Riding the Rideau!

On the flip side of the coin from that last post, this weekend we were that "take life by the horns" family...except for that getting up early bit. That part we haven't caught on to yet.

Today we fulfilled one of my dad's bucket list items and cycled the Rideau Canal. We've been talking about it for a year or so, and I've been patiently waiting for E to really take off with this bike riding thing. This month we've been riding our bikes to school and work almost every day, so we figured it was time we tackled the canal adventure before the snow flies.

Of course, this being a day I planned on getting up bright and early to make sandwiches and prepare all kinds of delicious picnic accoutrements, E simply insisted on staying in bed and snuggling. I tell you that kid is going to regret these mind games when I'm in the looney bin.

Once I was allowed out of bed I threw together what I could while J tried valiantly (and successfully) to navigate the mysteries of bike rack assembly and my parents (who arrived on time on account of not having a 50 pound problem to slow them down) showered us with gifts from their recent adventures and snuck pieces of freshly made bread as I sliced.

Finally, we were all packed up and racked up and raring to get our bike tour on. Mom and dad were sitting eagerly in their vehicle, E was all buckled up in ours. So I hopped into the front seat, pushed the go button (still can't get used to not having a key) and...crickets. The car died. Again. The first time was on my way to the Beer Run a couple of weeks ago. If that's not a sign that exercise is bad for me and I should spend more time eating ice cream, well then this world makes no sense.

But, just like two weeks ago, it was nothing a set of jumper cables couldn't fix. So off we were a few minutes later to Hog's Back Park, where we would start our journey, and where I mistakenly believed was the end of the canal.  (Interesting note: Today I learned that the Rideau Canal is 202 km long...so I was only off by about 193 km.)

Now, our journey from Hog's Back Park to Chateau Laurier and back was mapped out to be 20.0km. E's longest bike journey up to this point has been 3.8km. I'm not crazy. I may not know the length of the Rideau Canal, but I can see a losing battle from at least 16.2km away. I opted to have E and I do a shorter loop, with my parents continuing on and meeting us at the end for lunch. That was the plan.

Instead, E blew all of our expectations out of the water and biked. the. whole. way. What?! Yes. There were a few stops, but all in all it took us just over 2 hours, which I consider to be pretty flipping astounding. Not to mention those super old fart parents of mine who are so comfortable in their seventies that they're starting to flirt with the next decade.

The weather was glorious. The ride was spectacular. The day was perfect. And we're all looking forward to the next time.

The crew

Old farts looking spry

Young fart not looking so spry

Bouncing back for a little post-ride climb