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Dad and Daughter Day
I woke up early last Saturday, around 5:30, and was thinking I wanted to go for a nice long ride. So, as I lay in bed, I contemplated how far and where I would go. It actually wasn’t that impromptu of an idea, I’d been thinking about it for a couple days. It’d been a long week and I needed to get out and go somewhere.
After laying in bed for about an hour, I decided if I was going to go, I’d better get up and do a few checks on the bike to be sure it was up for a trip. But, as I was getting the coffee started, I thought how it’d probably be unfair of me to take off and leave my wife at home to deal with the kids (actually, my daughter, my son is too busy hanging out with his g/f to spend much time with us). So I considered the idea of taking my daughter (12) with.
Up to this point in her life she’s ridden with me on a number of occasions, but it’s only consisted of rides to church or my parents or in-laws. Those rides generally are less than 20 miles and have long breaks between being on the bike. So, it was going to be entirely up to her if she wanted to come along. Unfortunately, it’s summer break (and Saturday) so she wasn’t going to be awake and for a while. I drank more coffee and considered the route we’d take.
Around 8:30 my wife woke up and I told her my plan for the day, and she thought the prospect of taking my daughter was a good idea. So, I busied myself with some things as I waited for my daughter to wake up. About an hour later she finally woke up and I asked her if she’d be up for a long ride. Excitedly, she answered, “YES!” I told her to be ready to go around 10:30/11:00. I had to do a quick run to the hardware store to pick up another carriage bolt that was missing from my luggage rack/backrest assembly, and some new earplugs. I returned home and proceeded to go out and prep the bike. Adjusted the chain, and put the backrest on. I took a quick jaunt on the bike to warm the chain for the wax, and we were finally ready to head out.
So, my plan was to head out to Galena from Rockford via the Stagecoach Trail, and stop there for lunch, and then on to Dubuque, IA and back into WI to make our way back home. I figured we’d be gone 4 or 5 hours, depending on how often we stopped. Though I had a slight change of plan added before we left, it wasn’t enough to spoil the day’s ride.
We’d been only about 5 minutes from home when I realized I’d forgotten to put in my earplugs. So I made a quick stop in a park to put them in. I asked my daughter if she was getting any wind noise from her helmet and if she’d want try some also. She said she was okay without them. I also explained to her that if she needed something to tap on my helmet so I’d know to stop. So we continued on.
Now, those of you who have ridden with me know I can tend to be a bit heavy-wristed when I’m on the 1100, but I’d told myself before we left that I was carrying precious cargo and had to maintain a reasonable speed. After all, I wanted my daughter to enjoy herself and have this ride be the beginning of something for us to enjoy (my wife refuses to ride). So, with the exception of passing and four-lane highways, I was determined to keep it under 65, which I was fairly successful. I did end up bumping it up to 70 as the day wore on and we got closer to the end of the ride, but I had a good reason.
We had just gotten onto the Stagecoach Trail in Lena, IL and were only a couple of miles out of town, when she tapped on my helmet. Well, we were about 15 minutes from the next town so I just flashed my hand at her a couple of times to indicate it’d be a bit. I then realized that she probably had no clue as to what that meant, so I immediately stopped on the side of the road. She said she needed to take a break and I told her it’d be a bit before we got to the next town. And then she said she wanted some earplugs. So, we continued on to Warren, IL.
By the time we’d gotten to Warren, we’d been going for a little over an hour. And I told her that when we stopped it’d be a long, leg-stretching break. I also told her that we’d be in Galena in about 30 minutes and stop at the local McD’s for lunch. I also forewarned her that the road between Warren and Galena was a twisty one, and that she would probably enjoy it more than the roads we’d been on up to that point. After about 10 minutes, and brief lesson in how to install the foam type earplugs, we were on our way again.
