Welcome, Friends. It's been Spring Break over here on the W-izeye-izeye-est Coast this week, and we have been making bike tour while the sun shines. Some of you know how this is done. Salud! Some of you do not. Sad face. Clench your _____ and prepare for a know-how explosion:
You get your game face on.
You lay out the map and plan your route.
You find a sucker to haul (most of) your stuff.
You gather at the trailhead for a group photo, and you begin to pedal. If it is Henry Coe, you begin to pedal uphill.
The 1st few switchbacks are a shake down. Gear will shift. Straps will slacken. Loads will reveal themselves to have been unbalanced. Etc.
Strong riders come to the front.
Water carriers will head-down pedal to support their stars. It is the way of things.
There will be struggles.
This post could be filled entirely with photos of us climbing. Climbing climbing climbing. My children know things many children do not. They know how to suffer, but that is common knowledge among the youth. They know the value of suffering.
...though I suspect they will not own up to this knowledge for some time. It is there.
I can see it in their eyes.
My daughter brought a friend along to share the misery. We had another child in the line-up, but there was a sprained thumb. This would not have mixed well with some of the riding to be found along our route- which is the easiest approach to Kelly Lake that can be devised! It is a selective process, vetting children for a tour of this scope. The kids have more fun with a buddy, undeniably, but it is a small section of today's youngsters that will handle so much effort for "just" the pay-off of a backcountry lake and no other people around. And, having been through similar situations viz a viz other people's kids before, I'm damned if I'm allowing a bail-out for any reason other than serious medical. Full stop. My children know this, and bear it in mind when they are trying to recruit theirvictims companions.
My own dear wife informed me that this would be the one and only time I would have the joy of her company on a bike tour in Henry Coe. It was a sad-making blow, but not unexpected. The relentless climbing (and the wind was no small factor...) alone would have been enough to put her off, as she has no innate love for the bikes. Throw Kelly Lake Trail in and it is decided. I myself went over the bars headfirst there, flipped, and slid on my back head-downhill before executing a smart reverse sommersault and coming to my feet with a few choice words. Once you get the freight train of a Big Dummy loaded for 6 moving, it can be hard to maneuver rapid changes of direction. All of the kids rallied it.
We made it to Kelly Lake as the evening drew on and set up our camp. With L___ along, the food choices are both more and better than when I am solo parenting a trip. Everybody sat right down and snacked it up until it was time for dinner, s'mores, and bed.
Perfect.
You get your game face on.
You lay out the map and plan your route.
You find a sucker to haul (most of) your stuff.
You gather at the trailhead for a group photo, and you begin to pedal. If it is Henry Coe, you begin to pedal uphill.
The 1st few switchbacks are a shake down. Gear will shift. Straps will slacken. Loads will reveal themselves to have been unbalanced. Etc.
Strong riders come to the front.
Water carriers will head-down pedal to support their stars. It is the way of things.
There will be struggles.
This post could be filled entirely with photos of us climbing. Climbing climbing climbing. My children know things many children do not. They know how to suffer, but that is common knowledge among the youth. They know the value of suffering.
...though I suspect they will not own up to this knowledge for some time. It is there.
I can see it in their eyes.
My daughter brought a friend along to share the misery. We had another child in the line-up, but there was a sprained thumb. This would not have mixed well with some of the riding to be found along our route- which is the easiest approach to Kelly Lake that can be devised! It is a selective process, vetting children for a tour of this scope. The kids have more fun with a buddy, undeniably, but it is a small section of today's youngsters that will handle so much effort for "just" the pay-off of a backcountry lake and no other people around. And, having been through similar situations viz a viz other people's kids before, I'm damned if I'm allowing a bail-out for any reason other than serious medical. Full stop. My children know this, and bear it in mind when they are trying to recruit their
My own dear wife informed me that this would be the one and only time I would have the joy of her company on a bike tour in Henry Coe. It was a sad-making blow, but not unexpected. The relentless climbing (and the wind was no small factor...) alone would have been enough to put her off, as she has no innate love for the bikes. Throw Kelly Lake Trail in and it is decided. I myself went over the bars headfirst there, flipped, and slid on my back head-downhill before executing a smart reverse sommersault and coming to my feet with a few choice words. Once you get the freight train of a Big Dummy loaded for 6 moving, it can be hard to maneuver rapid changes of direction. All of the kids rallied it.
We made it to Kelly Lake as the evening drew on and set up our camp. With L___ along, the food choices are both more and better than when I am solo parenting a trip. Everybody sat right down and snacked it up until it was time for dinner, s'mores, and bed.
Perfect.
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