A podcast!

 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/femme-cyclist-podcast/id1496697210

Super excited and nervous for this to be sent out to the world... And the Femme Cyclist had a call for stories to be submitted to their podcast, so here is mine! 

The Power of a Scholarship

4 months from now, I’ll be racing at The RAD Dirt Fest in Trinidad, Colorado. I’d say all because of a scholarship, but the scholarship comes after the first part. 

You have to apply. 

Applying to a scholarship is a unique mix of believing in yourself and being okay with asking for help to get there. 

I could have figured out how to pay the race fee, and the travel costs, and probably thought about it a really long time. But I wasn’t confident about it. I was hesitant. 

And then I won the scholarship. 

It felt like a boost of somebody pushing me up a hill. To have somebody else, this mysterious selection committee on my team. A boost of confidence in me - I belong on that start line next to very, very qualified, competitors. 

I didn’t apply to many scholarships in high school. I really struggled with that first part of feeling worthy of entering. Now that I’m a little more well-versed in cognitive behavioral therapeutic techniques, I know if I had examined those thoughts about feeling worthy, they were not actually backed up by any tangible evidence. I had to ask a science teacher for a letter of recommendation to participate in a summer internship program my junior year of high school. I didn’t even think the teacher knew my name, let alone which class I was in. I was wrong, he wrote me a lovely letter, and I had a great experience interning with the San Diego Zoo. (As a result of this experience, I try really hard to learn all of my students’ names and use them frequently. There are mnemonic devices and memory techniques that can help anyone learn names well. #psychterm)  That first experience of asking for a letter of recommendation, asking somebody to write on paper all these things that they think about you and your abilities, was terrifying to me as a sixteen year old. But I’m so glad I asked. 

It’s graduation day, and one thing I’d like to tell my seniors that completed high school is that scholarship season isn’t over. There’s going to be more chances for you to earn an opportunity. Some scholarships are formal, others may be more of a subtle invitation. Sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time, or in my case, following the right Instagram account or Facebook group. That’s networking skills at work. Scholarship organizers really, really want you to apply to their awards, but you’ve got to actively do some searching to make those connections. I don’t know if any students took up the offer of Outdoor Outreach’s bicycle program, or a summer job working with pack mules in the Sierras, but I advertised those to my classes this year, if students were checking their messages. 

Scholarships often don’t cover the whole bit. There’s still a lot of costs that are going to be involved with racing. 

I turned down a pretty decent scholarship package to a college that was much farther away from home because of all of the added costs of travel and the logistics of just getting there. I had to take a number of busses and the trolley through downtown San Diego to get to and from my internship at the zoo that summer. I didn’t realize how differently I lived compared to some of the other students from other parts of the county. There’s been a lot written about the challenges of college scholarship recipients experiencing a socio-economic culture shock. Again, I’m not here to write extensively on that research, but I’ve experienced a taste of it as a teenager, a bit as a young adult, and I’m still thinking about what it means to come from a background like mine with a future in participating in racing events. (Future post for sure.)

 Tangent, about 3 years ago, I thought about getting into running with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Then I found out the average participant spends about $5,000 to run the Boston Marathon- that’s the airfare, hotel, race fee around the event, not working with a coach, running shoes, racing qualifying events, etc. I found that to be really disheartening, and didn’t really work on my running skills. 

So, I think about money a lot as it relates to recreation, but also money as a gift. People can give you money, or things of monetary value, really quite easily. This is a phenomenal concept. 

You cannot be gifted health and wellness in the same way. 

I’m thankful for the scholarship to the Rad Fest, so that I can put in some work on my own personal health and wellness so that I can be a better mom to my kids, and feel better as I’m looking at my 40s next year. 

Thanks for reading, plenty of more thoughts to come, if you’d like to drop an emoji in the comments to let me know you’re out there, I’d appreciate it, but after a year of online teaching, I’m also mostly okay with sending my thoughts out into the void. :)

Empathy for the First Time AP Student

 (Yep, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. But that’s for another time. I have some pressing thoughts to share.) 

On my most recent rides, I’ve been thinking about *that* kid in my AP Psychology class. 

That kid who looks around on the first day, and doesn’t know many people. There’s some groups of people who have known each other for awhile, and this kid kind of stands out as not being quite sure where they fit in yet. 

This kid probably has never taken an AP class before, but they signed up for this one, as a challenge. One AP class as a stretch goal, dipping a toe in the water of a higher academic challenge. 

There’s plenty of kids who turn down my invites to join my AP course. “Nah, Miss, it’s too much work.” “I just want to have fun this year.” “I could do AP… but I don’t think I want to do that extra reading.” 

I’ve been feeling a lot of empathy for the student who chose to take an AP class for the first time. 

When you’re surrounded by classmates who sound like they know what they’re talking about, and you’re totally in over your head, mentally making a note of what to look up when you get home. On my last ride, hearing gear nerds talking about their gear ratios and cassette sizes, I’m staying quiet, and hoping nobody quizzes me on what my bike has, like that kid has the look that they hope the teacher doesn’t call on them. I can appreciate learning about this, and I’m excited to be able to participate in this discussion, but it feels overwhelming right now because I’m just trying to learn the terrain. 

