Photos from the saddle

Mountain Creek Road ride today from Canberra CBD to near Yass, the back way.

Strava ride stats - https://www.strava.com/activities/258201393

Dare devil Sam

Hanging above the drop at Questacon today. His first go he backed out and came back down, then we had some lunch and he said he wanted to try again. Second go he did it! Then the little dare devil went back for another turn.

He's going sky diving next weekend...

Home life

Home life is great! Boys in the field playing soccer, Lucas swinging upside down on the monkey bars, Isaac in his highchair keeping an eye on everyone and Jem in the gardens. Weekends are too short, we love it here!

Isaac update

He doesnt do this for very long each day.....

......but he sure loves to do this! Look at the definition in those arms!!

Wills birthday party

Cutting the porcupine ice cream cake

 Archie, Brooklyn, Quoc, Don, Omar, Arlie and our big 11 year old

 Slip n Slide bonanza!

Finishing the party with a scavenger hunt running all over the block searching for clues

More vege garden beds in!

Sunrise/Moonset

Sunrise to the East, Moonset to the West on a blissfull weekend morning at Rice cottage

Happy 11th birthday William!

With his birthday being on a school day, Jemma baked him a cake for the family so we could sing happy birthday to him at dinner tonight. I hear there has been a request for another cake for his party on Sunday! A very happy birthday William Rice, cant believe you are 11! Teenage years here we come!!

TipSee Air!

TipSee Trail airtime on bike.....

.....and foot

Boys enjoying the outside on a blissful Summers evening after dinner, a couple of hundred metres from our house, still on our land! We are all really starting to enjoy the extra space of late, Jem in the gardens, Isaac watching the chickens and sheep, projects and jobs around the house and the boys have been on their bikes more than they ever have over the past few weeks. It all makes me happy!

Photos from the saddle

'TipSee Trail' at dusk

First family's MTB day at home on the newly named 'TipSee trail'

Today we had the first 'Families MTB day' at our place. There were 4 category's consisting of under 7's, Under 10's, Under 15's and Open. Having recently completed the new changes, extensions and adjustments to the re-named 'TipSee trail' (named as you are close to the tip and if you ride it too many times you start to feel tipsy) it was a great opportunity to ride it in and get tyres on the track and also see if the idea all worked......It did!

My vision was for the kids to have a fun day of riding with each other and the adults, in the safety and ease of home, with us grown ups still getting to race! TipSee trail is just over a km now and we had 10 min races and 15 min races, winner being the one who accumulates the most laps in that time. The kids all seemed to really really enjoy it! Definitely the first of many family MTB days at the Rice Ranch! 

It sure is a  beautiful thing seeing young kids on a bike, competitive or not, just riding and having fun!

 Under 15's starting line. Up the gravel grinder to self seed, then onto the new 'TipSee trail' single track full loop

 Under 7's starting line - Adjusted loop without the climbs

 Sammy in action with his baby brother Isaac cheering on!

 Sammy putting the hammer down!

 Young Hamish on the balance bike doing very well

 Kids milling around transition and the timing area

 Starting line of the under 10's category - 10 mins of the adjusted trail

 All the young mountain bikers at transition 

James White coming first in the under 15's with over 3 laps in the 15 minute race (sponsored by GU and riding in working boots! love it)

 Sammy taking out the under 7's race, doing 2 zippy laps of the adjusted trail. He was absolutely stoked!

 Jack Phillps receiving the trophy and medal for the under 10's race, fully decked out in sponsors kit and doing 5 laps of the adjusted trail in 10 mins!

Sime grinding the gravel on the last lap in the open category

 Joe out of the saddle on his way to transition on the final lap

I made the trophy (out of scrap timber and old bike reflectors - dont judge me!) so it was only fitting I wanted to hold it after the race and get Jacob to take a photo of me!