First family ride

Today, we did our first family ride on our new trip bikes! It felt great to get on our bikes and finally do a family ride. The weather in our part of the world has not been friendly to cyclists. It’s been a very long and cold winter, even by Canadian standards. Despite being three weeks into spring, we still had to bike across snow patches on the closed roads of our local park. And our picnic lunch overlooked the still-frozen lake. The other hurdle to a family ride was Owen’s lack of a suitable bicycle. We overcame that obstacle yesterday.

On Thursday, we bought Owen’s bicycle at SportX, a bike shop in Smiths Falls, Ontario, that gets all of our business. We got him a 13” Specialized Hardrock with 26-inch wheels and disc brakes. We upgraded the pedals, added a water bottle cage and bought a helmet to replace his old cracked one. He is nearly ready….fenders, rack, panniers and he’s good to go.

Our first ride saw us leave Perth and head to Murphy’s Point Provincial Park for a picnic lunch. The park is 19km away. The first 8km are along the busy Rideau Ferry Rd. The next 11km follow the peaceful and meandering Elm Grove Rd. The park is still closed at this time of year making the roads within the park perfect for cycling, walking or running.

We had picnic lunch and cycled back home. No close calls. No punctures (which is a good thing since we don’t yet have tubes for our 29er tires!!). Our butts are little sore from the new saddles and the long winter. Otherwise, all’s well.

Always check with the stakeholders

Well, our teenager daughter isn’t as keen on all the cycling we have planned as we are. Also, she wants to visit more cities. As well, the lack of a foreign language and history has her non-plussed. Good thing we checked in before buying plane tickets.

To be honest, I was pretty bummed about this turn of events. She has always been up for a challenge and she loved our time on bikes in Europe (6 weeks in Alsace and 4 weeks in the Loire Valley). But things change. Attitudes shift. I should not have assumed.

After some tossing and turning, mulling, and pondering, I think I may have a solution. One that will benefit all of us.

Stay tuned. I can’t unveil it here before I discuss it with the rest of the family.

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And so it begins…

Shannon spoke to her boss, HR, and her boss’ boss this week. Her leave without pay is a go! We couldn’t be more relieved. Everyone at Conversant was very supportive and encouraging. A major hurdle has been crossed. And so the planning begins. I will soon visit the travel agent here in Perth, Canada, to book tickets. I have created this blog to document and share the preparations and eventually the trip details. Stay tuned…