Recreational & Family - Glad I made time.

This past week we have been having awesome weather. So my 10 year old son and I decided to do an overnight bike trip into the desert. However after a hard day at work I really was out of the mood to do it. So I suggested we just go for a ride without camping. He looked crushed. So I said hey lets do it.

Within the hour we were packed and headed out into the desert, which is just across the street from our house. We found a nice camp site, had a good hot dinner and enjoyed a perfect fall evening. The worries of the day were gone and my son and I got to just talk, without the interruptions of tv or cell phones. We talked about just stuff, some important and some not. We laughed and I even got a bit choked up as I looked at my son, his face lit by the campfire. And he said, "dad I love you thanks for taking me on this trip".

It was a perfect moment, with a precious son and I was oh so glad that I made the time to be with him.

MBD

We laughed and I even got a bit choked up as I looked at my son, his face lit by the campfire. And he said, "dad I love you thanks for taking me on this trip".

And I got a bit choked up reading your post.

My son turns 5 today and I love him to bits. I love spending time with him and I'm looking forward to the day when I can do stuff like your camping trip with him.

Awesome. I'm glad there are people out there who value their families so much.

*wiping tears from my face* you just made me want to have kids! That is a really nice story. I wish my dad had done things like that with me when I was a kid.

This past week we have been having awesome weather. So my 10 year old son and I decided to do an overnight bike trip into the desert. However after a hard day at work I really was out of the mood to do it. So I suggested we just go for a ride without camping. He looked crushed. So I said hey lets do it.

Within the hour we were packed and headed out into the desert, which is just across the street from our house. We found a nice camp site, had a good hot dinner and enjoyed a perfect fall evening. The worries of the day were gone and my son and I got to just talk, without the interruptions of tv or cell phones. We talked about just stuff, some important and some not. We laughed and I even got a bit choked up as I looked at my son, his face lit by the campfire. And he said, "dad I love you thanks for taking me on this trip".

It was a perfect moment, with a precious son and I was oh so glad that I made the time to be with him.

MBD

Thanks for sharing such a lovely story. It seems all I see these days are the true sheetbirds of fathers (I service lot of single mothers...as in mental health "services").

Take care,

ehenz

Boy, I wished my dad did stuff like that with me!

And what a sweet kid! I didn't know relationships like yours exist.

Your son will remember that trip for the rest of his life. Try to make it a monthly event for him and he will really love you.

******Your son will remember that trip for the rest of his life. Try to make it a monthly event for him and he will really love you.

Thats good advice. I do try and do one on one things with all of my children (4). My son that is 18 and I have over 200 nights of camping behind us. Which includes snow caving in the rockies and a nine day bike trek down the oregon coast. For Christmas one year he gave me a scrap book with the title "Dad and Jakes most excellant adventures". This past year my 10 year old bought his own scrap book and said, Dad its time to start our own most excellant adventures album. Now the challenge at 46 is to keep in shape so that I am able to continue having many more "excellant adventures.

MBD

*****My son turns 5 today and I love him to bits. I love spending time with him and I'm looking forward to the day when I can do stuff like your camping trip with him

Its not too early you know. My daughter who is 15 and I were just talking about the last time she was able to fit in the childs seat on my bike. She was four and we went on a ride that included a picnic and a hike. She still remembers almost every detail of that ride.

(sorry I haven't figured out how to do quotes right on this board.)

You know, experiences like this aren't limited to children. I remember one time my wife and I camped out in the redwoods of California. We sat at the camp fire roasting hot dogs and making smores and talking late into the night. We still talk about that time.

That's great! I've got a 21 month old daughter and 6 month old twin boys at home, and I already take them on bike rides, but I'm really looking forward to doing that kind of stuff with them.

Buzzbomb sounds like you have a great family started. It seems like just yesterday that I was waiting for them to get big enough to do fun things, and now my youngest is 10 and all to soon will join his older siblings in being busy being a teenager. Looking back it went by so fast, your next 10 years can be the most rewarding of your life. Enjoy the ride.

