Project Ride Smart

dsc03713Blacktop drills this week. This is when we find out who does not really know how to ride a bike. Those students were invited to an after-school coaching session. Goals this week: ride straight, use both brakes to stop AT the limit line, always get into power pedal position. dsc03714We are lucky to have a dedicated classroom where we can teach and store the bikes and equipment. Gina attempted to make the room darker for better viewing of the videos. dsc03712Everyday, we wheel out 40 bikes and line them up by size. At the end of the day, we wheel them all back in again and lock them up.dsc03715After-school coaching. Kyle, the boy at the right, learned to ride today! Both he and his father were so proud while I was exhausted after running up and down holding onto the back of the seat or keeping my hand on his back. After a while, Kyle told me he wanted to do it on his own (oh, thank you) and he continued to improve.dsc03716Breanna, on the other hand, struggled. She had great balance, pushed off with a strong power pedal, turned the cranks once, and then put her feet on the ground. Nothing I said convinced her to keep pedaling. Sigh. We’ll try again at the next coaching session.dsc03717

Walnut Gathering

Thais, Sophia, and Avery came out to help gather walnuts.dsc03694dsc03690dsc03695Both kids got to drive Uncle Justin’s big truck up and down the driveway!dsc03698Avery was a very good de-husker.dsc03699A visit to see the pigs was a must, especially since they won’t be around much longer.dsc03707We gathered 36 pounds! Thanks for help!

Roseville Bikefest

dsc03665I volunteered at this event this morning. Extremely well-organized with lots of volunteers. Sue Schooley from the Alternative Transportation Department welcomed everyone.dsc03668Organizing the yellow-shirted volunteers (my category) for a picture.dsc03667The purple shirts were experienced participants who had been planning the Bikefest for the past year.dsc03670Orientation at the helmet-fitting station. Helmets were free.dsc03666I was supposed to work here. There were 16 stations but 18 volunteers – I had nothing to do.dsc03671 After standing around for about 45 minutes, I toured the rest of the activities: safety presentation, bike IDs, obstacle course,dsc03673and the nearby farmer’s market. Standing around feeling useless doesn’t work so well for me, so I went home where many tasks were waiting.