Making Memories

It was about 4:30 p.m. and I was getting antsy. I asked JD if he wanted to go for a bike ride (we went for a short one last year, but otherwise haven't gone in about 7 years). He thought it was too hot. I didn't; it was in the 70s today after several days with temps in the 90s. I decided to take the kids and go anyway. We would go as far as we could and then call JD to come pick us up. I texted a friend, not sure that it was a brilliant idea to attempt this on my own; she couldn't come, so it was just me and my crew. Ryley and Zeke both learned to ride bikes last year. They still have wreckcidents every so often, but they're pretty steady. They really only bike on the short road we live on and when we go camping; an actual ride on the road is something we had never attempted. Quin had never been on a bike, but we have a pretty cool bike seat that I bought when Ryley was a babe, and I was quite sure that he'd enjoy the ride. JD put some more air in my tires, as my bike hasn't been touched since last year's August camping trip the week before Quin was born. We donned helmets and off we went. The first part of the ride was downhill as we live on the end of a mountain (biggest reason I was glad this was a one-way ride). We were on a dirt road, and only met one car (and two tractors). The kids did great. We reached the neighboring town and I convinced them to walk their bikes up the rest of the hill that we stopped at. We turned onto another dirt road and kept going. I rode between the two kids, so that I could yell to either one if I needed them to stop or stay to the side of the road. We got to a point where I realized they could easily make it to the next town, and we did. JD was shocked at how far we had gone, about 6.5 miles. (I know that isn't high mileage for some, but for me and a 5 and 7 year old, it was.) He met us at the market and got the kids slushies. (I hadn't planned on us making it too far, originally, so I had half a bottle of Vitamin Water with.) Quin did great also; he dozed for part of the ride and checked out the scenery for the rest. We didn't hear a sound out of him. I'm not sure when we'll do this again, and there really isn't another route we can try without taking the kids on the main, shoulder-less road, but even if it doesn't happen soon, I know that it was a great experience for them. I know it's something they won't forget and can already hear them saying, "Remember when we biked to .... " It's about being with your family, doing things together, and making memories.
Unfortunately, I failed to take any pictures.