Ridin 'n' runnin

Well it's been a couple of days since I last sat at the keyboard. Things have been moving forward though, I have not been sitting on my laurels (or anywhere else for that matter).
I took Sam out again on Tuesday. After the success of his jaunt in the ATS I decided to give my knees a break and to pull out Sam's trailer that attaches to my mountain bike. I dragged the thing from the nether reaches of the garage where it had spent the winter and was dismayed to find it a mess. The nylon(?) straps that act as seat belts were almost dust. The grey material disintegrated as I coupled them together. My only guess is they are less than UV resistant.! Kind of an issue at 7,000 feet.
I managed to cobble a set together (the trailer is able to carry 2 kids) and was able to make one set from two. Sam was excited to see his other 'buggy' again and was happy to let me put him inside. Then we found his "Thomas the Tank Engine" helmet really didn't fit him at all. Arrgh! Off with the helmet and after some adjustment of the straps, we were finally ready to hit the trails.
I decided I would repeat some of the route I had taken when testing my knees. I set out from home and went into the open space trails. I have to tell you that we live in a funnel. Almost.
In any direction, road or trail, the elevation is UP! There are though gentle Up's as well as steep Up's. I chose the gentlest up there is. The 40 pound addition to my bike was very noticeable but I was able to make it all the way up the hill without having to get off and push! Thanks Shimano.
We made it up to the main road and followed this flattish route that allows us to enter another valley to the South. Back on the trails away from traffic we made better time. Sam was sitting happily in the back (although he didn't look comfortable) making fire-truck siren sounds as we moved along.
At the end of the trail some two miles later, the trail and the road merge again. After a brief water stop for us both, we made a 180 and set off back along the trail.
The return was harder but the trail makers had made the grade run with some flatter parts between. This allows for some harder peddling followed by flat recovery areas. The road though is a constant incline.
After crossing the main road, we set off down the steep and long descent to the main valley entrance. I kept the speed down for Sam. His trailer has small 12 inch wheels and the tyres don't give a lot of comfort. That trail has has quite a lot of wash-out with the rains this year.
At the bottom we crossed the road and went back up into the open space for a well earned break at one of the play equipment areas. Sam took full advantage of the break. Off came the helmet and slides, swings and running were the order of the day.
It took some persuasion to get him back into the trailer but he bravely sat there for the ride home.
The total trip was 8.23 miles completed in 1:05 (not including the slide stop) with an average pace of 8.05. My Garmin suggested I'd burned 1679 Cal but of course you can't believe that as the last time I checked, the wheels turn for free going downhill. The BGL was 121 at the beginning but 122 at the end.
The best part was no knee pain at all.