Saturday, July 16, 2005

Biking Adventures

We borrowed a kids' bike trailer from the L's, and today we hit the W&OD bike trail not too far from our house. It was a very hot, humid day, so I was not really looking forward to going. That, and it's been . . . many years since I've ridden a bike. I was afraid I wouldn't remember how. I guess it's true though--you never forget how to ride a bike. Anyhow, I told the boys I had never worn a bike helmet because the last time I rode one, hardly anyone wore them! I think Bob and I rode bikes in a park in Fairborn before we moved on base, but I think we were married. So 1993 or 94?

It turned out that I had a good time. Bob and Nathan and Luke went one time before, but it was nice to have us all out there. We stopped after about 2 1/2 miles at this playground that is a little off the trail, and that's where we had our adventure. You have to go across this little narrow bridge to actually get to the playground, and Bob misjudged how widely he needed to turn to clear the trailer. So the trailer hit the wooden side of the bridge and stopped completely, but Bob didn't! He hit the handlebars (but didn't fall off), and the momentum totally made his front tire all crooked. Totally unusable. Fortunately he was riding his old bike that he's had since way before we got married, so without too much angst, he just left it by a trashcan in the park. He moved the trailer to the new bike that I was riding, and I volunteered to walk back. It was a long, hot walk back, but I actually enjoyed the time to myself. You can notice so much more when you're walking! There were a lot of wildflowers beside the trail that I was able to get a closer look at. Also I saw tons of blackberries. The boys would ride ahead, then double back, so they never got too terribly far ahead of me. We were all so hot when we got back to the car, though. A/C sure felt good! Maybe when we get another new bike, we can do this again. (Maybe in Autumn?!)

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