On May 9th, I decided, partly on a whim, to buy an $88 bike from Walmart. It's a Huffy. I had thought I might just use a Capital Bikeshare bike, but the pricing structure indicates that it's clearly intended for commuting very short distances and not much else. For that, it would be a good deal though. But for only $88 I could have my very own bike and I could explore the Sligo Creek Trail.
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/ParkTrails/trails_MAPS/sligo.shtm
I haven't had a bike since we moved away from Ithaca, and Michael has never liked bikes, ever! He would say he always felt as if he were going to fall off of them, even though he was fully able to ride as far as I could tell.
So, I bought it, and the very next day, I bought a bike for Edwin at the same place for roughly the same price. Zachary was to use Edwin's old bike. So, it was settled.
I figured we had the summer to work this out and somehow by the end of the summer, I was hoping maybe E & Z could get out of the training wheels and onto a trail. We have two trails near our house, a very short one which connects two parks, and the Sligo Creek Trail that is enormously long and connects many many parks and other facilities together.
I took the boys to the park to practice biking, one by one, using the training wheels. This ended up as a rapid and abject failure, culminating in ... well... here is an excerpt from the email I sent to his teacher:
This Saturday, Edwin
got a new bike and was riding it (w training wheels) very proudly
until he had a crash... into my bike ...and then his face ended up
planting into his handlebars. The force landed on his 6 year (adult)
molar which then became loose. He spit lots of blood and was very
unhappy. He will be going to the dentist Monday afternoon but I don't
know when yet, because they will be giving him a same day appointment.
So I will be picking him up at some point.
I would appreciate it if he could sit out during recess and gym this week, at least until we get directions from the dentist. I don't want him to break the blood clot or re-loosen the tooth.
He still has a swollen mouth and has trouble eating. However, he has progressed very well today (Sunday).
Since Edwin was in pain for about 3 or 4 days, I decided to work with Zachary instead. Edwin was so sad to be on the sideline and wanted to get back on and ride right away. But I worked with Zachary and decided that using training wheels was a really really bad idea for them. Anyhow, I did not see any forward progress in the time they'd been using them. They just wobbled back and forth. So, I Googled for ideas, and found something like this:
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/teach-child-to-ride-a-bike.html
In these types of websites, I learned that it's easy & useful to remove the pedals and teach the kid to coast.
Zachary learned first, in no time flat. By May 14th he was riding. By May 17th, Edwin was also riding, and the 3 of us went on an adventure on May 18th. (I'm going to forget to mention the yelling and screaming Edwin did, claiming he could not possibly ride without training wheels, and how incredibly proud he was afterwards.)
This website gives a rundown of the mileage on our trail for May 18th:
http://www.rundc.com/Trails/
We started at home, but on the way back went farther south than our house,
so our farthest southern point was
while our farthest northern point was
giving them nearly 10 miles, as their maiden voyage after learning to ride! (Zachary had already done about half of it with me a few days before.)
But, alas, all the riding I was doing on the orange bike was hurting my knees, because it did not fit me properly. I had it adjusted to the highest possible seat position, but it was not enough. So, I decided that my knees meant a lot to me, and if I were going to keep riding with the kids, which surely I would, I would need a bike that didn't hurt me to ride.
So, on May 29th, in the rain, I went to Takoma Bicycle and asked about bicycles. Bruce told me that usually, they tell people to come back when it's dry out and test drive the bikes around the block. I thought about that for just a moment and then realized that my urge to do this *now* was not really an urge I should ignore. "I have 3 kids, and it's hard for me to get here. I have to make special arrangements to be able to get away on my own...". "Well," he said, "you can take some bikes out now, even in the rain." And within 30 minutes I had my new bike! I was only concerned about fit. But instead, I got a really sweet bike at a very reasonable price. It's a LivGiant.
And... on June 1st, I took the boys up to Wheaton Regional Park, which is about 0.9 miles past the candy store.
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/facilities/regional_parks/wheaton/
But Michael was unable to come, because Theodore had fallen asleep as we were on our way there, and was not to be easily woken.
So.... as a consolation, on June 2nd, Monday while all the kids were at school/daycare, I took Michael for a ride to this park by traveling south from our house, still using the Anacostia Trail System.
http://www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/Nature/Bladensburg_Waterfront_Park.htm
I got sunburned on my arms but it was an otherwise perfect trip. There is a playground, a nice bridge to ride over, a "boardwalk" and all sorts of neat things, including a caboose.
However.... we noticed that on my bike, I was hardly even pedaling, both ways, but Michael was pumping pumping pumping. He kept assuring me, however, that he was enjoying the exercise and that this bike fit him better than any other bike he'd ever been on!
June 3rd, Tuesday, Michael only had the morning with me, as he had business to attend to that afternoon.
But at 10am, we were at Takoma Bicycle when it opened! It took awhile to get the store opened, and there was a bit of a delay, but Michael found the perfect bicycle for him. It turns out, he really needs a "woman's" bike, because he is unable (due to his injury) to swing his leg up and around the back as is needed for a "man's" bike. He also needed a small bike. His bike has the same size wheels as mine, but the whole frame is otherwise shrunk. The wheel centers are closer together on his than on mine.
