IN THIS ISSUE [CYCLING CAROLINE COUNTY ... - Spokes Magazine

More documents

Recommendations

Info

COLUMNS FAMILY CYCLING 101 by KEVIN BRUGMAN kbrugman@cox.net BIKE TRIPS FROM HOME! I recently listened to a presentation where the speaker was talking about the youth of the organization. Her point was that the youth were not the future of the organization; they were the present of the organization. I got to thinking about that and bicycling, our children are not our future cyclists, they are the cyclists of today and we better keep them involved. Before I got married and subsequently had children, I would go off on bike trips for a week or so and had a great time. With all the activities that my boys are involved in and their abilities, I had generally put bike touring on hold. The days of the epic bike tour were over for me. Sure there are the folks like Joe Kurmaskie, aka the Metal Cowboy, who crossed the country with his 5 and 7 year old sons in tow. But he is an exception to the rule. I continue to be amazed and encouraged with the touring available in the congested local area for families who want to go out and see the country in slow motion. Here are the stories of two families that continue to bike tour and have gotten their children actively involved. Neil, Ronney and Shoshana Braunstein have ridden together since Shoshana was two and in the trailer. In 2006, when Shoshana was 3, they got the triplet and started riding 10 to 12 mile trips. Then in 2007, they moved to Rockville from California and started riding 20 – 25 mile trips and decided to try a short beginning bike tour. Being new to the metropolitan DC area, they wanted a trip that would allow them to see some of the local WHEELNUTS BIKESHOP Get ready for Fall. Our staff can help you pick just the right bike for YOU! NEW BIKES NEED STUFF! with this coupon Buy any adult bike and get a $50 Wheel Nuts Gift Card! Buy any kids bike and get a $25 Wheel Nuts Gift Card! Offer valid thru August 31, 2008 SAVE $20 with this coupon Take $20 off our Precision Tune Up Package (Reg. $85, Now $65). Offer valid thru August 31, 2008 703-548-5116 302 Montgomery Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Ronney, Shoshana & Neil Braunstein sites. To keep it simple and realistic for a first time tour with a stoker, Neil and Ronney planned a trip starting and returning to their home in Rockville and keeping the daily trips short. The first day was one of their hottest with temperatures hitting 100F+ and unfortunately one of their longest at 29 miles. They took several stops as they rode from Rockville to Whites Ferry. For those not familiar with Whites Ferry, there has been a ferry in this location since at least 1828 and some references go back to 1817. It is the only operational ferry remaining of the 100 ferries that once spanned the Potomac River. It was originally used by Virginia farmers and merchants needing to get things to Washington DC via the C&O Canal. It is still frequently used by commuters to avoid the Cabin John Monday-Friday 11am - 7pm Saturday 9am - 6pm Sunday 10am - 5pm VIEW OUR LINES: www.jamisbikes.com • www.diamondback.com • www.dahon.com Bridge on the Washington Beltway. Bicyclists pedaling the C&O Canal use the Ferry to get to Leesburg and the W&OD trail. After getting to Leesburg, the Braunsteins took advantage of the air conditioning in their hotel room to escape the 100+ degree heat. After things cooled down a bit they were able to experience the charm of old town Leesburg and enjoy dinner. Day two was a nice short 15 miles to a friend’s house in Sterling where Shoshana was able to play all day. This was a day that had been anticipated by Shoshana for some time and was a highlight of the trip. Days 3 and 4 were spent in Arlington. While the W&OD is a great trail for long bikes (tandems, triplets and quads) for the most part, once it gets down into Arlington and you get over on the Custis Trail, the ups, downs, tight turns and increased bike traffic can make riding rather tricky. It is important to remember that touring is for seeing things and that stopping to see things is what the journey is all about. Neil, Ronney and Shoshana took advantage of their time downtown to see things without the concerns of having to get home to finish some chore or meet some deadline. Children and most adults do not want to just ride and ride. They want to get off the bike and see things and take advantage of the journey, not just the end points. Day 5 was a pleasant ride back home. Even after a short 5 day trip, home is always welcoming. Family touring is not the time to scrimp on packing. Dan Amundson from the other family in this article refers to family touring as “An Ultralight Fantasy”. For little children, it is important to pack those little things to comfort a child, while a 3 foot teddy bear is probably excessive, a stuffed animal can make the a hotel room home for the night. Keeping people fed is paramount. Little and big children get grumpy when they are riding and hungry. When you are alone, you can be grumpy at yourself, but when riding with the rest of the family, everyone needs to be kept as happy as possible. Finally stop and smell the roses. The Braunsteins experienced a number of man made objects from White’s Ferry to the monuments in Washington DC, but they also saw fish, caterpillars, hawks, geese, ducks and green snakes. Shoshana’s friends are really impressed with her triplet. One day when her folks picked her up on the bike at school, she was like some kind of super star. Neil has taken some of her friends on short rides around the block and one of them for a longer five mile ride. Most thought it was really fun, one or two hung on for dear life and didn’t say a word the whole time. After the successful tour around DC last year, they decided to try a new route this year. In August they will be riding for a week in a loop starting in Salisbury, then up to Rehoboth Beach, down the coast to Ocean City, then inland and south a bit to Crisfield, and then back to Salisbury. This time, Shoshana wants her own map so that she can keep track with where they are going. Dan, Beth and Kris Amundson have done some credit card touring in the area, most notably the North Central Railroad Trail and York Heritage Trail from Ashland, Maryland to York, Pennsylvania. But they have also done the full fledged camping trips along the C&O Canal. The Amundsons tried doing the C&O Canal a couple of times earlier, but were rained out each time. The third time proved to be the charm. They started off on Saturday after Kris’s soccer game, taking the Washington DC Capital Crescent Trail to the C&O and then heading north planning on camping at the 24 August 2008
