Biking in the bush

Last Saturday, hubby and I had a "fat moment" or found ourselves in need of time outside or just went a little loopy. Whatever the cause, our brains short-circuited a bit and we plunked both kids on our bikes and took off for a ride through a park not far from here. Oh, and we packed a picnic lunch 'cause it just seemed like a good thing to do.

Now I realize that doesn't sound too serious, but just before we left, we decided to check the local weather radar to see if it looked like rain. Actually, what we were looking for was an idea of whether or not the current torrentially occurring rainfall was going to continue. When we found a gap between rain clouds we decided to go for it.

It wasn't raining when we left. We all bundled up in coats (and even a snowsuit for Percy) and with Percy perched behind me and Cutie teamed up with her Daddy, we took off. I offered to carry the backpack with lunch for some insane reason. I guess it just goes along with the day.

Part of our ride takes us through city streets and then we turn onto a bike/hiking path. About 15 minutes into the ride, Percy and I took our first skid as we turned the corner on the wet, moldy boardwalk. Hmm. The baby bike seat and helmets did their job and neither of us were hurt. The chocolate cake took a beating though. You can imagine that Percy was traumatized by the whole incident, but no, he stopped crying after we righted the bike and I dusted him off.

I only said I'd stop crying IF I got to ride with Daddy!

It was Cutie who almost couldn't bear to go on. This is a recurring theme every time I fall or appear injured. I'm perfecting my quick recovery, grimace through any pain, "it's all okay" demeanor.

So, we went on, albeit a bit slower for me. We rode up and down the paths in the area all the while keeping an eye on the clouds gathering behind us (but they look like they're moving east of here, honey). We rode around a very soggy, but nice little playground, but didn't stop, much to Cutie's dismay. On the way out, Percy and I took our second (and thankfully, last) spill for the day. By now the sandwiches were a bit squished and I had to stop and spend "quality time" with Cutie to convince her I wasn't dead. Percy, of course, is taking it all in stride and just having fun hanging out with Daddy - at last. At this point, hubby took it upon himself to carry the backpack (with visions of sandwiches the height of pancakes, I'm sure) and we made it intact to the site of our al fresco dining experience.

Meanwhile, aforementioned clouds seemed to be veering less to the east and heading our way with increasing directness. About ten minutes into our picnic, the skies opened and rain began to fall.

Mommy, when you said picnic, I had something more like this in mind.

Ever optimistic, we reassured each other that the previous cloudbursts that day had all been short-lived, but as the minutes wore on, we decided to develop a contingency plan. Percy and Cutie were distracted by chocolate cake so they saw no problems with the situation at all.

Fortunately, the rain did eventually stop and we rode carefully back home. This time I actually got off my bike in several locations and walked it instead. The whole experience seemed to invigorate kids and hubby alike, but I found it exhausting - an exhaustion not completely relieved by a 30 minute nap.

Mommy wasn't the only one fatigued by that whole experience!

The next morning, Cutie climbed into bed with me and said "mommy fall off bike". I guess the chocolate cake wasn't the most memorable bit of the trip after all.