First day of school and she's already learning

Eager to learn and ready to ride.

This is the second year in a row that our girl has ridden on the first day of school, something that I hope will continue all the way through her career. Last year, I carried her on the Big Dummy until we crossed the big street, but this year she rode on her own bike the whole way, with parents by her side of course. I could tell that all the dirt riding we've done this summer has made her strong, because she had no trouble motoring up a long hill along the way.

The weather was perfect and we had plenty of time to spare in getting to school on time. It's hard to believe that classes are back in session. This means that summer is unofficially over. However, no tears were shed, because she was more than happy to see her friends and meet her new teacher.

The trail was clear and perfect in the morning.

She picked out a nice shady spot to park, while striking a sassy pose.

After school, I picked her up and we rode home. I had to select a different bike for the task, as the front tire on the Big Dummy went flat sometime after I dropped her off in the morning, and I didn't notice it until I needed to leave. It's a good thing that I have an extra bike or two around to pick up the slack.

The color coordinated purple clothes, backpack and bike obviously play into her steely gaze of confidence.

After a snack and a rest, we decided to change the tire. The learning for the day was not yet finished, as she gained some hands on experience with changing a flat, including patching a tube with the patch kit that she won in the bike rodeo yesterday. She dove right into the task, and before long the Dummy was again ready to roll.

Tarik of the Moscaline blog calls the little silver item a 'dork nut.' As far as I know, there is no better name for it.

Prepping a brand new tube. We patched the old one to become a spare, as it already had a handful of patches on it.

Seating the bead like a pro. Daddy is proud.

How many mechanics do you know who are cool enough to sport a prancing unicorn on their shirt?
I thought so.