MBD

Wonderful! More people need to ditch the cell phones, TVs, computers, Nintendos, etc. and spend time together. Life is short. Don't waste a minute of it...:)

This thread deserves to be revived.

In the winter finding a day when you can take an extra hour for lunch and make it into a training ride is rare. I had one such day a couple of weeks ago. As I got my bike ready, my five yo said, "we haven't gone riding together in a long time." He was right. So, my training ride that day was around the neighborhood with Logan on the trailer bike. He can really pedal too! Actually, he's the stoker for the wife when we take the whole family riding to help her up the hills. And to think she wouldn't let me name him Motor when he was a newborn!

I'd rather ride and chat with Logan than any of the other guys I regularly ride with. He's my buddy! Caroline, the seven yo is my sweetheart. She'll curl up in my lap without saying a word and we'll just sit together and talk. Life is good!

Here's my brood on the Chief Ladiga Trail last October.

http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/m/smscarbrough/Family_on_bikes.JPG

What a great post! My youngest son and I have done a lot of riding on local rails-trails, but we haven't done any camping yet.

Hey Moonshot - nice picture of you and your family on the Chief Ladiga. We've been up and down the Silver Comet a few times (in increments) and have headed over to Piedmont to visit the Ladiga. We're planning on a trip on the CLT over to the Pinhoti (on the non-paved section). Should be a lot of fun.

Hey cool posts guys, moon shot that is a great picture. And I know what you mean I would rather talk to my kids to than anyone else.

It is interesting shortly after I started this thread I started to develope some health problems that may hinder my riding. It just served to remind me how delicate life and health really is and how crucial it is that we make time for the things that matter most.

MBD

I'll be praying that you're back on your bike soon mtnbikedude.

Best wishes.

I'll be praying that you're back on your bike soon mtnbikedude.

Best wishes.


Thanks alot moonshot I need it.

MBD

After all kinds of health problems, we went on to ride our bikes the 700 mile ride from canada to calif. My youngest son Mark came and rode 3 days with us. We hope to ride the same route again in 2006.

very cool mtnbikedude, someday I'm going to do something like that with my dad. Except we will be coming up to Canada:D

You're son is one lucky kid:)

What a great thread. This weekend while my youngest and I were riding, she said "it's great to have a dad who likes to ride with me." I almost started crying.

very cool mtnbikedude, someday I'm going to do something like that with my dad. Except we will be coming up to Canada:D

You're son is one lucky kid:)
Just a suggestion forum*rider its easy to put things off like that. Before you know the time has past. Let your dad know that you want to do something like that and get planning it now. Sometimes us dads just need a little nudge to remind us whats important.

MBD

Will do mtnbikedude.

My dad is slowly working his way back into shape after not exercising for about 15 years. He can ride 50 miles in a day now:) It's fun to ride with him, one of the few times we can get away and really talk father to son.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about :)

You know what if your dad can ride 50 miles a day he's ready. The other dad that went with us was really out of shape and the first couple of days he thought he couldn't do it. But he just hung in there and by the time we hit Oregon he was doing just fine.

MBD

BTW check out our web site that tells about the trip. It should get you both stoked to want to go.

http://groups.msn.com/Bikingthewestcoast

Such warm messages. My grandbaby is only 2. I am looking forward to riding with her.

We had great weather in N.C. this weekend also. My son and I got about 40 mi. on trails and my daughter whos just getting started got in about 10 with us.The time we spend together riding and talking is priceless.Thanks for the story,sounds like your son has a great dad.Here are my riding buddies.
http://img222.exs.cx/img222/9647/bcl46je.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

We had great weather in N.C. this weekend also. My son and I got about 40 mi. on trails and my daughter whos just getting started got in about 10 with us.The time we spend together riding and talking is priceless.Thanks for the story,sounds like your son has a great dad.Here are my riding buddies.
http://img222.exs.cx/img222/9647/bcl46je.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Great family bro and sounds like you had an awesome weekend. Your signature reminds me of when my oldest son now 19 gave me a scrap book titled. "Dad and Jakes most excellant adventures". My youngest has started his own most excellant scrap book. And truly our adventures were "most excellant".