I’ve signed up for some epic gravel events and I’m really not sure if I belong there yet. The distance feels daunting, and I’ve had all the thoughts about this. Did I take somebody else’s space? Somebody who would do better? Why am I putting myself in a position where I’m going to struggle, a lot? 

I know the end result will be really rewarding. I’m going to feel really amazing for challenging myself. I’m going to be an athlete, competing in a gravel races, in some incredibly remote, mountainous terrain this fall. 

Right now, I’m a novice in the dirt, doing a lot of homework, practicing, practicing, and practicing my skills. I’m comparing myself to the advanced group that has a lot more experience and a lot more confidence, but I’m fighting those feelings about belonging. I absolutely belong at the start line, just like that kid absolutely deserves that seat in the class. We’re willing to put in the work to make it happen, even when it feels uncomfortable at first. 

I’m thankful for the kind people who invited me to join them, both online and in group rides, and really excited to learn from their expertise. Like the kid joining the first AP class, surrounding yourself by people who are going to be just above your level, in this zone of proximal development (tossing out a term from Lev Vyzotzky for any of my students who have read this far!) is one of the best ways to grow. 

More AP/bicycle connections to come…

Day... ??? Happens every time

It's not just me, everyone has fallen behind on their log books. Mom had to backfill some days, Eryn lost interest in her journal. It's not that there isn't anything to write about, quite the opposite, maybe the riding feels so routine that logging the happenings of the day is no different than keeping records of what you ate for dinner every day, even if you went out and tried new restaurants all the time (which is something else we're doing)
The past few days:
Highlights:
- tunnels are always fun. Short ones, long ones, lighted, dark, even road underpasses.
One of the tunnels (I have to look up the name) is about 950 ft long, straight, so there is a clear shot of the end. I'm thinking it's short enough to forgo my light, just ride straight. There's no electric lights, and the walls are solid, so light isn't reflected off anything  (unlike one further that was lined in corrugated metal). So, at the midpoint, there is a sensation of pedalling and going nowhere, because the light at the end doesn't appear to be getting any closer. Its probably the closest to a natural sensory deprivation chamber I'm going to get.
- the train museum in Confluence (?) The kids could have spent a lot more time playing there.
- marmots, aka woodchucks, aka groundhogs! They're adorable.
- lots of fawns with their mommas.
- water is running everywhere on the rocks. I imagine a lot of these dry up for the fall, but the leaves changing colors must be a fair trade off. Considering our local waterfalls require a 4 hour hike for their 1 month season in an unshaded trail, the kids are stopping at every one for a picture.
- the kids' creativity. The mud puddles have dried, so for awhile hitting the dappled light "sun puddles" on the trail earned "points". Yesterday they were train engines, stopping to refill on coal every 5 miles, water for steam power, and they turned every nut on the handlebars into some sort of button that beeped and booped.
Challenges:
- despite having the trail guide book and the Facebook resources, there's just a lot you don't know until you get here, which for some people, that's the appeal of a fully planned, supported tour group, for us, we see it as some of the adventure and take it for what it is. If we had a kid with a severe dietary allergy, etc, I guess I'd be more adept at planning food, but I'd probably have to carry a week's worth of groceries, because we are not close to major stores and there isn't always a restaurant selection.
- it's really hard to buy wine that isn't sweet around here on the trail.
- I'm running out of songs and games. 20 questions is still popular. There is plenty to do when we're stopped, but its occupying bike time to keep the kids engaged.
Recommendations:
- I would have liked to spend a little more time in Ohiopyle, despite being full of tourists, but avoiding the weekend. We will have to try some river boating of some sort closer to home in the future.
- The GAP is still much better of a surface than the C&O, so for a short first tour, take Amtrak to Cumberland, ride to Pittsburgh, go back to Cumberland and ride down to DC, or just do the GAP in a week with an extra day or even two to play around.
- Go to Fallingwater. That gets it's own post.
- I want a bike that fits the kids (frame size) that has components that match their ability. I don't know what that is or if it's out there.

Day 9: Cumberland to Frostburg, MD: adding texture to the landscape

Keeping this one short because we're eating breakfast at The Princess  Restaurant in Frostburg.
Yesterday was uphill the entire day. There are plenty of opinions on the internet about which direction to do the trail. The best argument for uphill is that it's more scenic. When you're going down, you enjoy the speed and don't stop as much to really look around. The kids had a lot of stopping yesterday- in the first two hours, we rode an hour and stopped for a total an hour, looking at tiny frogs, eating blackberries, taking pictures of new flowers. One reason I thought it was important to take the kids is to see the ride through new eyes.
Second argument for this way, is with Bryan, up is safer than down. He isn't reckless, but he does get his attention diverted easily.
Within Frostburg, the town has some steep climbs. There's a beautiful switchback built into the hillside with a few sculptures to help get into town, but that's the only assistance. At the end of this long day, the children found new energy to challenge each other to ride as much as they could to the top and safely descended to the next hill.
Bryan had so much fun he wanted to ride his bike to the dinner restaurant, so we let him. It's amazing to see how he can work his little 16" Specialized Hotrock, a single gear, back-pedal brake, weighs a ton in proportion to him. This is a bike that is typically sold with training wheels, and he's taken it 200 miles in less than 2 weeks.
Eryn packed her derailleur with mud, so she's stuck in one gear on her Scott Slice Jr.,and crushing the hills. She has the ability to slow for Bryan and pick up speed again, or hop off on the steepest part, find a small driveway to jump back on.
Mike and I felt like we were back in old territory, and some of that muscle memory (and gear selection) kicked in.
Mom was challenged more than she let on, and I was reminded of so many hills I walked my first trip. There's a steep one in Bonita that I had to walk, 4 miles into a 3,000 mile journey that I thought I had trained for, and I couldn't ride it. I didn't even have my bags on the bike. Later that day in Alpine, I needed to walk quite a few more. But the skill came over time. It's not something I can really explain steps to hillclimb better, it's an experience lesson. Eryn gave me tips of zigzagging makes a hill easier, and I'm thrilled she is aware of these little techniques, and we turn that into some physics lessons.

