This afternoon I decided to be a great daddy and surprise Serenity by going on a little bike ride. Not having my own bike, I decided to borrow Emmas beach cruiser that only has one speed and no external handle brakes, not to mention it is designed for use by individuals weighing under 150 pounds. The trip started out fantastic as we were frolicking around flat paved roads by our house. I thought it would be a great idea if we went to Zintel Canyon and rode around there for a little change of scenery. Little did it dawn on me, that if I was going downhill, it would be difficult for me to stop at the end by using only the counter-clockwise rotation of petal brakes located on the hub of the rear tire. The best way I can describe the experience is like a freight train having to come to a complete stop at the end of the hill, and only having one break available. With the sounds of a screeching hub working its might to keep from falling apart, it did its job and Im still alive to tell the rest the story. The sounds of serenity yelling behind me that I was going too fast and a terror in her voice like something bad was going to happen, we decided it was a great idea to walk or bikes down the remainder of the hill. After a brief water break and rest, we decided to pedal our way through the canyon. The first 1000 feet were perfect, Nice paved bike trails and flat as can be. Ahead in the distance, I noticed a little bit a water overflowing onto the trail, I yelled instructions to serenity to keep peddling and not to put her feet down or she would get wet. It started out with about an inch of water then gradually went to about 3-4 inches of water. I kept encouraging serenity to keep peddling and not give up even though it was hard. Thankfully we start going uphill and the water was now behind us. After we stopped and took a break, serenity kept asking if this was a river we are riding our bikes through? As I described the difference between a little creek versus a river, I asked her if she had fun? She told me that she had never rode her bike through three feet of water before. Still laughing at her description of the depth of water we rode thru, I had to explain to her the difference between feet and inches. We decided to journey upward toward the rest of the trail, unfortunately I cannot downshift and keep peddling, so we had to stop and walk our bikes up the hill. By this time, we had each drink an entire bottle of water and only had one bottle left, not to mention that serenity had to severely go to the bathroom and can no longer hold it. Thankfully, at the top of another hill on the road, we stopped and visited our good friends Scott and Debbie for a quick bathroom break and rest. As we rested, we were entertained with awesome magic tricks, thank you Scott. We were both anxious to get home after our bike excursion, so we swigged down the last of the water and rode almost nonstop until we made it home. We both felt like we just rode a marathon. After relaxing and eating an ice cream bar, I asked serenity if she had a great time? The first words that came out of her mouth were if we rode our bikes like this everyday, we wouldnt be as tired & worn out ! As I agreed with her, she gave me a big hug & kiss and said she had a great time today. If I get the gumption to try that again, I hope Ill be better prepared. next time my bike will have an engine or a motor :-)
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 00:08:40 +0000
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