First Solo Bike Ride = FAIL!

One of the things I was really looking forward to when we moved was being able to get around so easily by foot, bike, tram, etc. We have definitely done a lot of walking and taken a couple tram rides, but not much biking. Our bikes needed a little TLC after the move, so they were in the shop for quite a while. We finally got them back two weeks ago and have enjoyed a couple rides as a family since then.  Gent is a very bike friendly city and transportation by bike is far more common and preferable than driving, so I was excited to start taking part in this too. Let me just say that, back home, we went on rides from time to time as a family and Cole like to do more serious biking, but we did not come from a super bike friendly area. There were trails to ride on, but riding around to run errands or get from point A to point B was not our reality. So fast forward to yesterday. I decided that I needed to start getting out more with the bike during the day...explore more parks, shops, other adventures further away, etc. I'm usually nervous doing new things on my own, but I was especially nervous to take my first solo ride because one, I didn't know where I was going, and two, this would only be my second time pulling the boys in the trailer behind me! So the night before, Cole helped me map out a course so I could avoid really busy roads (trams, buses, etc.) and so I could feel a little more familiar with the route.

Yesterday morning.... I made a plan to ride my bike to the park with the boys, play for a while, then eat a picnic lunch before riding back home for nap time. It was supposed to be in the 80's and really nice, so I was excited to get out. I got up early to get myself ready and pack lunches only to find out that the connecting piece for the bike trailer was on Cole's bike...at his office. He was kind enough to come home to switch it over to my bike and help me get the boys packed up. We left around 9:40 and headed to the park. The trip should have taken 15-20 minutes, so when I had been riding for 30 minutes and did not see the park anywhere in sight, I started to get a bit worried. I called Cole and he told me I had followed the canal the wrong way and was going in the wrong direction! He was willing and able to help me find another way to get back to the park. 25 minutes later, I was at the park, tired, but okay! :) So the boys and I headed to the park to play for a while before lunch. We had a good 10 minutes of fun before Cameron peed in his pants (he is potty trained!!!!) and I didn't have any other clothes for him. So I didn't have any choice but to get back on the bike and head home. I was frustrated and might have been a little short with the boys...maybe that's why Cameron was belting out the chorus of Taylor Swift's "Mean" most of the ride home?! Anyways, off we went to head home. I thought I knew where I was going this time, but once again, after biking for waaaayyyy too long and not getting anywhere that I recognized, I called Cole for more help. He confirmed that I was going the wrong way and needed to turn around. So I gave the boys some water bottles to keep them entertained and turned around to go home. My legs felt like jelly and I was beyond annoyed at this point, so I tried to use my annoyance as fuel to get us home. Between Harrison screaming for the last 10 minutes of the ride because he was tired and hungry and Cameron belting out "Mean," I was ready to loose it. Oh, but that's not all! When I got the boys out of the trailer, I discovered that Cameron had chewed off the top of Cole's nice biking water bottle (I guess in between songs). I got everything put away and brought the boys up to the loft only to have Cameron pee all over the floor!!!!!!!!!!! Did I mention that he IS potty trained?! Anyways, Cole ended up coming home and bringing me lunch. I didn't know this at the time, but he had also left work and rode his bike all the way to the park and back to try to find us and help us get home. He's a keeper! :)

The trip was a complete mess and I felt silly for not being able to get to the park and back by myself, but I'm thankful that I at least tried. I'm also extremely grateful for a husband who, despite being busy at work, took most of the day to help me figure things out. I'm pretty certain that he didn't get much done. He even took us on a ride last night back to the park so I now know exactly how to there. So, despite being embarrassed that I couldn't do it and also being very sore this morning, we will try again!