Bike riding is a thing, at our house. When spring comes, we tend to put away model trains (or just kind of leave them where they drop…) and pull out the bikes.
The day we went to the train show, I went down to the bike shop and bought a new bike in a different style that was more suited to the way I ride. Of course, it snowed like 14 inches and the temperature dropped back below zero for a week and a half thereafter, but last Monday finally climbed back up to 60, and the bike shop called to ask if I was going to come pick up the thing, or what? (They didn’t actually say that, but didn’t really have to.) Tim was home, Lance was off work and the boys were still at school, so we went to Decorah as a big group and picked up my new bike, then went for a ride.
This is my new ‘ride’, a Specialized Expedition Sport. I got the guy’s version, because it was the only one that came in this particular, gorgeous color. The difference was negligible, in any case. It looks like a children’s bike next to Tim’s silver one because it’s a medium frame, and Tim’s is an XL. (He could have gone to an XXL, but decided to stick with that one when he was testing them out.) Yes, I have a sissy seat on it. The overkill-style rack is specially designed for hauling the Kazoo pedal trailer. I could put some panniers on it, as well, if I were so inclined, but I haven’t had a reason to yet. I’m a casual rider – I leave the 40-miles-a-day and randomly biking across the state to Lance.
Anyway! We started at the trail head and basically went around the curve to the next bridge, then back through the streets. It was a short first ride, but more than enough for my knee, which I’ve been having some kind of pain and mobility issue with for a couple of weeks. Still very nice to get out on the bikes again, though!
After the ride, we made an obligatory stop at the Whippy Dip and completely negated any benefit from our exercise by eating ice cream. Seraphine had the Best Day Ever, and was hilariously silly about how she ate her sprinkles:
The next day, the same combination of availability happened, except we had the boys as well. We put the girls in the red and black trailer, Olin in the Burley trailer (even though he’s really way too big) and AJ on the pedal trailer. That worked nicely for a short ride, and the kids all (except Seraphine) got out and ran for part of the ways, which was fun, as well. For a longer ride, we’ll definitely need to solve the overall problem, though… With another trailer for sure, and/or with an adapted trailer that would be better suited to Olin’s needs. (More about that in another entry.)
That outing was ruined in the home stretch by AJ being dramatically naughty, but it seems like most outing lately tend to end in tears for at least one person bsides Seraphine, and Mama being too angry and frustrated to speak. Ah, well. Welcome to parenthood. They’ll grow out of it eventually, I hope.
More photos from the adventure(s):
