Council Bluffs Harescramble, Spring Edition

First, my apologies for not blogging this immediately after it happened. 

(That's for my sister, who actually checked my blog and I didn't have it up and then she got on me. sheesh Except that that is sort of like when Julie's mom, from Julie and Julia keeps telling her she should quit blogging and cooking and then one day she calls and asks her where she's been (she took a small hiatus) and then Julie gets a book and movie deal. That could be me!) (I'm fine, besides a little sleep deprived. Why do you ask?)

This race was in Council Bluffs on Mother's Day so up early we rose and headed west with warm breakfast burritos and monkey muffins filling our tummies.

We were notified that there would be a hole shot prize for each of the races. If there is any money involved, it's usually the big bikes not the mini's, so when I told Ben about this, he did a happy dance and bounced off to school. (I'm sure he told his friends and maybe even his teacher.)

For you non-racers, a hole shot is the first bike to make it past a certain point. In the picture below it's the tree limb that is being held up. First rider to that point wins $25. 

 Let's see if Ben gets the hole shot. He's the orange bike on the left.

He's got a good line...

Looks close..... In the end, he missed it by a tire length. *snap!*

We had some visitors join us for this race. Bill's parents came and also two aunts and an uncle. 

And what a show Ben gave them! Even though he didn't get the hole shot by the end of the first lap he had passed the other kid for the lead and also passed a couple of 85 riders. That's where he stayed the entire time even though he hit a tree. (That'll be a part of tomorrow's post.)

It's not such a bad thing to have a fan club!

Here we all are: Luke, me, Aunt Carol (white visor), Aunt Loretta (brown hat), Uncle Donald (Carol's husband), Ben, Bill, Grandpa Bill and Grandma Laura

Wanna know how to make this kid smile? Give him a 1st place trophy! Way to go, Ben!

After Bill's start, where I don't have any good pictures and he didn't get the hole shot either, we hiked over to the sand track and parked our chairs for some entertainment. The sand track is so tricky to navigate. We saw all kinds of riding through that area. It's also Luke's favorite place to play as he can practically bury himself in the sand. I was a silly mom and didn't take any pictures of him playing. He was a safe distance from the track so he wouldn't get run over.

Here comes our favorite rider now.

Smooth, nothing flashy

Lookin' good (including his riding)

Whoa, careful. That back tire is off the line...

and down he goes.

That's right. You pick yourself up, acknowledge your fans and get going again.

Only to have the rest of the day go about the same. 

Hahahaha! I find that picture so funny! I mean, poor guy, it was just not his day and his bike is buried deep in that mud. He finished 7th in his class.

At any rate, a few of us still think he's a winner, including his mom.