Well, we hit the twisty part of the Stagecoach Trail, and while I usually love to hit the turns hard when I’m solo, I took them at a leisurely pace, and my daughter did spectacularly as a passenger. The turns were nice and smooth, and they were all clear of gravel. We did catch up to a cage during one of the twistier bits and had to creep through, but we made short work of the cage when a passing zone presented itself. And before I knew it, we were in Galena. One thing I noticed is that the sign in Warren states that Galena is 28 miles away, when, in truth, my odometer put Galena 10 miles closer. Oh well, that probably explains why the trip seemed so quick.
So, we pulled into the McD’s parking lot, and headed inside to for a quick lunch. The main purpose for the stop, besides lunch and gas, was that I wanted to give my daughter the opportunity to say if she was ready to head back. By this time she’d more than tripled here usual bike mileage (83 miles), but she said she was fine. And she was also very glad to have taken the earplugs. She did say here legs were getting a little sore, so I offered her a Tylenol. After 20 minutes at McD’s we headed down the road to a gas station. Riding two-up on some the hilly roads was taking a small toll on the 1100’s mileage, but it had been well worth it.
While we were at the gas station, we were looking at the clouds, and it appeared that there were some storms brewing to the west. I considered that they were still far enough away that we’d be able to make Dubuque, which was our turning back point.
We got back on the road and headed west once again, Dubuque a scant 15 miles away, and the clouds ever looming to the north and west. We were on US 20 at this point, and I’ve got to say, for a four-lane highway, it’s got some nice sweepers on it. I think I was cruising around 75 and pacing an SUV. And every time I could get a clear view to the north, I’d notice that the storms we’d looked at not 20 minutes earlier, were getting bigger and closer. It was at about this time that I was thinking we were probably going to get wet. But I was keeping my fingers crossed. My contingency plan was to stop and let it pass, if possible.
We come through East Dubuque, IL and 20 turns back into a two-lane road for the bridge over the Mississippi. My daughter had never been to Dubuque before, as a matter of fact, the only time she’d ever been through Galena was when she was too young to remember. So I knew she was probably taking it all in, and I was really hoping that she was enjoying herself. I think one nice thing to have would be a two-way radio so we could at least talk to one another. That’s the only thing that I think could have made the ride even better.
(to be continued.......)
Brad tt
I woke up early last Saturday, around 5:30, and was thinking I wanted to go for a nice long ride. So, as I lay in bed, I contemplated how far and where I would go. It actually wasn’t that impromptu of an idea, I’d been thinking about it for a couple days. It’d been a long week and I needed to get out and go somewhere.
After laying in bed for about an hour, I decided if I was going to go, I’d better get up and do a few checks on the bike to be sure it was up for a trip. But, as I was getting the coffee started, I thought how it’d probably be unfair of me to take off and leave my wife at home to deal with the kids (actually, my daughter, my son is too busy hanging out with his g/f to spend much time with us). So I considered the idea of taking my daughter (12) with.
Up to this point in her life she’s ridden with me on a number of occasions, but it’s only consisted of rides to church or my parents or in-laws. Those rides generally are less than 20 miles and have long breaks between being on the bike. So, it was going to be entirely up to her if she wanted to come along. Unfortunately, it’s summer break (and Saturday) so she wasn’t going to be awake and for a while. I drank more coffee and considered the route we’d take.
Around 8:30 my wife woke up and I told her my plan for the day, and she thought the prospect of taking my daughter was a good idea. So, I busied myself with some things as I waited for my daughter to wake up. About an hour later she finally woke up and I asked her if she’d be up for a long ride. Excitedly, she answered, “YES!” I told her to be ready to go around 10:30/11:00. I had to do a quick run to the hardware store to pick up another carriage bolt that was missing from my luggage rack/backrest assembly, and some new earplugs. I returned home and proceeded to go out and prep the bike. Adjusted the chain, and put the backrest on. I took a quick jaunt on the bike to warm the chain for the wax, and we were finally ready to head out.
So, my plan was to head out to Galena from Rockford via the Stagecoach Trail, and stop there for lunch, and then on to Dubuque, IA and back into WI to make our way back home. I figured we’d be gone 4 or 5 hours, depending on how often we stopped. Though I had a slight change of plan added before we left, it wasn’t enough to spoil the day’s ride.
