I survived the beach…..

Yes…I survived taking the babies to the beach.  I don’t like the beach…all the sun, sand and water.  But every year we go to the beach.  We don’t just go to the beach…that would be too easy…we bike to the beach, which seems crazy.  It is a tradition that my brother started, with his children, 15 years ago.  So, we continue the tradition, with him and our children.  But someone has to drive there..so I drive one way and my husband drives the other way.  It is a lot of fun…but I knew this year…it would be a lot of work.  Somehow, it all worked out and we all had a blast.  Thank goodness I insisted on bringing a baby pool because the babies loved it as much as they loved the pool and the sand.  Well, Escher did not like the sand..but Grey loved it!  She didn’t want to leave.  Also, I had a great time biking back from the beach.  It was Tuesday’s second year riding and Quinn’s first….and he did great!  He even rode back.

Bike Philly 2010….

This past Sunday we took part in the Bike Philly 2010….except it was raining.  And it was freezing.  But it was still fun.  I love Philadelphia and I love bike rides where they close off the streets.  I think that is a pretty unique experience…to get to ride along the street, without any cars.

This was just a laid back bike ride where you road at your own pace…..except it was a bit crowded and there were a lot of inexperienced cyclists who didn’t really know the rules of the road….

But it was really fun to bike along all the historic roads in Philadelphia…the bridge, the art museum, the Franklin Institute and so many other great spots.

We were prepared for the weather….we had on rain gear and warm clothes…but a lot of people were not prepared for the bad weather.   I felt bad for the little kids who were riding in the downpour…without rain gear..and freezing…..especially the kids who were on tag alongs…connected to their parents bike…and the parents bike didn’t have a mud fender…so all the rain and mud was just flying up in their faces!

We also saw a lot of crazy trailers!  Some were way overloaded or didn’t have covers….I love our trailer…we have two, but the one we normally use is a Trek Transit Deluxe.   It is awesome for many reasons.  (I think I should do a post just about why I love this particular trailer!)….let’s just say that River stayed dry the entire time!

It was a fun morning…and a bit of a bummer that it rained…..but it was still a great time.  We were all happy to have some hot chocolate when we got home!  (Sorry that the photos aren’t that great…but it isn’t easy to take photos while riding your bike…and my little portable camera didn’t like the rain..by the end…the lens was a bit foggy!)

Biking…..

In many ways I love the area I live…but in many ways I do not love the area where I live.  I try to bike somewhere, if I can…but most of the times, this is just not possible.  And when I do bike, I am pulling a trailer with River in it.   While biking, I always follow all the correct safety rules but cars still honk, speed past us, don’t stop or pull along side us to let us know we should not be biking on the road.  It would be nice to live in an area that was biker and pedestrian friendly.  Most cars think the roads are only for them..this annoys me.

I love this video shot in the Netherlands.  It shows a typical rush hour day…..incredible…..

LBI…

Last week was our annual bike ride to LBI.  My brother started doing this ride 12 years ago with his two children.  Now my family tags along.  I do the ride one way and my husband does the ride the other way.  That way one of us can bring the car and the children.  It is a lot of fun to catch up with family and have some down time!

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