Can you see the dragonfly right by her hand? There are tons of them around here. Which is good because it means less mosquitoes!

Having a big red bus, a cool Westfalia and a funny puppy comes in handy sometimes. Especially when you are parked right where lots of bikers start their rides. The people we rode with on the weekend come back here almost every day, so when JF told the guy that works at the part store about having to drive 80 km to get our Westy part, he said he could have it shipped right here in Burns Lake for $10! One less thing to worry about!

It was a very hot day (by Yukon standards!) and we decided to enjoy the lake while the sun was high in the sky. We jumped in the cold lake and let the sun warm up our skin lying down on the dock while rainbow trouts jumped all around us!

Later, the twins and I went for a longish ride. They convinced me to try the 4 Cross course (I did it!) and I rode most of a black diamond trail with them (except the wooden features, drops and wall rides!). I was pretty proud of myself! It was so cute to see the girls cheering for me all along! Mara stayed behind me the whole ride and gave me tips and corrected my positions!

At some point on the trail, Aisha (who was yelling and singing non-stop... to the point of having a sore throat after an hour...) stopped and bursted into tears. She had contained her fear of meeting a bear, but felt overwhelmed by it now... (she woke up with terrible bear nightmares the night before... poor girl...). We sat and talked for a while and she decided she wanted to keep on riding. So we did! What a brave girl I have!

We were so hot after our ride that we went straight to the lake and jumped with our clothes on!! It was such a special moment to swim in that beautiful quiet lake with my big girls, all three of us high on endorphins and pride! As I came out the lake, one of the girl found a HUGE leech on the back of my tank top. We all freaked out and undressed right there, checking each other out, giggling and screaming! For some reason, this whole adventure almost felt like a rite of passage. My girls teaching me mountain bike skills, Aisha and I both facing our fears, Mara holding us in her peaceful energy the whole time. I felt so honored to be there with these two wonderful young girls. I think we all felt it.

When we sat beside the fire by the lake that night, Aisha wrapped her arms around me and held me tight, a big grin on her beautiful face. We didn't need any words.