The next generation

 We have been talking about taking a family bike tour for a while, and almost did last year (but our cargo bike was in the shop).  Well, we finally did it!  It was spring break, and while we had aspirations for a grander trip, recent prolonged illness led to us never planning anything.  However, we were all feeling well enough for an adventure...bingo.... bike trip!

We brainstormed different destinations knowing we wanted a route with bike trails where the kids could do some of their own riding, and ideally a hotel with a pool as a treat.  Reston,VA checked the boxes!  29 miles of riding, mostly on trails of the Metropolitan Branch Trail , Custis Trail,  and Washington Old Dominion trail (with Rock Creek Park trail/Beach Drive on the way home) made it an easy to manage route.

Gabe started biking right away on the new section of the MBT that goes close to our home.

Gabe got loaded back on the cargo bike as we got off the trail and had to navigate some city streets (with bike lanes) to cross into Virginia.  

Our set up.  Mike's bike in the background, and me on the cargo bike with two kids and 2 kid bikes.

Gabe was eager to bike again once we got to the Custis trail in VA.  Unfortunately that was short lived as he got going too fast going down a hill with not the best pavement.  He fishtailed, crashed and went sliding down the hill.  There were lots of tears and some blood but we got him cleaned up.  He was pretty scared by the fall but luckily he only had some road rash. His chin, elbow and knee still have some pretty big wounds.  (note to self always pack way more bandages than you think you will need).  I had enough bandaids to patch him up on the trail but needed to restock when we stopped for lunch.  Also, right at this time Mike's bike had an issue.  His front derailleur stopped shifting.  Luckily, the crash and his bike needing repair happened close to a bike shop, lunch spot, and pharmacy.  So once Gabe felt okay we got loaded back up we got off the trail.  Mike got his bike fixed. We all got lunch and stocked up on bandaids.  Gabe had the idea that he should test ride his bike in the parking lot to make sure it still worked good since we were at the bike shop.  So about 30 minutes after his crash he was out there riding again.  His bike was fine, but I love that he thought of that and was eager to bike again.

Lunch of hamburgers.  Or in Gabe's case a bun with mustard...burger on the side.  Post crash picture with his bandaid beard.

Then back on the bikes.  The kids rode on the cargo bike for a while and we had some fun stops of playgrounds (see background of pic above), cookie stops, and snack breaks.  And because the bike trip wasn't enough Gabe spent a significant amount of time biking laps around the playground on a small paved loop.  Also side note.... next time when a dad at the playground offers you a NA beer take him up on it.  Taste and hydration of a beer without the alcohol.  It would have tasted so good.  Anyway, next time... Then back on the cargo bike.  Once the trail flattened out and we switched to the Washington Old Dominion trail the kids were up for biking again.  Dorothy biked a bit but was nervous about how narrow and busy the trail was compared to biking on Beach Drive (which is closed to cars) but she did great!  She probably put in a couple of miles total and Gabe biked about 10 miles total (super impressive especially after his crash).

Dorothy on the trail!  

Then we finally loaded up for the last stretch to Reston town center where we stopped for dinner near our hotel, finally checked in and went for a swim.  The kids stayed up way past their bedtime and were absolutely exhausted but had a great day!