This last week we've had some really warm weather. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if we don't have some record high daily temperatures here in Laramie! Some of these days our weather station at the Slider Casa has shown temps of 99°F!
This weekend my wife Renee and my step-daughter Ashleah were working both days, so it was just going to be a guys weekend. The temperature had cooled a little, enough that I took Isaac outside so he could ride his bike right in front of the house. As only a five year old attention can last, Isaac asked if I could get my bike so that we could ride down to the local park, the City of Laramie Kiowa Park. Since it was a nice day and this would be his first ride on his Trek Precaliber bike, we went for a ride in the neighborhood!
Isaac and I got suited up (gotta wear our helmets!!) and rode down the street and around the corner to the park. It is a small neighborhood park, but Isaac really enjoys the "big" slide. He had a blast climbing up what we called the "jungle gym". There was a nice lady from Encampment, Wyoming there with her son who was about a year older than Isaac. We had a nice conversation while the boys played.
After Isaac had his fill of playing, he asks if we can go ride more. We spent the next 15-20 minutes, riding around the neighborhood, going up and down the nearby streets. Isaac insisted on venturing outside of our immediate neighborhood, so we ventured over to the next area and did some exploring. He was a machine, he just kept going and going!
As our adventure rolled on, I knew we were going to need to turn around soon, as we had to pick up Renee from work at 5pm. Conveniently there was a cul-de-sac with a dirt field at the end with shade. We rode down to the end of the street and spent about 5 minutes in the shade, relaxing and re-hydrating. A few selfies were needed in order to share with our family about our adventure that day.
At the end of the day, I estimate we did about 2-3 miles. Quite an amazing accomplishment for this kid's first bike ride. He did really well!
He was so excited about doing this that on Sunday we repeated the bike ride, but instead of riding up and down our local streets, we immediately ventured into the adjacent neighborhoods. Isaac soon discovered that riding uphill isn't anywhere near as fun (or easy) as riding down hill.
After cresting a particularly long hill, Isaac needed to stop and wanted some water. We stopped along the curb and I handed him the water bottle I had filled up with ice and water. I knew it was going to be needed as the weather felt hotter today. As only a 5 year old can, he insisted on putting the water bottle back in the cage on my bike. He struggled a little with getting it back in the cage, it slipped out, and the water bottle hit the ground. Water went everywhere! I think the combination of the bottle's age, the cold water, and it landing just right, the bottom of the bottle completely broke. Once he realized that we didn't have any water for the ride, he was almost in tears. I don't know if it was heartbreak or embarrassment, but I reassured him everything was fine.
I think the rest of the trip was really difficult for him. He struggled with the training wheels, going up more hills, etc., but he requested on the way home that we stop at the park again. Playing on the jungle gym seemed to really change his attitude, as he was much more jovial after that.
We had a great couple of bike trips and I'm excited to see how he does with this Trek. He was keenly aware that my mtn bike had multiple gears, so he is probably thinking that the next bike will be a multi-speed. Only time will tell, but next summer may have another bike waiting for him!
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