Trucking with Ripley

The holidays are over and we are now left with the memories of the family visits.
One highlight for me, was taking Ripley on a bike ride, just like I did with Nicholas at the same age some years ago. The plan was for Ripley and me to ride down the side of the range and sit in the peaceful surrounds of a little park, amidst the contrasting constant noise of traffic, and watch the big trucks grind their way in their lowest gears down the steep grades of the Toowoomba range.

However, my planned "one-on-one" day with Ripley was somewhat compromised when Leonie and Nicholas joined us, but it was still a delight to spend the time with him.
He is a little boy who needs lots of loving and personal attention. Unfortunately his sister Cameo is an extremely confident and demanding extravert and her dominance must be a constant challenge for Ripley.
It was a good day, and I continued to stay close to Ripley and talk to him as we proceeded on our ride through some attractive terrain along the escarpment where we had great views over the eastern plains. It was only the steep sections of the road that brought us back to reality as we climbed sluggishly back towards home. But that is cycling - as I have always said "on a bike, you only have to ride half way - the rest of it is downhill" - but why do the uphill bits last 3 times longer?