Day 8: Pawpaw to Cumberland

An amazing day in so many ways. Nobody fell in the mud, but plenty of close calls. The rain didn't last, and moved on very quickly. We had a lunch stop at the Schoolhouse Kitchen (ok, that wasn't amazing food, but, we didn't have PB&J). The Airbnb in Cumberland is a supercool house with kids toys. And most of all, Eryn had the best day ever. Something clicked, and she committed to finishing strong. She's encouraging Bryan along. She understands the game plan, even if she's not the biggest fan of some of the decisions at the moment.
We towed the kids after lunch to ensure we didn't get caught in the thunderstorm, and that really helped them get through the cake-batter mud. I towed Bryan and Mike towed Eryn. While Bryan and I came up with "99 turtles sitting on a log/99 turtles on a log/one went in/for a nice swim/98 turtles sitting on a log", Eryn sang baby shark about 5 times.
We worked out a nice system of "telephone" yelling back directions of avoiding the worst mud- going left, right, through, etc. I'd tell Bryan, who told Mike, who told Eryn, who told mom.
And then we reached Cumberland. And finished the C&O. And the views of town were pretty spectacular.
At the end of the 30 mile day, it felt pretty quick.
Highlights:
- the playground in Oldtown was pretty cool.
- getting a lot better about riding in mud.
- kids inventing new games every day- instead of the alphabet game, they use colors.
- the repaired tow bungee are still working well, and they're quite popular with the other riders.
- the airbnb!
Challenges:
 - told the kids no ice cream with lunch because we'd get it at the end, then decided they should have ice cream after dinner because it was already 5:30 when we were done with the bike shop, found a closer Mexican place, and after dinner, ice cream would have been a mile walk round trip. So, kids get double ice cream today.
- the mud could have been worse, but it was a challenge for sure.
- ugh, mosquitoes.
Recommendations:
- so glad I got the kids some sport shirts in quick dry fabric. I bought Bryan 3 neon orange shirts; dressing him in the same color every day helps. Eryn  has 2 neon pink, and one blue shirts.

Day 7: Hancock to Pawpaw

This was our longest day by the miles, 32, but still ended up in town at a reasonable time, about 4:30. The concept of time going by is kind of difficult to get the children to understand. The idea of "less breaks now equals longer break at the end of the day" isn't motivating when you're just always in the present. "But this bench is really comfortable, can't I just take a nap?" Maybe in a place that didn't have afternoon thunderstorms looming and mosquitoes. If we had camp gear and let the kids pick the spots, we would probably only get 10 miles done a day, because they would play in the grass and be fine with peanut butter and jelly for every meal. Grownups have a bit higher expectation of a bed, a convenience store with wine, and some sort of hot meal, even if that ended up being the grill inside the gas station in Pawpaw.
Bryan amazes me every day with his energy and improving skills. He invented "flying" on his bike, flapping his legs on a flat part, just to do something new. He rode most of the milage yesterday on his own at a good speed. "20 questions" was the entertainment for the day- although he still struggles with the concept  that animal is a bigger category than reptile. He has pretty much always been in good spirits, and has so much patience and love for Eryn.
Eryn  amazes me with her ability to delay and outthink the adults at every opportunity. "We need to stop, my feet are slipping off the pedals"- so we tie some elastic cord around the pedals. "We need stop, I can't open my chapstick/there's dirt in my eye/my back is itchy/there's a rock in my shoe/I'm cold, I need my jacket/I'm too hot, I need to take it off" She can do the pedalling, and its gotten better, but she's tough in a lot of ways.
Highlights:
- staying with Dan at his bikepath bed and breakfast! Dan is an absolute delight, he met us about 15 miles out to ride with us, and we really enjoyed his company, local knowledge, and hospitality. And clean laundry at his place.
- the Pawpaw tunnel was epic. The engineering of this part of the canal and the history of how it was built by hand is fascinating.
- the geography leading up to the tunnel was pretty cool too.
- the 22 or so miles of the Western Maryland Rail Trail was a lovely break from the C&O, smooth pavement!
Challenges:
 - finding time to write blog posts
- of course the lunch and dinner restaurants we had planned are closed on Tuesdays.
- the mud hasn't been a significant challenge yet. Maybe for Mike, he has the skinniest tires.
- the towwhee broke, Mike fixed it enough.
Recommendations:
- maybe I should have brought one more set of clothes for the kids; Bryan wore his swim trunks to dinner, Eryn got a t shirt at the bike shop that she wore during laundry day.

