In Which Two Kids in Tow Make 99

Bike parked at Dry Creek bridge on Boyson Trail during first ride.

It turned cloudy late in the day, but this was the sky as we head west on the Lindale Trail on the first ride.

I’ve been exclusively riding The Fancy Beast, my old mountain bike, this January. Not a surprise, I think of that bike as my “winter beater,” and ride it whenever there might be a bit of snow or ice on the route. However, today I made an exception.

My wife and I had four grandchildren, siblings, staying with us overnight, and the two youngest, 10-year-old and 8-year-old girls, liked the idea of bicycle rides with grandpa on this fine, sunny, cool winter Saturday.

So, I got Clarence, my hybrid bike, out of the garage. It has been a month or so since I was on this bike, and the weather has been cold, so I was anticipating low tyres. Well, I did pump a bit of air in to them and lubed the chain, but I was surprised at how aired the tyres already were. Then, I got the Tag-A-Long seat down, lubed its chain and aired its tyre. This had been stored even longer than the bike, and needed a bit more air, but again, was surprisingly ready to ride.

It was about midday and the first granddaughter was waiting patiently for grandpa to be ready. I wasn’t in full winter ride gear—I skipped the thermal underwear. My thought was twofold—one, the temperature was in the 20s, cool, but little wind. Not really cold. And if I didn’t dress too warmly, I would be better able to judge if the ride was going on too long for a young person.

Then again, both granddaughters who went on rides with me today wore warm coats, boots and snow pants, so they weren’t exactly at great risk of expiring from exposure.

The 10-year-old and I headed north on a quiet street, then rode through the neighborhood east to the Boyson Road Trail. We did a quick loop on the trail, pausing at a trail bridge to watch ducks swimming in some open water in a rapid, turbulent area of Dry Creek.

10-year-old and I ready to ride.

Young biker.

Kicking some ice on trail bridge.

The granddaughter idly kicked some ice into the creek, watched the ducks for a few minutes, and then we were ready to ride again. We continued on the trail to the turnoff to go west on the Lindale Trail. There were a few icy spots on the ride where I went slowly, but the trails and streets we rode today were mostly clear.

We got back to the house. My wife was warming up leftover chili. There is a Midwestern dish called “chili five ways,” which is chili (1) with meat (2) on spaghetti (3) sprinkled with cheddar cheese (4) and fresh onion (5). My grandchildren call this dish “grandpa’s special” because of who in the family is most likely to suggest it. I took over cooking and made the pasta, while my wife was soundly thrashed in a chess game by a grandson. Then, the family enjoyed a hearty afternoon lunch of either C5W or GS, depending on your point of view.

Afterwards, the 8-year-old noted that she hadn’t yet had a bike ride. So once again, I got out the bike (I had left the seat attached, so was quicker this time) and we retraced exactly the same route, going slowly over the same icy spots and pausing at the same bridge. We again saw ducks, although I don’t for sure that they were the same birds, but probably.

Younger granddaughter ready for her ride.

Second granddaughter on bridge.

8-year-old with bike before ride.

The one new part of the adventure was watching a small herd of deer cross the trail 20 yards in front of us and trot off into the woods.

Interestingly, the second ride was slower. Perhaps the 10-year-old in the morning was a slightly better auxiliary motor. The older girl is also very thin—I may have had more weight when the 8-year-old was being towed (she’s not at all chubby, just normal size, but she has a small older sister). It’s also true that I was feeling a bit sluggish on the second ride—a bunch of tasty pasta and chili may have weighed me down.

Ducks on Dry Creek. I'm amazed they seem so comfortable on cold water.

Dry Creek looking pretty in winter. The creek is pretty much never dry, but that's its name.

The second ride felt colder, too. The actual air temperature was warmer, but a breeze had picked up, and moving air in winter always makes things feel colder. Not too cold—it was still a fine ride and the younger granddaughter didn’t complain of getting chilled.

The rides totaled just over 8 miles. And with those two rides, I’m just a smidge above 99 miles for January. When I set the 3,000-mile goal for the year, I figured my January miles would be way under average (250) that I would need each month to gain the goal, but I also figured that if I could top 100 miles in this cold first month, I would have made a good start.

Well, I didn’t plan to ride the hybrid bicycle in January at all. Then again, I didn’t plan rides with the granddaughters until the day was fine and they both liked the idea.

Sometimes the unexpected journey on the underused bicycle turns out just fine.