Full family ride today with everyone on two wheels. Daughter Amy seems to have finally been bitten with the riding bug. She's been asking to ride on the Burke-Gilman Trail and I thought she's been riding well enough to give it a shot, so today was the day. Son Ian joined in for the fun, as well as wife Lori - who has barely been on a bike in 12 years. She used to ride some recreationally before the kids arrived, but since then, basically nada.
Mom and Amy drove from the house to the trail, while Ian and I rode the 2 miles from home to meet them. From there we headed down the Burke-Gilman towards Seattle. Warm sunny day, so the trail was pretty crowded with plenty of bikes buzzing in both directions. I rode behind Amy to make sure she stayed on the right side of the trail, no problem there.
Amy was riding great, though at a slow pace, still not bad considering she's on a single speed kid's bike with 16" wheels. Along the way we stopped for lunch at a local Subway, ate outside, then continued farther down the trail to Matthew's Beach Park in Seattle. At the park, mom played with the kids at the playground, while I took a nap in the grass. Yeah, a tough day.
After a bit, time to head home. Amy rode the entire way back with just one Clif Bar stop. 10 miles total for her ride, pretty impressive for 6 years old, no? Even brother Ian was impressed. Mom and Amy then took the car home, while Ian and rode back - nice 1+ mile climb included.
For me, a super slow day, barely moving on the bike. So what? Having the whole gang out on two wheels, all under their own power for the first time, was great family time and big fun. Now that Amy is riding so well, more adventures to follow for sure. Added bonus of getting the wife out on the bike as well - all good.
I'll gladly give up the fast or "real ride" for some occasional family cruising. It's a great trade off with a whole different set of benefits and rewards.