I have a Jake too.He's all about riding, thats his thing. My daughter rides to get in shape for B-ball.

Must be nice. I sent my son a new Giant MTB for his birthday one year, and rather than a thank you, his mum made him ask me for another $25 so she could have it assembled. He's a good kid, but she's a terrible influence. I'm just venting. I'll be legally adopting my stepdaughter, but she's not into bikes. I've got my other 30 kids at the BMX track where I sell plenty of gear at cost, just to spread the joy. It all works out in the end.

Wow! That sounds like a great adventure! I am glad you were able to make th 700 mile trip. I can't imagine doing that self-contained. Heck, I can't imagine doing that at all! My son and I still ride - not as much as last year and the year before, but we still go out locally. I've got to tune up the tandem and bring it down to Florida for our spring break vacation.

Mtnbikedude - I might be asking a few questions about overnighting on a bike. We enjoy camping, hiking, kayaking and biking. It would be fun to put a few of those together. Just need to figure out how to carry the tent, food and supplies.

On your big trip, did you carry supplies along and camp, or did you do hotels? Both are great choices - I'm just trying to figure out the logistics of doing a weekend trip self-contained.

I'm gotta chime in here. I'm 34 and my dad has been amazing. He's done all the camping, and knife sharpening teaching and fort building stuff and got me drunk for the very first time when I was 19 and on and on... I still remember us riding togethe when I was as young as 4. (especially his face as I ran into a parked car that one time :)

The amount of support and love from family is amazing. And then you meet so many people who don't have it. That's when you realize you can't take it for granted.

Wow! That sounds like a great adventure! I am glad you were able to make th 700 mile trip. I can't imagine doing that self-contained. Heck, I can't imagine doing that at all! My son and I still ride - not as much as last year and the year before, but we still go out locally. I've got to tune up the tandem and bring it down to Florida for our spring break vacation.

Mtnbikedude - I might be asking a few questions about overnighting on a bike. We enjoy camping, hiking, kayaking and biking. It would be fun to put a few of those together. Just need to figure out how to carry the tent, food and supplies.

On your big trip, did you carry supplies along and camp, or did you do hotels? Both are great choices - I'm just trying to figure out the logistics of doing a weekend trip self-contained.

I know how impossible it seems. I mean all the arrangements and all. But it is very possible. All you need is a rack and a set of panniers. A light weight tent and sleeping bag. We only stayed in motels at the beginning and end and one night in the middle. The coast is all set up for this and there is always a camping space for bikers. The night at the hotel was nice but a real pain trying to ride around and check prices.

We would usually eat out for breakfast. And prepared lunch and dinner. Both sons are eagle scouts and well versed in outdoor cooking. We would buy food each afternoon. You would be amazed at some of the spreads they put out. One of the best was a day we stopped and went crabbing and cooked them up fresh that night. If doing the pacific coast the only real advance planning is getting there and getting back. The rest we just let happen as it happened. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

MBD

I have two boys... two VERY good boys, almost 8 and 12. They are biking fanatics. We did an overnight up at Harris beach (you West Coast tour folks might know where that is) and at first I didn't want to go. There is alot going on in our lives right now and I wanted to sit at home and brood. Well there was no getting out of it when my youngest told me he had the bike shined up and ready to go.... we went and it was one of the best nights we've had together.
I have quite a bit of camping gear we brought with us in the RV and my youngest will occasionaly go through the mesh bag it's all stored in, there is alot of neat goodies in there and he likes to eyeball them... well on the overnighter he got to use them.
We picked up a new tent and it showed up today and we went over to a grassy area in the RV park were at and set it up.... we'll be going on another trip soon :-)
D