A Smouldering Heat Wave

Sunday, March 17^th (Lake Havasu)

The oldest and his mom mountain-biking in the desert dusk

The sun smoulders intensely; apparently we have landed in a blistering heat wave-- 93 degrees. It will be hard to have a proper boot camp in this heat. Who wants to move? I languish by the pool. Children splash in the water. They do not need anything else. At 6 pm it is still 91 degrees but we head to the park for a ride. I had forgotten the full body intensity of mountain biking. I chase after the 17 and 9 year old. On the way back the 9 year old, hot and thirsty, opts to stay at the van. I repeat the loop wanting to ride and roll through the rock-rutted dips. I aim for more riding, less walking, less pushing the bike up the inclines. I gun it and chase the 17 year old back to the van. We ride 49 minutes intensely and then I drop the bike and helmet and opt for a 15-minute run in the dusk. We make it part way down a trail but hikers coming up warn us of a rattlesnake in the gulch ahead. We backtrack and I finish my short jog on the asphalt. I am not a friend of snakes.

By Mom.