Day 5: Shepardstown to Williamsport

One rule of vacation packing is always bring a swim suit, just in case. Or, at least something to swim in. I packed a two-on-one with a tankini top and some running shorts bottoms. The kids have their suits, but the swimming has been a miss so far. We didn't get in until well past 5 at the first hotel that had a pool, so after showers and dinner, swimming wasn't really an option. Today, the Potomac stretch that had a lot of boat activity still wasn't quite wading worthy- the kids did stick their hands in the water a bit. We were told that Williamsport has a good municipal pool, and it looked very cool and refreshing when we rolled into town around 4:30, but despite the sign saying they were open until 6pm, there wasn't a person in sight. Hancock also has a municipal pool, but it's not at the original park... there's a locker room building, but no pool? It must be relocated up the road a bit. The playground will have to do.
The trail had a great stretch along the river today outside of the trees. Can you get sick of the tree tunnel? Maybe if you're 5. Today, Bryan asked, "Why are we doing this?" Indirectly trying do dodge the question, I replied, "Doing what, buddy?" "Riding our bikes." "Why do you ask?" "It's boring." "You just saw a huge snake! And a new fawn! And a giant dam!" The memory is short, yet long. The next morning, Bryan asked Mike what happened to the 2 ounces of green sno-cone that was left over in Mike's water bottle. Of course, Mike had tipped it out to refill the bottles with ice water for the day, but Bryan was expecting his leftover tasty treat. He got a new blue sno-cone at the next stop, saved a little bit, and I bet Mike won't make that mistake again.
We towed the kids most of the day. It wasn't planned, but it kept them happy. I think the TowWhee bungee is still the best choice over the FollowMe tandem or the gator-bar.
Highlights:
-Bryan quizzing me on my addiction facts while he's being towed.
- The C&O national park visitors center in Williamsport
- The playground in Williamsport!
- Zoic kids' bike shorts for Eryn. The only thing she's not complaining about is her butt.
Challenges:
 - Mom and Mike were not fans of the Chinese food place, but I was starving and thought it was fine, and the kids cleared their plates, so... can't please everyone.
- Towing the children. If one gets a tow, the other has to. They're quiet for Mike, but its nonstop talking for me. Which is okay for a little bit, but then I find myself saying a lot of "I don't know" and that's frustrating for them. Eryn gets into some philosophical "would you rather be a jellyfish or a seahorse" questions, but I'm zonked by the end of the day.
Recommendations:
- I'm really exhausted, so I can't think of anything to say here, except the Red Roof Inn in Williamsport was probably one of the least comfortable beds to date.

Day 4: Harpers Ferry to Shepardstown. The shortest day was the longest

Mike asked me where I get all of my patience for my children, and I honestly don't have an answer for that. The children are good people, really. They're the sweetest, good-natured, full of honest intentions. I think my patience comes from trying to honor them as people, with their own point of view of what is important to them. It is far easier for me to see the world from their perspective than to have them see the world from mine, and nor do I want that for them in the greater sense. But there are some lessons I wish I could get through to them, like being part of a riding team means you move forward, despite feeling homesick.
Bryan was in the best spirits yesterday, and he really did his best to try to cheer up Eryn and coax her along. He suggested to just pretend Daddy was riding with us. And then told me later how much fun he was having with Eryn being there. But most of the ride, Bryan was up ahead with mom and Mike, and Eryn and I were working through her hard day.
So, I got out the Towwhee, and towed her for most of the 15 miles. I heard less about how much she wanted to go home, and more silly songs. We both pointed out things along the trail to each other- she spotted trees that looked like butts, I pointed out anything I could to keep her occupied. I told her all of the things we're going to do and see in the upcoming days, she pointed out I already told her that stuff. I rationalized with her that if we did find a way to get a train to the airport to get her home early, it would be Monday and Daddy would be at work all week, so she may as well stay through Saturday with us. She started to think about the "what-ifs" of travelling back on her own (if we really do get to the point where she just has to go home early, of course I'd go with her, but for now she's pretty convinced I'd write her a permission slip and write out directions and if she gets confused she can ask the Amtrak staff or airplane staff, and she doesn't like to talk to people, so this option seems very unnerving to her.)
My biggest hope for my daughter is for her to recognize herself as this strong, capable person, and I think it's that hope of any parent- hoping that their child is better off than the previous generation, but more in skillset and happiness and making up for what their own personal struggles are. It's hard to see the difficult parts of my mini-me, because I would love to just scoop it all up, fast-forward through the difficult years to come, and have that emergence of the strong sense-of self that will come with time and encouragement. And having her with me on this trip is one of the best ways I can think of trying to impart this adult-perspective lesson- it gets better, you are strong, capable, and you've earned a right to confidence, so show it, believe it, and live it.
Highlights:
- Shepardstown is a cool little place glad we stopped here.
- June as Pride Month is in full display in this part of West Virginia.
- another good weather day
- saw a snake! More critters to our critter count.
- the towwhee really saved the day.
Challenges:
 - an almost 9 year old girl missing home. I'm exhausted from the mental energy of that day.
Recommendations:
- PB&J lunches are still popular.
- Read the bag and make sure you're getting peanut m&ms and not the snack mix with pretzels.
- Don't let wet muddy clothes sit in your black pannier for 2 sunny days before washing. That was some serious funk. Thankfully there was laundry today.
- Walk to dinner, walk through town, wander a bit. Even if the children ring every bell in the bike shop and hit every windchime outside. They had plenty of energy to walk the mile into the heart of Shepardstown, eat dinner, and walk the mile back.
- if the boy is happy with the melted otter pop slushy thing at dairy queen, that's his choice, and don't talk him out of it.

