First Ride of the Season

Spring in Chicago is a fickle thing. One day it's 30, the next is 50 and sunny and then the following several days it's 40 and raining. However, as it is Spring Break, I'd been keeping an eye on the weather and I'd been really hoping that I could get out for a bike ride, and it paid off!

There was a gorgeous day, squeezed in between days with less lovely weather, that the boys and I were able to load up the car and get out on the trail. It was our first foray, so we didn't go too far, but it was a great day to be outside!

By the end of last summer, Townshend was getting quite proficient at riding his bike. He still kept the training wheels on, but he really wasn't using them. With the several months wait, over winter, he was feeling a little nervous about getting back out there on his bike; and he insisted that we keep the training wheels on. There was a day, earlier in the week, that we pulled his bike out and he rode up and down the sidewalk outside our house, just to see how rusty his skills might be. He was a little wobbly, but he was doing great.

So, I decided to try taking us out to a trail. Sidewalk riding is fine, but there are cars to watch for and people to not run over, which can add to the stress of a nervous young rider. Trails, well, those are long stretches, mostly car free and, this early in the season, not too terribly full of walkers. And so we went. I picked one that's paved and mostly flat and is fairly wide and figured we'd give it a try.

Moon was excited to get out in the trailer, plus we brought a soccer ball for him to kick around. It being early in the spring, there were lots of puddles to watch out for. And he was upset that the knees of his pants got wet when he rolled around on the ground while jumping on his ball.. but, other than that, he had a good time too.

We didn't go too far, about a mile and a half in, a brief stop, and then back out again. It was just the right length; no one got tired of riding and it really was a beautiful day.

Though, as were heading back to the car, about halfway there, one of Townshend's training wheels just fell off the bike. However, they're really there more for security than function; they just hang out a couple inches above the ground, so it wasn't being used at the time. He was riding ahead of me and I saw it roll away, a little ways off the trail and we had a good laugh. He got really nervous again, not sure that he'd be able to ride without it.. but he was willing to give it a try; there was still one training wheel there, in case he needed it. However, as he wasn't using them before, he didn't really need it then and we made it all the way back to the car without incident. He seem rather surprised by it (previously, he'd been sure he'd need the wheels until the summer, at least). However, since all that excitement, he has asked that I take the training wheels all the way off before we go out again and I'm more than happy to oblige him.

It's hard to see, but there's no left training wheel here

Hooray for graduating to a two-wheeler!