We’d been only about 5 minutes from home when I realized I’d forgotten to put in my earplugs. So I made a quick stop in a park to put them in. I asked my daughter if she was getting any wind noise from her helmet and if she’d want try some also. She said she was okay without them. I also explained to her that if she needed something to tap on my helmet so I’d know to stop. So we continued on.
Now, those of you who have ridden with me know I can tend to be a bit heavy-wristed when I’m on the 1100, but I’d told myself before we left that I was carrying precious cargo and had to maintain a reasonable speed. After all, I wanted my daughter to enjoy herself and have this ride be the beginning of something for us to enjoy (my wife refuses to ride). So, with the exception of passing and four-lane highways, I was determined to keep it under 65, which I was fairly successful. I did end up bumping it up to 70 as the day wore on and we got closer to the end of the ride, but I had a good reason.
We had just gotten onto the Stagecoach Trail in Lena, IL and were only a couple of miles out of town, when she tapped on my helmet. Well, we were about 15 minutes from the next town so I just flashed my hand at her a couple of times to indicate it’d be a bit. I then realized that she probably had no clue as to what that meant, so I immediately stopped on the side of the road. She said she needed to take a break and I told her it’d be a bit before we got to the next town. And then she said she wanted some earplugs. So, we continued on to Warren, IL.
By the time we’d gotten to Warren, we’d been going for a little over an hour. And I told her that when we stopped it’d be a long, leg-stretching break. I also told her that we’d be in Galena in about 30 minutes and stop at the local McD’s for lunch. I also forewarned her that the road between Warren and Galena was a twisty one, and that she would probably enjoy it more than the roads we’d been on up to that point. After about 10 minutes, and brief lesson in how to install the foam type earplugs, we were on our way again.
Well, we hit the twisty part of the Stagecoach Trail, and while I usually love to hit the turns hard when I’m solo, I took them at a leisurely pace, and my daughter did spectacularly as a passenger. The turns were nice and smooth, and they were all clear of gravel. We did catch up to a cage during one of the twistier bits and had to creep through, but we made short work of the cage when a passing zone presented itself. And before I knew it, we were in Galena. One thing I noticed is that the sign in Warren states that Galena is 28 miles away, when, in truth, my odometer put Galena 10 miles closer. Oh well, that probably explains why the trip seemed so quick.
So, we pulled into the McD’s parking lot, and headed inside to for a quick lunch. The main purpose for the stop, besides lunch and gas, was that I wanted to give my daughter the opportunity to say if she was ready to head back. By this time she’d more than tripled here usual bike mileage (83 miles), but she said she was fine. And she was also very glad to have taken the earplugs. She did say here legs were getting a little sore, so I offered her a Tylenol. After 20 minutes at McD’s we headed down the road to a gas station. Riding two-up on some the hilly roads was taking a small toll on the 1100’s mileage, but it had been well worth it.
While we were at the gas station, we were looking at the clouds, and it appeared that there were some storms brewing to the west. I considered that they were still far enough away that we’d be able to make Dubuque, which was our turning back point.
We got back on the road and headed west once again, Dubuque a scant 15 miles away, and the clouds ever looming to the north and west. We were on US 20 at this point, and I’ve got to say, for a four-lane highway, it’s got some nice sweepers on it. I think I was cruising around 75 and pacing an SUV. And every time I could get a clear view to the north, I’d notice that the storms we’d looked at not 20 minutes earlier, were getting bigger and closer. It was at about this time that I was thinking we were probably going to get wet. But I was keeping my fingers crossed. My contingency plan was to stop and let it pass, if possible.
We come through East Dubuque, IL and 20 turns back into a two-lane road for the bridge over the Mississippi. My daughter had never been to Dubuque before, as a matter of fact, the only time she’d ever been through Galena was when she was too young to remember. So I knew she was probably taking it all in, and I was really hoping that she was enjoying herself. I think one nice thing to have would be a two-way radio so we could at least talk to one another. That’s the only thing that I think could have made the ride even better.
(to be continued.......)
Brad tt
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