Day 3: Leesburg to Harper's Ferry

What a difference a good weather day makes! Yesterday was beautiful blue skies. Outside of the towpath, it was warm and breezy. In the trees, it was perfect.

Realized one navigational error: the app from the C&O canal trust gives a lot of really useful information, like where the next bathroom is, but it calculates distance as the crow flies from your current location. So, I'll need to cross reference things with Google Bicycle maps or just rely on mile markers.

Highlights:
"This is the ultimate trip ever!"
Taking pictures of more spiderwebs, insect eggs on leaves, turtles.
The Towpath Creamery and their little trail supply store, which had some nice picture books for $1. So the kids get bedtime stories tonight. Their ice cream was delicious too- real strawberry topping.
The views coming into Harpers Ferry!
All the hidden treasures in The Town's Inn's "dungeon" aka friendship room. Secret stairways, doors that led to... under the porch!, a sliding barn-style door, old keys stuck into the mortar between the rocks of the walls.
Challenges:
 - too many mud puddles affected Eryn's derailleur, that needs to be looked at.
Recommendations:
- I wish we had more time to see the stuff of Harpers Ferry. If adults were doing the miles we were, they would have plenty of time to climb the stone steps, etc. The kids could care less. They were fascinated with running out to the patio to watch the trains pass, and that was enough. Maybe older kids would appreciate the history a bit more, but I think as they get older and realize they were at these places, maybe they will be interested in coming back.
- The Towns inn was a great place to stay.

Day 2: Bethseda to Leesburg, VA

The first three are the hardest. The first three days of a bike trip, a backpacking trip, the first three miles of a half marathon. (I figured that one out when I started doing longer distances than 5ks, and realized that the 5k *was* the warm up- the 2nd half of a 10k just felt so much better.)
When the kids did their longest training ride to the Hotel Del Coronado down the Silver Strand, they hit their stride around mile 9, 10, 11, 12. They could go forever. Same with yesterday- once we finally hit mile 10, the next 5 miles to our lunch stop just flew by.
This, of course, was not how the entire ride went. By the numbers, we had an actual time moving of 5 hours. We started our day about 8:30, and got off White's Ferry at 5pm.
There were more "This is the best trip EVER!" exclamations than "this is the worst trip ever". There was a few comments such as, "I am never riding a bike ever again" followed soon after of, "Can my next bike have handlebars like yours?"
At the end of the day, it was 30 miles total, which was a few more than I anticipated in my mapping, and that was significant. It was a long day. I'm really glad I had the Towwhee strap, it raised spirits more than actually assisted their riding. I only brought one, thinking taking turns would be okay, but as I'm typing Mike is making up a similar bungee strap out of a found piece of webbing and some elastic cord.
Eryn thought Mike towed her too fast, so rather than speaking up, she just used one brake the whole time.
Highlights:
- Bryan looking for the fairies at the ferry landing.
- Eryn taking some really neat pictures of water-laden spiderwebs.
- Eryn walking slowly and quietly to get a good picture of a deer.
- "Puddle Power", a game they made up in which they got energy from riding through a puddle. Needless to say, they were wet the entire time.
- Taking the shuttle to the Best Western from the ferry landing.
- Singing really does make the time go by.
- The Towwhee.
Challenges:
 - Took off Eryn's rack and bags. She's riding much better without them.
- Sudden downpours of a lot of rain. Followed by trees dripping.
- homesickness still hits occasionally.
Recommendations:
- the hiker-bike camps are pretty nice, and very frequent, but as a group of 5, we would need a really large tent or 2 medium tents, and that's a lot of wet gear to deal with. If it were just two of us, me and one kid, then maybe we'd camp more.
- the hotels have been fully booked, I'm really glad I made all of our reservations un March.

Day 1: Georgetown to Bethseda

Day 1 complete!
The highlights:
- Going to mile marker 0
- eating mulberries and watching all the geese at mile marker 0, including some still-fuzzy, but large goslings.
- throwing rocks into the water to break up the algae cover. Eryn, "Well, that was more satisfying than expected."
- how efficient the circulator was getting us to right where we needed to be, and the racks held the kids' bikes no problem.
- Watching Bryan go to speed for pretty much the entire 8 miles. Eryn wanted to be in front for a small stretch, so she had to keep a quick pace, and we heard Bryan behind us yelling, "passing!" although there was no way Eryn was going to let him do that.
The challenges:
- I think we're already out of gummy bears
- Eryn needs a lot of... encouragement to keep up a good attitude.
- The kids are still on San Diego time, so bedtime at a reasonable hour has been a struggle.
- Because they're both overtired, the homesickness, missing Oma, missing Daddy, missing Dug and Dixie and Rita and the chickens and the ducks and the turkeys hit hard last night. We brainstormed silly ideas of how to bring our menagerie in bicycle trailers on the next trip... Rita, our sulfur-crested Triton cockatoo does like to ride on bicycle handlebars.
- My lack of sense of direction around town. I'm having the hardest time orienting myself here! So, a few navigational mishaps took us on some scenic routes.
Recommendations:
- This Airbnb in Bethseda was a great choice. The path getting out along Glen Echo/Cabin John was an accomplishment (lots of trail stairs),  but a nice path on the street, just the right distance for a late start. We got in around 4pm, the kids had a great time playing on the big lawn with all the games here, magnetic darts, etc. I did laundry, we ordered in pizza, the air mattress was perfect for the kids. I'm really looking forward to the other Airbnbs we have llined up.
- Finding mile post 0 wasn't that bad once we found it. I saw the YouTube video, Mike had been there earlier in the week, but it is hidden.
- We took the Capital Cresent trail until fisherman's cove (I think that's what it's called? May edit this.). Ran into a very helpful person with routemaps who suggested this. The C&O in Georgetown is cool because the town is built up around it, but that means crossing a lot of streets.
Pictures are being posted on Instagram at almaontheroad

