One of the best parts of bike riding is actually going someplace (instead of just riding around the neighborhood). So today we packed up our water bottles and books (because you shouldn't go anywhere without a book) and rode to the neighborhood park.
This was complicated by the fact that Ella is a proficient bike rider, Amanda is adequate (although she has trouble staying on her side of the road and tends to stop often to pick up pieces of fluff and feathers on the sides of the road) and Luke is just beginning. Ella and Amanda were pretty good about waiting for Luke and me, but Luke is not really sure about his brakes yet, and not really good about going up hills yet, so we had to walk up and down the steepest hills.
Still, we got to the park and set the girls' bikes up in the bike rack. Luke rode around the playground for a while. I only had to remind him once that the one of the first rules for riding a bike was, "don't run into babies!" Ella got out her book, and Amanda took off her shoes and played in the sand.
Unfortunately, the best word to describe the sky was "threatening". Sure enough, pretty soon the dark clouds were overhead and we heard thunder. Part of me wanted to stay under the shelter to wait out the storm, but Amanda seemed nervous (that may have been projection based on my imaginings of tropical storm Beryl...) We got on our bikes and started the ride home. I told Amanda and Ella to go home as fast as they could to beat the storm, which they did. Luke and I started pedaling.
It had just started sprinkling when Michael pulled up with our bike rack (and van, of course). Apparently he had tried to call and warn about the storm, but my phone was in my backpack so I didn't get the call. I was all for sending Luke home in the car, but Luke resisted. So we kept on going home by bike.
It went pretty well at first, but pretty soon the rain fell harder...and harder... and every few moments it seemed to be raining harder. We had two "big" hills to go up to get home, and we walked both of them as the rain started pelting us with quarter size drops. At least it wasn't hail. There were a few tearful moments occasioned by trying to ride up or down hills and going off the road---I'm not sure whether the rain made them worse or better.
Of course, as soon as we got onto our street the rain lightened up. A few minutes later it stopped. However, Luke had had his first adventure riding in the rain. It didn't seem to faze him (well, any more than riding down hills fazes him) so I think we'll probably try again. I can't wait to see where else we can ride.
This was complicated by the fact that Ella is a proficient bike rider, Amanda is adequate (although she has trouble staying on her side of the road and tends to stop often to pick up pieces of fluff and feathers on the sides of the road) and Luke is just beginning. Ella and Amanda were pretty good about waiting for Luke and me, but Luke is not really sure about his brakes yet, and not really good about going up hills yet, so we had to walk up and down the steepest hills.
Still, we got to the park and set the girls' bikes up in the bike rack. Luke rode around the playground for a while. I only had to remind him once that the one of the first rules for riding a bike was, "don't run into babies!" Ella got out her book, and Amanda took off her shoes and played in the sand.
Unfortunately, the best word to describe the sky was "threatening". Sure enough, pretty soon the dark clouds were overhead and we heard thunder. Part of me wanted to stay under the shelter to wait out the storm, but Amanda seemed nervous (that may have been projection based on my imaginings of tropical storm Beryl...) We got on our bikes and started the ride home. I told Amanda and Ella to go home as fast as they could to beat the storm, which they did. Luke and I started pedaling.
It had just started sprinkling when Michael pulled up with our bike rack (and van, of course). Apparently he had tried to call and warn about the storm, but my phone was in my backpack so I didn't get the call. I was all for sending Luke home in the car, but Luke resisted. So we kept on going home by bike.
It went pretty well at first, but pretty soon the rain fell harder...and harder... and every few moments it seemed to be raining harder. We had two "big" hills to go up to get home, and we walked both of them as the rain started pelting us with quarter size drops. At least it wasn't hail. There were a few tearful moments occasioned by trying to ride up or down hills and going off the road---I'm not sure whether the rain made them worse or better.
Of course, as soon as we got onto our street the rain lightened up. A few minutes later it stopped. However, Luke had had his first adventure riding in the rain. It didn't seem to faze him (well, any more than riding down hills fazes him) so I think we'll probably try again. I can't wait to see where else we can ride.
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