out. Being in SPORT MEN 11-14.....YIKES! But the upside to this uncontrollably unstoppable unstable(triple U syndrome)roller coaster inside, is that my older sister, Megan, came to live with us, and to support me in my MTN biking(not just that but Dad attatched a Gu pack to the frame of my bike and it was MOCHA flavored, my FAVORITE!!!!).

      Anyway, before it was time to race, I had to go on the trainer for about 15-20 minutes. But that time period felt more like five minutes. Soon I was waiting in the back of the line waiting for my wave to be called. I talked to Zack, and Will, some friends in the beginner men 11-14, for a while. Soon a race stager came back, looked at all of us,

"Beginner Men 11-14?" He questioned, looking at Zack and Will, who nodded.

"Beginner 10 and under?" He asked Meilee who nodded also.

He then looked at me.

"Umm... Sport Men 11-14," I replied.

"Oh! You gotta go! You're  suppose to be up there with the others!" 

      So I had to hurry up to the front of the line. I looked at the boy in the top left(I was in the second row)that looked like he was in my class(in the end I found out he was). He was like..... this big compared to me, WAIT! No, more like..... THIS BIG! I can't show you in words, cuz....ummm... it's. just. too. stinkiń. complicated. so I'll just show you it like this.

I was just like, umm okay. When I looked at him, he looked back at me, it was just like, AWKWARD.

      Pretty soon it was time to start. 

"Fifteen seconds to go,"

I was really FREAKING out now. Sooner than words could express the race stager was already saying the last few numbers.

"Three,"

"Two,"

"One,"

Oh man! My legs are already turning to jelly! 

"GO!"

 I sprinted off with all of the speed I could possibly manage. The boys were already five meters ahead of me. Ride your ride Avery, don't worry about them, ride your ride. So that's what I did. With all of the hills(more like mountains by my perspective at times 'till I got to the top)were draining my energy by the minute. Up and down, up and down, up and down for the first few miles. Finally it started to go down hill, the trail finally started to do my bidding. 

      People were passing me here and there, they were elites, sports, and experts. Once and a while there was a guy that would stay with me for five minutes or so. One of these times there was a man that rode with me for ten minutes.

"I'll let you pass me when there is a chance." I said as I heard the chains of his bike click as he changed gears on the false flat.

"Thanks, but I think I'm good right here. You're doing great. Market sure to spin on these hills," he replied.

I was kinda astounded at his reply, the guys that passed me only stayed with me to wait for a good time to pass without disturbing my rhythm. 

"Ummmm...Okay." I replied to his strange reply.

      Soon he left.

"Keep it up!  You're doing great. Remember to spin on your hills!" and he left. Pretty soon another guy wanted to keep me company. He told me the rest was downhill and that I was doing great. The guy left me at the turn to the grass and told me I was almost there and to keep it up. I pedaled as hard as I could and came to the home stretch. ALMOST THERE.............. and FINISH!

      I got an hour and sixteen minutes and 2nd place, twenty minutes away from the other boy that was much bigger than me(if you forgot, look at the picture and read that paragraph). Meilee got 2nd place, too. Two hours and a minute(speaking of 'lil Mei, make sure to check her blog for recent updates!)for Meilee. Pontiac Lake, CHECK. Island Lake is next on the list!

Your Zany Mountain Biker,      :P

-Avery

Mom Bites Into a Dog Biscuit

       It was all mom this time! Let's just say that mom really did it to herself  for dogging around in our stuff that accidentally got sent home from hanging out with our sister, Megan!  Well, it all started last Saturday night, mom wanted some fruit snacks and after she got her fill of some fruit snacks, she laid back. Looking into the jar that held fruit snacks, candy, and trail bars, I saw a package of cookies. Remembering that I asked what they were for to Megan, I realized mom must've bitten off more than she can chew (Literally!) ! I finally asked mom, "Did you EAT that?!?!!?!" .

"Yeah, it was really hard and crunchy! Must've been stale!" 

Finally, I just blurted out the truth. "MOM! THAT WAS A DOG BISCUIT!?!?!?!!?!?!?"

First she just looked at me like I told her that the moon exploded and the sun froze. She stared at me, soon she realized, I was seriously, SERIOUS. Her face turned hot magenta, she covered her face with her hands. Well I WAS telling the truth! Afterwards, she fed the doggie biscuit to Bella, our dog, and said,  

"I was just taste-testing it for Bella," and "At least I didn't like it, or else I might've not left any for Bella!"

These are some pics me and Meilee, my sis (speaking of my little Mei, don't forget to check her blog once and a while for recent updates! http://meileesworld.blogspot.com ), took before and after the accident. The bottom is the bitten cookie. The top is Bella Rose, my puppy. What a night! 

Your always zany MTN biking/snowboarding gal(not to mention finding out unexpected things that my mom does, which makes my mom... my mom!)

-Avery.  :P