Up, up and away

The boy child is pretty easy to get ready in the morning, because he sleeps through everything. I can get him fully dressed, socks, shoes, brush his hair, apply sunscreen, and he doesn't wake up at all. Sometimes I think I should encourage more independence, on the other hand, I don't really want to chase down a tornado every morning.
That was the case this morning- by letting him sleep through the packing chaos, he wasn't unpacking things that were packed, or trying to test his bike's speed through the parking lot. We also didn't make our planned train, and had to catch the later one.
But we're on the MARC, got the steel bike lifted onto the bike hanger, and ready to go figure out the next public transport option- using the circulator racks to get us to Georgetown.

Gear list, 5 years later

Being in my 5th year of bicycling trips, I have a pretty good idea of what has held up over time, and what I've had to replace.

Shoes: My bike shoes are still in really good shape, and I don't wear them as much as I'd like to. They still have 8,000 miles in them. I'll come back and edit with brand and pictures, all I remember is I got them at REI. They're recessed MTB clips, so I can walk around in them fairly easy. I debated switching out to flat pedals for this trip, but I'm pretty good about clipping out quickly with the kids' sudden stops. My only hesitation is the mud that gets packed up in them.

Off the bike shoes: For the past 5 years I've had a pair of ballet-flat crocs, and they have all the benefits of crocs: they weigh nothing, they pack anywhere, they can be washed off. They also have all the downsides of crocs: feet sweat, no traction, and I've pretty much worn through the bottoms at the ball of my foot. They've gotten a lot of year-round wear over the past 5 years, and it's time to retire them this trip. For $24, I got my money's worth. If I weren't sightseeing as much, I might get another pair. They make great camp shoes because they're closed toe and ultralight. And, the ballet flats aren't ugly.

So, I upgraded to some knock-off Keens I got at Big 5 Sporting Goods. On sale, they were $16. Mom went to go take a look for a pair and she could only find them for $59. If they were full price, I'd get the Keens, but like Bryan's shoes, it was a last minute find. "Outland river shoes" have the elastic bungee straps and the toe protection. Unlike the crocs, I feel like I could easily pedal in these if needed.

Gear list, kids edition

Outfitting kids for their first bike tour was a process of several months accumulating pieces, with some last minute finds.

Shoes: I always makes sure my kids have two pairs of shoes on trips, because it is inevitable one pair will get wet, muddy, or somehow ruined. I wanted their primary pair to have toe protection and something without laces. (Tangent story- I have a vivid memory of riding my bike in the summer of 1994 at the corner of Agua Tibia and East Donohoe when my right shoelace got wrapped around the pedal, causing me to have a slow tip-over in the middle of the street. I'm still extra cautious about tucking in my shoelaces, wearing velcro, or other non-lace options.)

For Eryn, I was fortunate to find a pair of Keens on REI's clearance website in her size, bonus that they're waterproof. Bryan's size was out of stock, and he thought the olive green was ugly. About a week before we left, I was picking up some long-sleeve heat gear under armour shirts for Mike, and I checked out the clearance shoe section at Dick's sporting goods. By chance, there was a pair of Merrells in Bryan's size- nice toe protection, waterproof, bungee laces. While I was in-line I searched for prices to match, coming up with hits in the $45 range. At the register they rang up for the price of $10! No arguing with that. I thought either he'd be in two pairs of socks or there would be some creative stretching with a hair dryer and newspaper, but the shoes fit just fine.

Boogers

Bryan got pink eye yesterday, so adding his antibiotic eye drops to the packing list. Eryn's complaining of a headache and a tummy ache today, and I'm trying to discern if it's nervousness or something more.

I'm looking over my first aid kit one more time, altering the usual stuff to be more kid-centric: spray on Neosporin, chewable Tylenol, children's Pepto?

Making sure I have all their insurance cards, prescription benefit information, and...

A smart friend shared a piece of information that parents go on family trips, but don't call it a vacation. A vacation is going somewhere with less responsibility. A family trip brings on more responsibility than had you just stayed at home. I've done plenty of family trips before, and I'm really excited about this one. And I really missed my family on the previous vacations. Both are important. But now, when the kids are 8 and 5, vacationing needs to go on hold for some time, and I'll get better at thinking of all these things kids need, like extra Kleenex for those inevitable boogers... I don't think they've mastered the moving snot-rocket skill yet.

