| For some reason, this letter was difficult to compose. Some of these just flow from my pen (as it were), and others--well, not so much. This one was wrested into existence one word at a time (which may explain some of the awkward constructions). |
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We had another bike ride. I am certain that there are those in my family who are tired of being sucked into my ardent (and at times antagonist) relationship with manually powered, two wheel vehicles. But, this trip I can blame on Terra. She advanced the idea of a "family bike ride," and I was only too happy to comply. |
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| We had four adults and five children riding. The logistics seemed a bit daunting at first, but in the end it worked out okay. |
| Even Symantha condescended to ride with us. She refused to be enthusiastic about it, but maybe...just maybe...She enjoyed it just a little bit. |
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It did take a little time to get all the bikes in a condition that they could be used, but it was significantly less than I had anticipated. |
| I don't know who instituted the stretching exercises prior to riding... |
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but whoever it was did a convincing job. |
| I am a bit conflicted about teaching kids to use a helmet. On the one hand, I think it is a good idea. On the other, I have never used one and don't anticipate starting anytime soon, so for me to insist that they be used seems a bit hypocritical. Still, I applauded Wyatt's choice. |
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With kids, there is an endless list of things to check and loose ends to attend too. |
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Getting that many kids lined up, instructed in safe riding precepts, and all pointed the same direction was a bit like herding cats. |
| But eventually we made it happen. |
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While we were adjusting, repairing, and tuning up the bikes, Landen was a helpful as always. I have started handing him tools to "hold" for me. He is going to get them anyway, and occasionally he will actually still have them when I need them again. |
| Landen rode in the car with Barbara, where he did his best to make sure she stayed busy. |
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This location (between Alpine and Eagar) was a pretty good choice. There was more traffic than I anticipated, but the shoulder was fairly wide and the grades were fairly steep. Kylie rode only a mile or so before it became evident that she was headed toward a case of road rash, so we induced her to continue riding.....inside a vehicle. Maybe next year Kylie... |
| Other than that, the kids did quite well. (Some of them got bored riding in a straight line and decided to do "tricks" along the highway.) |
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My bicycle computer said we traveled 17.126 Miles in 1 Hour, 55 Minutes, and 57 Seconds for a average speed of 8.9 mph. We didn't exactly ride like the wind native to that area, but we weren't too bad either. |
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We sandwiched the riders between two vehicles--Barbara driving the Bronco and pulling the bike trailer in the rear, and Ameilia driving her truck in the "point" position. Barbara wanted to ride a bike, but by offering her concessions (to be named later [How else could you get a smile like that?]) She acquiesced.... |
| Wyatt, Ethan, and I rode to the top of the ridge overlooking Eagar. Wyatt couldn't quite make the bicycle do it, so he walked the last hundred yards or so (not that he is stubborn or anything...). |
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Ethan slowly made it to the top. Looking at his bike, I discovered first, that it had gears, and second, that it was in high gear. We played with it a bit and got it into low gear and had Ethan ride another few yards. His comment: "That's a lot easier!" I have a suspicion that it may be a while before he forgets how to use gears on a bike. |