I Like to Bike!

Well, Tim's and my first bike ride on the Centennial Trail was a hit for both of us! He kept thanking me for bringing him out there for a bike ride, and yet, I was enjoying it too--especially if it weren't for the seat of my bike being awfully uncomfortable. We still went quite a bit farther than I thought we'd have gone.
It took us about an hour to get the bike rack on the van for the first time, and the bikes on the bike rack, and the little bike "fanny pack" type thing onto my bike. Meanwhile, our neighbor Kath came out and admired the bike rack. She said her husband and boys were considering making and attaching a homemade bike rack for their trailer, which would involve drilling into the trailer itself--which I can't imagine would be a great idea. I guess she'd never considered getting one that was commercially made. She also expressed amazement at my ability to attach it to the van--which caused me amazement, in turn. Her boys are the junior engineers of the neighborhood, who constantly have ropes and pulleys in various arrangements from their deck, or arranged them to prop up their snowman that almost fell over. Sometimes they've arranged odd trailers out of such things as dolleys or whatever, and used them to ride along behind someone's bike. It's rather remarkable that they don't end up in the hospital after so many of their creative shenanigans, but the only thing I've seen them suffer is a broken collarbone from playing hockey.
I was almost certain that this morning, I'd hardly be able to walk after biking yesterday for the first time in about 30 years. Yet somehow I felt almost unaffected. If it weren't for doing some other strenuous work today, I'd be biking again today (if I got a new seat!). I hope that it ends up being a regular habit for all our family. We could use the exercise, the fresh air, and just the sheer fun of it. Wha-ha! The anticipation adds to the fun of the reality of going!

We'll be Whizzing by on the Centennial Trail

Well, we are nearly done getting the family some bikes--just have Gary left to get one. Tim has a red cruiser that looks like it's straight from the 50s. Katie and I just have basic mountain bikes. None of our bikes are in the least expensive...more like, they are the least expensive. But boy, it's fun to have a working bike again! The only one I've ever had was handed down to me by my sister when I was in third grade, and I rode it everywhere. We lived in a hilly neighborhood, too. I think I stopped riding it when I started driving, at age 18. Got a lot of exercise on that bike. We did have some bikes in the garage; one for Tim, but it had gotten really rusty. Guess it wasn't in the garage all the time. One for Katie, but it had gotten things piled on it for lack of use, I guess, and the handle bars were in line with the bike! Besides, it was now too small for her. One for Gary, which I'd found at a garage sale about 10 years ago, but it wasn't in good shape. One for...an exchange student we'd hosted a few years ago. We'd found it at a rummage sale. I think she only used it for a few minutes; she thought she'd bike to school and back but didn't realize what the roads are like here, and that changed her mind. That bike was too big for me.
Yesterday Tim begged me to come out and ride my bike with him--we'd bought them and promptly put mine and Katie's in the garage; they needed the tires inflated and now they're ready to go. I went with him around the cul-de-sac, and it was just like they say, "It's like riding a bike--you never forget." No problem, except I get tired so fast! That will change! It was so much fun to have the feeling of riding a bike again.
Katie came out too. She isn't a bike rider yet; we bought her a bike but at the time we lived in a hilly, scary neighborhood on a busy street, and she just didn't have much chance to learn. So yesterday she tried. Tim and I both held the bike up hoping she'd get the idea of the balance. Tim had taught himself the first few days that we lived in this house, but it's easier to learn when you're four than when you're 20. She tried for a while, but people's garage doors were going up and she didn't want to continue under the eye of neighbors. We'll keep working on it when there's less activity out there.
We're hoping to become more physically fit and it will be good to have one more way to go enjoy the outdoors. It's already been a good thing--I worked hard this last couple of days on cleaning the garage to make room for the bikes, and made more headway in that overwhelming job than I have in a while--it's somewhat transformed out there, best it's been since we moved in! Lots of room for the bikes. We're all looking forward to the fun of riding. If you see a boy trying to look like he's straight out of the 50's, and two or three wobbly riders behind him, it's probably us. I hope we see you on the Centennial Trail!