Decatur Kid's Ride - Dairy Queen

From the last Kid's Ride Feb. 2, 2008:



We're doing it again Sunday, March 30 from 1:00 to 4:30PM. This is another slower-paced Family Ride but this time we're headed to the Dairy Queen in Decatur.

The route (on bikely.com) is a little more hilly and a bit longer (16 miles) and hits the following spots:

• Start at Aurora Coffee in Virginia-Highland
  
• Proceed to PATH trail at Carter Center (like last time)
  
• Head East to Candler Park
  
• South to the AYSA Soccer fields at Arizona and the short segment of PATH trail next to the fields (tiny bit of off-road riding)
  
• Follow Hosea Williams bike route east through Kirkwood.
  
• Pass north through Oakhurst Village toward Agnes Scott.
  
• Arrive at Dairy Queen
  
• Hit the Square in Decatur
  
• Follow Church Street three blocks to Decatur Cemetery (another tiny bit of off-road)
  
• North up to Medlock Park (baseball fields)
  
• West to Emory's Clairemont Campus
  
• Shortcut to Emory's Main Campus
  
• Return to Virginia-Highland over Mount Stillwood.
  

As before, this is a beginners' level ride. We'll be moving at a speed that accommodates all abilities and any working bike would be appropriate.

This ride is also good for those who do little or no street riding. It's a treat to ride on the streets sharing the road with motor traffic when riding with an experienced group.

Time Machine: a Kid on a Bike

Parents understand that raising kids is an opportunity to re-live your own childhood and last weekend's Kids Ride was another one of those opportunities. I've gone back in time riding the streets of Atlanta on bikes with our kids and caught glimpses of myself at a time I began steering my own course through life.

Rhonda talks about her son Cole's feeling of empowerment. For kids dependent on their parents to take them around in the car, it feels good to go places under your own power. Doing it on your own changes how you see the world.

Although we took an easy pace, Atlanta is still a hilly city and the legs get a good workout. The rewards of that effort however, are immediate. Cresting the hill means you can coast down the other side and catch your breath. I pay attention to hills, but I'd been missing them too. Out of familiarity, I had lost the thrill of the downhill, but was able to find it again.

Tom's daughter Carli is now choosing the bike for short trips. A simple "I can do that" carries a lot of power. It's genuine self-confidence.

We often carry into adulthood activities we enjoyed growing up. Positive experiences like these will propagate for generations.

Riding with the Kids (Rhonda's Ride?)

I think we've got a name for the Kids Fun Ride we rode today.

Because our 14-mile route exceeded what some riders have ridden recently, I told everyone we'd be stopping frequently. Stopping for flats wasn't what I meant.

We have Rhonda to thank for suggesting we do a kid's ride. We also have Rhonda to thank for picking up both of the flats! I move that we name this "Rhonda's Ride" in her honor.



Temps started out cool, but warmed up quickly. Lots of people were out so we got lots of chances to ring our bicycle bells in greeting.

After the ride, I asked a few of the girls their favorite parts of the ride. They said they liked the "mess-ups". Since I didn't capture any of these on camera, they were kind enough to provide a drive-way re-enactment of one of the "mess-ups". Carli's enthusiastic announcement of her intention to stop caused her to fall off her seat and trigger a domino effect.

No actual daughters were harmed during this re-enactment.



People asked when we could do this again, so we'll try to schedule another Rhonda Ride. Hope you'll be able to join us.

Kid's Fun Ride

It was Rhonda's idea.

Rhonda has ridden with us on many Sunday mornings and she recently mentioned her middle-school son is interested in riding. A number of the Aurora Cycling Group have kids in middle-school, so we decided to do a ride for them and invite others along as well. The more the merrier.

We had planned to ride Saturday, Jan. 19, 10AM, but the forecast for snow that day made us reconsider. We now plan to ride Saturday, Feb. 2, 10AM from Aurora Coffee in Virginia-Highland (corner of Virginia and N Highland) and hit (or at least pass) the following spots:
- Carter Center
- MLK Center/Ebenezer Baptist
- Capitol (to dress the statue)
- Old Fulton County Stadium (to run the bases)
- Zoo (with bathroom break)
- Oakland Cemetery
- Cabbagetown
- Krog Street Tunnel
- Inman Park
- Little 5 Points
The planned route is posted on bikely.com.

Bring your camera. We'll be stopping frequently along this 14-mile route.



This is a beginners' level ride. We'll be moving at a speed that
accommodates all abilities and any working bike would be appropriate.

This ride is also good for those who do little or no street riding. It's a treat to ride on the streets sharing the road with motor traffic when riding with an experienced group. We'll have a short talk before we ride to let everyone know what to look for and how to signal for courtesy and safety.

Commute Summary

Round Trip Distance: 17.8
Number of Cyclists seen: 9
In-bound Route: Lullwater/PATH
Out-bound Route: Emory via Clifton
Weather: Below freezing this AM for only the second time this season.

Another Generation's worth of fond Cycling Memories

A few weeks ago I posted about how much fun it is to ride bikes with kids (Fun for the next generation).

• Different things that can be said with a Bicycle Bell ("Here I come!", "Hey, another bike rider!", "Good Morning!")
  
• Brakes that sound like a goose.
  
• Riding with your feet on the top tube.
  
• Finding a bottle of "Old Croak" embalming fluid at the cemetery gift shop.
  

Getting out with the kids and goofing off is just one of the many ways we can encourage the next generation to be better cyclists than we've been.

Yesterday, one of the best programs for getting kids on their bikes made their resources available to a broader public. Whether or not you have kids in school, you'll be interested to know what the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership is accomplishing and how they're doing it.

The SRTS National Partnership announced a new website yesterday that helps explain who is involved, where they are involved, what they are accomplishing and how you can help. They're working to reverse a trend that took us from 50% of kids walking or riding a bike to school in 1969 down to less than 15% today.

I think most of us know when school starts back up after the summer by the increase in traffic. SRTS has been responsible in some school districts for reducing the school car trips by 75%.

I grew up walking to school, walked and rode my bike through college, and it has stuck with me. Of course, I did get a car and drive to work soon after college, but I soon found that 1) my waist got bigger and 2) I really missed being on my bike. The fond memories of getting around on a bike helped me get back to cycling. The SRTS is working to create another generation's worth of fond cycling memories.

Fun for the next generation

Growing up, I was always on my bike. I rode to my friend's house. I rode to baseball practice. I rode just to be riding. It was automatic fun.

Now I get to ride with my kids, and just like when I was a kid, I'm having fun. Kids are always trying to ride with their feet up in the air, or with no hands. The squeal of brakes is funny (although Tom's brakes did sound rather like a goose today). And they have bicycle bells.

They used their bells a lot. When passing pedestrians, it was as cheery as an effusive "Good Morning!". When passing motorists at intersections, it was a perky "Here I am!". For other cyclists, it was a socially bonding "Great to see you on your bike!".

I'm going to get me a bell for my bike, just to the increase the fun factor.

With kids, your destinations change. The time devoted to those kid-friendly pursuits changes as well. You pop into the gift shop at the Oakland Cemetery (where else can you find "Old Croak" embalming fluid?). You stop for water at a shady spot on the trail. You chase the sound of the ice cream truck.

And that alludes to the pace. You can really look around when you're traveling half your normal speed.

I've always remarked that having kids is a different mindset. It makes it easier to be more like a kid yourself. (I didn't get a photo, but I tried riding with my feet on the top tube of my road bike. It's easier if there is a kid you're riding with, but try it, tell me what your sensation was, and then I'll tell you what it felt like to me.)