My first MTB, vacation pics, and advice needed.....

[ny biker]

You get much better stability when you inflate your tires less. I haven't ridden real single track in a long time, but sometimes I'll ride my mountain bike on a bridle path next to a rail trail in this area. I've found that the difference between max. psi and putting less air in the tires is huge. Unfortunately I don't remember the details because it's been a while, but I think I put 30-35 psi and found I was much more stable and bounced around much less. My bike is a 26" hardtail.

You might want to see if your local mountain bike group offers beginner classes or if they have any group rides for beginners. Or check with your LBS to see if they know of anything.

[Crankin]

I don't want to sound overly negative, Trisk. If I had really wanted to improve, I could have. It's just that you sound just like I did!
NY is right. Lower the tire pressure. All of this talk makes me want to go mountain biking! Today, i hiked on the one trail I felt pretty comfortable on and I was thinking about what I'd be doing, if I was on the bike.