Chisel Branch campground at mile post 30 for a total ride of 32 miles. This was the first time that they had left the house fully loaded. The trailer was fully loaded and weighed between 50 and 60 pounds. The high center of gravity caused the trailer to be unstable. After some repacking and moving the tent to the bike rack, the load was more stable and after a few miles Dan got his trailer legs causing things to smooth out. Even though it was a fall day, the C&O canal was rather crowded. Once they passed the Great Falls Visitor Center, the path cleared out. A pleasant stop is Riley’s Lock to view the ruins of the Seneca Aqueduct and fill up with water from the tap that is fed from the county water system. After having started out a little late, it was now getting dark and Beth and Kris were getting tired so Dan went ahead to set up camp. That evening for supper they had some freeze dried dinners that they had made up at home. All they had to do was pour boiling water into the prepared freezer bags. While the first night’s dinner was good, they did decide that they should test all the recipes prior to touring. While staying in a hotel allows for wake-up calls, nature provides its own alarm clock, unfortunately they are not as adjustable as the wake-up call. This morning was no different, the loud honking outside at 5:30 woke everyone else, however just as at home, they were able to go back to sleep until later in the morning. The rain that they had over night made the trail muddy in the morning. The geology of the terrain north of Riley’s lock causes the trail to drain slowly. The trailer fishtailing in the mud made for some interesting riding but after a couple of miles Dan started to get the hang of it. Keeping children occupied during a ride is always challenging, fortunately Kris is a budding history buff. Kris, Beth & Dan Amundson The first stop of the day was at Edward’s Ferry during the Civil War, there was a store, warehouses and one of the 99 ferries that are no longer operating. Today it is a rather unremarkable location and only by studying the history was Kris able to enjoy the stop. Once in Brunswick, they quickly looked for some place to eat. As they walked down the quiet streets, the first two restaurants were closed. Fortunately they were directed to “Beans in the Belfry”, probably the only place to eat in Brunswick on a Sunday afternoon. The third day of the trip started out cool. Going home had the psychological benefit of going down hill. Once home, Kris’s fatigue quickly disappeared as he was invited out to play with his friends. When I go cycling with my boys, we have to have a reason to go out. Just to go out and get some exercise does not work for my boys. Kris’s interest in history is an excellent diversion on their trips on the C&O canal. In the case of the above trip, Kris and his Dad used the trip for research to do a diorama of Riley’s Lock and the Seneca Aqueduct. They have also taken trips up to Antietam and explored Killiansburg Cave where many of the Sharpsburg citizens sought shelter from the war during the Battle of Antietam (or the Battle at Sharpsburg depending on your history book). Dan has found that many non-cyclist friends are generally impressed with their trips and some even express an interest, but that is about as far as it goes. I think that we may start to see a change in that attitude. As gas prices are going up, there appears to be an increase in bicycle commuting and vacations that do not require lots of travel. We may see more people trying short bike tours on the C&O, riding out to Leesburg or Purcellville on the W&OD and either camping or staying at local lodgings. When I asked Dan if they had invited any of Kris’s friends along he replied: “So far I have not heard any of his friends express an interest in going. We have talked about inviting some of his friends, but in each case we were not sure if they were up to it or how they might work out during several days of living in close proximity. As when searching for any touring partner it is not easy to find someone who seems like a good fit. And when its a kid you have other issues of discipline, etc.” Dan and I have discovered a lot of the same things about keeping our sons interested in biking. Keep the mileage short, bring lots of snacks, and ride to destinations, even if they are not big places. Making milestones are always great ego builders. Don’t be afraid of taking breaks. A 10 - 15 minute break can be all the difference between a friendly riding partner and a grumpy riding partner that does not want to do more trips. Frequently we do not appreciate the things that are convenient. What a great way to discover the local area than to take local bike tours to nearby sites and rediscover your local history. TREK • Seven Pinarello • Colnago LeMond • Raleigh Giordana • Hincapie Descente • Louis Garneau Sidi • Shimano • DMT Bontrager • Mavic • Rolf • HED www.thebicycleplace.com 8313 Grubb Road, Silver Spring MD 301-588-6160 August 2008 25
Page 1: Serving Cyclists in the Mid-Atlanti
Page 4 and 5: Highwheel 'Ro und World story & pho
Page 6: HIGHWHEEL continued from p.5 ing ac
Page 9 and 10: padcafe.net), which is lodged in a
Page 11 and 12: SWEET continued from p.9 General In
Page 13 and 14: © 2008 TREK BICYCLE CORPORATION VI
Page 15 and 16: August 2008 15
Page 17 and 18: THE ROOKIE +1 by MATT COOKE youvebe
Page 19 and 20: lowed by Chad Kagy with some flatsp
Page 21 and 22: In Maryland, Coates has been active
Page 23: the process in the afternoon. Schap
Page 27 and 28: THE CYCLIST'S KITCHEN by NANCY CLAR
Page 29 and 30: details log onto http://tourdecanal
Page 31 and 32: PERFORMANCE IN EVERY CATEGORY...BOO

IN THIS ISSUE [CYCLING CAROLINE COUNTY ... - Spokes Magazine

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?