mtnbiker66

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.

mntbikedude

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".

mtnbiker66

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

Brian

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.

bruceg

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.

Frank Schaefer

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.

mntbikedude

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

Dougmt

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

mntbikedude

Update: The glad I made time saga continues to have ripple effects. This son is now 19, in 2006 he and I rode the entire pacific coast he was 13. At 15 he and my older son flew to Anchorage, Alaska and biked all the way to Mexico. ( I joined them in Vancouver BC). Then last summer the two boys, me and the oldest sons fiancee did a short ride from Vancouver BC to mid Oregon.

At any rate here we are 2012, and this summer my very busy now 19 year old son is now the one making time for his old dad. We are going to bike from San Francisco to some point south, just however far we can go on the two weeks he was able to work into his scedual. I'm getting pretty old, 55 now and this son has come to realize that his dad actually isn't a real super hero, in fact he realizes his dad is kinda weird. My wife asked me today if I was up for the ride. I said as long as this son enjoys being with his old man I will always try to be there. Just yesterday this son was off to hang out with his friends and go camping, but before he did he gave me a big hug and with the same glint in his eyes he said, " I love you dad".

I am so glad I made time.

Son's blog about their alaska mexico ride https://alaska-to-mexico.blogspot.com/

djyak

Figured I'd add something too after reading the touching responses. I'm lucky that I've been riding all my life. I have twin 6 yo daughters, 5 yo son. All like to bike, but one of my daughters has been "bitten" by the cycling bug, and is into as much if not more than me. We bought her a nice German 6 speed bike, and she can go 10 miles easily. So proud of her. Last weekend it was just her and I, cycling and stopping for a picnic along the river. She said she's training so that she can get a rack and bags to go on tours with me.

mntbikedude

That is so awesome. When my daughter was four I put her in my child's seat on my bike and we went on our own little picnic. To this day that is a very clear memory for her. That so great that your daughter wants to cycle with you.

djyak

Ever since they were able to ride in trailers and bike seats, they've been with us. Anything outdoors. And like you said, they remember those things. Aparently she remembers more. But she sure gets excited for the weekends.

Rockfish

This post just made the entire internet worth it! To be able to come back to your story 9 YEARS LATER is just amazing - thanks for doing it, and letting us know how much these things can mean over the long haul.
I'm expecting Kid 1.0 in July and hope bicycling will be a part of the next 19 year for us, too.

mntbikedude

Thank-you for your post and congrats on your first child. It goes by so fast.

atbman

And when your family gets a bit bigger
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/cy...family+cycling

Box worthy

+1 loved the first post and was happy to read the update 9yrs later. I have two kids 2 and 4, this has just highlighted the need to do fun stuff with them. I have fond memories of camping with my Dad at four.

djyak

It's incredible how valuable time can be. I just got done building a mountain bike for my neighbor's son, from the frame up. He and I worked on it on the weekends while his dad is deployed. They're both into biking too. We only had to pay for the upgraded speed shifters for the bike. The frame, and everything else we got from 3 other bikes people were just throwing away, which made it all the more trying to find the things we needed. He was able to keep sending pictures to his dad to show the progress, and I got to pass on the knowledge of how to build, and maintain his own bike. I was more than happy to do it, especially since his dad and I are good friends, I know he'd do the same for mine when they get older.

msincredible

Wow, this is one of the best threads I've read on bikeforums. Thanks for sharing and the updates!

Jaye

Amazing thread, and a huge reminder that I don't spend nearly enough time with my kids. The daughter will be 5 this year, and the son is just turning 1, I need to take some of this to heart and make memories for all of us.

josruu

This is a great htread!
I have a son that just turned 4 and he already loves to ride his bike He rode his bike without supporting wheels( not sure if thats correct) when he was 3,5 years and Im really looking forward to him beeing old and strong enough for the two of us to go on some real trips

JetWave

This is the best thread on any forums. A follow up after so many years is really priceless!

loneviking61

What a great thread! I did something similar this last Friday with my 14 year old son. I work nights, and he's a night owl too. Sooo, at 4:30 a.m. we are both wide awake and rambling around the house. He wants to go for a bike ride, which I'm not too enthusiastic about as my back is hurting from packing to move, and it's about 28 degrees outside. But, after seeing how badly he wanted to go, we both bundle up and off we go.

We biked about four miles into town, biked around town and up to Smiths for something to drink. Then we decided it was time to bike another mile over to Carls Junior for breakfast and coffee. Then we biked over to his school and he went to school and I went home. He's still talking about the ride a week later.

Box worthy

That is priceless, you can not plan better rides then that.

mntbikedude

It was 15 years ago today that I posted this little story. I'm happy to say the young man is now 25 and of course he's busy living life and now it is he who has to make the time to do things with me. But I'm happy to say that he indeed makes time. We continued our travels with many more bike trips and most recently a trip to China.

This fall I had the opportunity to work with a young man who struggles with a heroin addiction. I've known him for 10 years and I know how very hard he has worked. And I just wish he could have not got involved. In our long discussions about what we felt could have helped would have been an involvement with his father. There is something wonderful that happens as we sit across a fire and talk about just things. I know there is no cure all but I do believe your personal one on one time will pay huge dividends down the road.

CHRSTNSLGD

I can tell you from experience, nights like those are going to be the ones he remembers forever. Personally, my father always promised my brother and I the moon, but never went through with it. There always seemed to be an excuse as to why we could no longer go camping, go on vacation, fishing, etc. Good for you for sucking it up and sticking to your word. You are doing a fantastic job.