Another year, another ride: kids edition

Plane tickets have been booked for some time now. Motels, Airbnbs, hostels, bed and breakfasts, etc. have all been reserved. The milage is mapped out, our stops are meticulously planned. Friends along the route are being contacted for dinner dates. Clothing is being sorted, packed, put into the "maybe" pile, while I try to rely on internet websites predicting the weather for a 334 mile stretch of land thousands of miles from home in a month from today.

Every ride is different, but there are so many more variables to this ride, there is a different level of planning that hasn't been needed before.

We are riding the C&O towpath and GAP trail in June. "We" has expanded from me and Mike to also include my two children, Eryn, age 8, and Bryan, age 5, and my mom. Bryan's bike is too small for panniers, so we decided no camping on the trail. It's a popular trail, with larger, organized groups booking up places in advance. Mike and I experienced places being fully booked... Maybe 3 times? And it wasn't fun to ride a few more miles at the end of the day to the next place, so we didn't want to chance that with the kids.

I'll probably write shorter, poetic descriptions on Instagram captions instead of longer blog posts- I'd say that's what all the cool kids are doing nowadays, but that was maybe 3 years ago, and now the cool kids are posting on TicTok... Not me.

I'm curious who will read this next adventure post here. I don't have affiliate links, or fancy Pinterest connections, or any other angle to market myself to make money, or seek sponsorship, or even instruct others how-to. I'm just sharing our story, the journey, a bit of our experiences, and where cycling has taken me over the years now.

Day 5: Sedalia to Harrisonville, goodbye trail

Breakfast at Sedalia started at 6:30, so it was on the trail by 7:15 at least. Today's run of the Katy was smoother than yesterday in my opinion, but Mike said it was equally rough, so maybe I just got more comfortable with the gravel? My Salsa Vaya was meant to ride on these roads, it handles amazingly, and any challenges I had were strictly because of me learning to ride a new terrain, not the bike. Mike's Surly is not designed to be off pavement for long, so he was at that disadvantage, but made it through.

This may alter my route for Kansas- I was looking forward to riding more rail trails on the Flint Hills nature trail, but we may default to more on-road riding.

At Windsor, we took the Rock Island spur to head more of an true east direction. There's grand plans to develop more of the Rock Island spur to make a big loop with the St. Charles end of the Katy, which could be very cool. Logistically, a loop could solve some problems for a lot of people who travel to get to the trail.

We saw one person jogging on the Rock Island spur for all of our 40 miles. It could be because the trail is relatively new- the "towns" kiosks were still under construction, or it could be that today had a heat index of 103 and it's Monday. And the towns on the spur are not much at all. We had a good lunch at Chilhowee, but we probably lingered a little too long in the air conditioning. We had 30 more miles to go after lunch.

Once we left the trail, the roads themselves were fine, not a lot of cars the first two hours, but large, rolling hills to get into Harrisonville via the cemetery road. Long climbs in the late afternoon heat after 70 miles was not fun. The "going home from work" traffic started to build, and the asphalt baked. But we got into town safely, and did a load of laundry. Now it's off to find some dinner.

Tomorrow will be Kansas, the weather should be cooler, the miles will be shorter, and we'll get an early start.

Reflections on the Katy trail:
1. There's no wrong way to do it. We saw people of every age, size, and bike type, going various distances and lengths of time.

2. Assume there's no water. This is kind of a good rule regardless of where you're riding, but some "stations" just had pit toilets without drinking fountains, or we'd arrive before the store or restaurant was open.

3. Trail bathrooms are amazing. I have no problems using a bush in the middle of Nevada, but I'm getting to the point where I'd just rather not. And, there's poison ivy everywhere in the bushes.

4. The main trail is very social. People coming the opposite direction will always say hi or good morning and wave. People want to chat at the kiosks. Sometimes I'd prefer to take a break at the shady benches  so I didn't have to socialize as much.

5. The kiosk information is good! The history was fun to read and really well put together.

6. The scenery did eventually change a bit. Once we got away from the river, the cliffs and different trees, today was more prarie flowers.

7. Watch for box turtles, and snakes that look like sticks. Squirrels dart in front of you, one deer ran across the trail pretty close (this is why headphones while riding is a bad idea!), and today I saw 4 woodchucks.

Day 3, 4 of the Katy Trail

So, the Katy trail gets a slight upgrade from adventure level 0.5 to a 2.3 with today's gravel roads. I'll even call it mountain bike ultra-lite. You don't need a mountain bike to ride the Katy, but big tires make a difference. I try to reframe this as skill-building- I'm just adding to my repertoire of things I've accomplished on a bike. A kiddie roller coaster is still a roller coaster.

We left Jefferson City and headed to Colombia for another short day of 45 miles. My favorite stretch of trail wasn't the Katy trail at all, it was the MKT spur that went into Colombia. 8.8 miles of hard pack, with a few more twists and turns to make the road exciting. Being a Saturday, there was a bit more local traffic of dog walkers, day cyclists, and joggers.

There are so many unknowns in the decisions that we make. Would the extra 17 miles off trail into Colombia be a good decision? The driving factor was having a place to stay there- a friend of mine has an adorable basement suite that she rents out on Air B&B that she offered us, and another friend was willing to drive down from Kansas City to meet us. Even if we didn't have people to see in Colombia, I enjoyed the spur trail so much, that I'd recommend the detour into town for others.

