Our First Spring Bike Ride

Finally!

The first opportunity for a weekend bike ride with decent weather took an awful long time to get here.

We decided to let Sophie ride all the way around the loop by herself this time.  A bit of a gamble considering her first statement after 100 yards of riding was:  "I'm never gonna' make it!"

Will rode out ahead a little ways and then paused to let us catch up or turned back around.  After a bit, Craig just stayed with him and they both paused every so often for Sophie.

It took a bit of encouraging here and there, but she kept riding.

At this pit stop, Craig spotted a ~5' long snake across the path!!!  He made Will wait back a ways and waited till it moved away.  Creepy!

Go, baby girl!  You can do it!  Don't give up!

One more pit stop.

Almost there.

Coming up to the finish line!

YOU DID IT!!!  You proved yourself wrong and made it the whole way!  Now we've just got to get those training wheels off and get you a bigger bike so you can keep up a little easier.

Will thought it hysterical that he and Craig beat us by a long shot and pretended to be yawning with boredom when we finally arrived.  Haha, very funny.  But he did give his sister a high five and a "way to go!" 

Next up?  Hill runs, of course.  Can't leave without a few ups and downs on the big sledding hill!

Showing Sophie the picture he took of the snake from our bike ride.

Time to head home for dinner.

These little trips will be some of my favorite outdoor memories.

An Evening Bike Ride

I've been so anxious to get back out to the trail at Maumee Bay since Will learned to ride without training wheels.  The trail is perfect for a family bike ride (especially a new rider) because it's a wide paved path with no concern for traffic and no need to start and stop.  We did stop a couple of times when Will requested (I think he just liked the novelty of sitting on a bench) because it's a lot longer ride when you don't have the training wheels to let your legs "rest" and his tiny, little tire circumference required SO MANY more revolutions and faster pedaling to keep a decent pace with us.  His legs were pumping really hard to keep up.  I think the 16" bike will make these rides so much easier on him.  :) 

The path affords a pretty view through the trees and beside the lake and it's not far from home.  So nice!

Ahem, Craig!  You're not setting a very good example of rule following, mister! 

We always love to make a few trips (on foot) up and down the big sledding hill when we hit up this bike path.  But bikes are not welcome on the hill and Craig really wanted to take a down hill ride.  Shame, shame.

Running down and back up the hill.

Did you know that FIFTEEN YEARS ago (on April 15th), a cute boy on the track team asked me to be his girlfriend after the bus ride home from a dual meet?  Hard to believe how quickly the time passes.  Next year, I will have been with Craig for half my life!

Heading back to the Jeep and home for dinner.

So proud of Will and his first, long, training-wheel-free, bike ride!