And finally, bringing the story up to today, I can brag that we made our first adult bike ride together on our good bikes, June 5th. We made it all the way up to the East end of the Matthew Henson Trail.
(Here)
The ride was about 3 hours, and just under 19 miles round trip. It was totally delightful and included a bit of a surprise for us.
Even though we knew about the Carousel and Miniature Train at Wheaton Park, we were only barely aware of what else was in Wheaton Park, namely, Brookside Gardens. It's a destination we will definitely make all on its own, with Theodore and everyone else in tow. And that is not all. There is much more at Wheaton Park we have yet to explore.
Today was amazing, because it showed us just the tip of the iceberg. We have so much to do and enjoy here in Montgomery County. We are truly lucky to have ended up here!
I would appreciate it if he could sit out during recess and gym this week, at least until we get directions from the dentist. I don't want him to break the blood clot or re-loosen the tooth.
Since Edwin was in pain for about 3 or 4 days, I decided to work with Zachary instead. Edwin was so sad to be on the sideline and wanted to get back on and ride right away. But I worked with Zachary and decided that using training wheels was a really really bad idea for them. Anyhow, I did not see any forward progress in the time they'd been using them. They just wobbled back and forth. So, I Googled for ideas, and found something like this:
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/teach-child-to-ride-a-bike.html
In these types of websites, I learned that it's easy & useful to remove the pedals and teach the kid to coast.
Zachary learned first, in no time flat. By May 14th he was riding. By May 17th, Edwin was also riding, and the 3 of us went on an adventure on May 18th. (I'm going to forget to mention the yelling and screaming Edwin did, claiming he could not possibly ride without training wheels, and how incredibly proud he was afterwards.)
This website gives a rundown of the mileage on our trail for May 18th:
http://www.rundc.com/Trails/
We started at home, but on the way back went farther south than our house,
so our farthest southern point was
| wooden bridge crosses Sligo Creek | 0.10 | 3.30 | 5.55 |
| shopping center | 0.10 | 8.20 | 0.65 |
After arriving at the shopping center (that is, the
"Candy Man" store) Michael met us there and we went for a late
lunch/early dinner, and he then took 3 miles of the return trip with the
boys, giving him his first chance to see them in action!
A better view of the trail, however, is this map:
http://www.montgomeryparks.But, alas, all the riding I was doing on the orange bike was hurting my knees, because it did not fit me properly. I had it adjusted to the highest possible seat position, but it was not enough. So, I decided that my knees meant a lot to me, and if I were going to keep riding with the kids, which surely I would, I would need a bike that didn't hurt me to ride.
So, on May 29th, in the rain, I went to Takoma Bicycle and asked about bicycles. Bruce told me that usually, they tell people to come back when it's dry out and test drive the bikes around the block. I thought about that for just a moment and then realized that my urge to do this *now* was not really an urge I should ignore. "I have 3 kids, and it's hard for me to get here. I have to make special arrangements to be able to get away on my own...". "Well," he said, "you can take some bikes out now, even in the rain." And within 30 minutes I had my new bike! I was only concerned about fit. But instead, I got a really sweet bike at a very reasonable price. It's a LivGiant.
And... on June 1st, I took the boys up to Wheaton Regional Park, which is about 0.9 miles past the candy store.
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/facilities/regional_parks/wheaton/
But Michael was unable to come, because Theodore had fallen asleep as we were on our way there, and was not to be easily woken.
So.... as a consolation, on June 2nd, Monday while all the kids were at school/daycare, I took Michael for a ride to this park by traveling south from our house, still using the Anacostia Trail System.
http://www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/Nature/Bladensburg_Waterfront_Park.htm
I got sunburned on my arms but it was an otherwise perfect trip. There is a playground, a nice bridge to ride over, a "boardwalk" and all sorts of neat things, including a caboose.
However.... we noticed that on my bike, I was hardly even pedaling, both ways, but Michael was pumping pumping pumping. He kept assuring me, however, that he was enjoying the exercise and that this bike fit him better than any other bike he'd ever been on!
June 3rd, Tuesday, Michael only had the morning with me, as he had business to attend to that afternoon.
But at 10am, we were at Takoma Bicycle when it opened! It took awhile to get the store opened, and there was a bit of a delay, but Michael found the perfect bicycle for him. It turns out, he really needs a "woman's" bike, because he is unable (due to his injury) to swing his leg up and around the back as is needed for a "man's" bike. He also needed a small bike. His bike has the same size wheels as mine, but the whole frame is otherwise shrunk. The wheel centers are closer together on his than on mine.
And finally, bringing the story up to today, I can brag that we made our first adult bike ride together on our good bikes, June 5th. We made it all the way up to the East end of the Matthew Henson Trail.
(Here)
The ride was about 3 hours, and just under 19 miles round trip. It was totally delightful and included a bit of a surprise for us.
Even though we knew about the Carousel and Miniature Train at Wheaton Park, we were only barely aware of what else was in Wheaton Park, namely, Brookside Gardens. It's a destination we will definitely make all on its own, with Theodore and everyone else in tow. And that is not all. There is much more at Wheaton Park we have yet to explore.
Today was amazing, because it showed us just the tip of the iceberg. We have so much to do and enjoy here in Montgomery County. We are truly lucky to have ended up here!