We had a great dinner with my friends at Flat Branch, right next to the Mizzou campus, and then went back to the same area for breakfast on our way out to eat at Broadway Diner. Heading back to the Katy trail was all downhill on the MKT, so we flew, finishing the first 20 miles in under an hour and a half.

Our second stop of the day was Booneville at a small diner right on the corner of the Katy trail as you cross the bridge over the Missouri River. We thought about just getting some ice cold lemonade, but opted for pie at 10am. It was a perfect snack, and we still topped off the camelbaks with ice water.

After Booneville the trail started to get some elevation. Now, when people say the trail is flat, I'm sure they're refering to "flat" as a relative term. Off the trail, Missouri is very hilly. Going into town, especially Jefferson City, everything is built on the highest ridge. (And, given the marks of the '93 flood when the river came up 37 feet, I can see why). But, when I think of flat, I think in absolute terms, as in 0% grade. A ball won't roll one direction or the other. That's flat. Today was gradual uphill pretty much the entire day- 2nd ring on the bike gears for most of the day. (3rd ring is small gears for steep climbing, and the big ring is for flat and fast, more power.)

The second challenge of the day was the perfectly clear, blue skies. This might be desirable at home in San Diego, but not here in Missouri. On the shaded trail, the dappling of the light through the tree leaves made it hard for our eyes to adjust- it was an extra level of concentration to move at 13 miles and hour from sun to shade to sun, and watch for road hazards that hide in the shady pockets. It brought back riding in Oregon in similar conditions, but the pavement wasn't maintained and the potholes were camouflaged by the dappled sunlight.

The roads turned into the soft, sandy type of gravel roads in the second half of the afternoon. Once in a while it was more of taking a mental break than a physical break.

We had a high goal of 90 miles for the day, taking us to Windsor, but settled with a 70 mile day in Sedalia. Several people who shared their local knowledge wisdom recommended Sedalia as just the more populated, interesting town, with better restaurants and a cool old hotel. This will set us up better for a day into Harrisonville tomorrow anyway.

I had the Kansas Department of Transportation cycling maps shipped to my friend's house, so doing a whole new level of map routing. We're not using the ACA route exclusively this time, although we may connect with the TransAmerica trail as a way to get to Pueblo, Colorado. This "on-the-fly" routing isn't ideal, but that's what happens when you join a trip because the navigation was somewhat iffy already... (day 3 into the trip and I learn Mike has ripped out atlas pages, the one thing I needed a few days ago!) West Kansas is looking empty.

Critter count:
Dead:
- mole
- shrew
-armadillo
- squirrels that look like they fell from trees
Live:
- Copperhead snake
- garter snake
-mystery snake (2)
- box turtle (4)
- woodchuck
-cat on the trail
-goat on the trail
- deer (3)
- gray and red squirrels

Roadside treasure count: basically nothing. There was a whole banana but didn't go back for it. The trail is extremely clean, I think the trash count is 2 water bottles.

Day 1 and 2 on the Katy Trail, another ride.

This trip started with Mike leaving from Washington DC on the Trans-America route and me not going. The story of what it took to get me to join is another post coming, but long story short, as soon as school was out for summer I was on a plane to St. Louis, Missouri with my bike. 

We started out on the Katy Trail on Thursday morning, after a 12 mile ride through the city close to the airport side. We started at the St. Charles trailhead and rode a total of 80 miles the first day to Hermann. 

I tend to downplay my achievements, but this was remarkable for a few reasons- I had a total of 4 miles of training, and that was basically testing out my new fork. 30 minutes of seat time on a bike in a year. And then riding 80 miles. That's more than the bike portion of a half-ironman race. I don't recommend it, but it can be done. The second thing is that the Katy trail is all crushed limestone. It's not what I'd call gravel, but some people might. It's not smooth, and it provides some resistance compared to pavement. The third thing is that the Katy trail is flat, possibly with a very slight incline because we're going up river towards Kansas City. Flat means no coasting. Flat means constant pedaling. 

Given all of our incredible, technical, challenging rides, the Katy trail feels like riding on a kiddie roller-coaster even though you're tall enough to ride the Big Stuff. It's fun for sure, but it's not a challenge. It's relaxing to not have a challenge right now. It's rewarding to just ride. You can't really get lost, it's remarkably well signed, and the shade from the trees is amazing. There's water and ice and restrooms all throughout the 80 miles we did yesterday. Very different from the 83 mile run in Nevada between towns with nothing but high desert. Or Washington state's complete lack of road signs. No cars and few other cyclists allow Mike and I to ride side by side and talk, something we haven't done since a long stretch in Texas, back on the first ride. 

This route is not adventurous for us, but it's a ride. The adventure may be in parts of Kansas when we're charting our own map, or Colorado by riding the Rockies, so it's a start to that adventure. I wanted to ride the Katy as a preview for something I could bring the kids to do, if I ever wanted to bring them out to Missouri somehow. 

Today was a choice between an 85 mile day or two days of 45/40 miles. We chose the 45 mile day and ended in Jefferson City. Tomorrow will be Colombia. 

And then, hopefully, some big miles, to reach Colorado within our time limit. We'll see where we end up. 

(All photos are being posted on Instagram)