Epic Trike Journey

On Sunday I set out with Sammy and Theo on a trip to the bookstore and cupcake store. Theo got a new trike on Friday -- his old one is still too big, and he can't pedal it very well -- and rode it all day on Saturday, really figuring out how to pedal. He wanted to ride it up to the bookstore. It had a pushbar, and I hadn't been on any sort of walk since skiing Mt Adams with my dad and sister last year. I thought a journey might do me good.

Sara's folks had came over in the morning, so we didn't get started until after 2:00. This was later than I had planned, but waiting until after lunch meant Theo was more willing to sit in the trike and not want to get out and run around so much. Sammy had just nursed and so fell asleep as soon as I put him hin the bjorn.

The trip started slowly. For the first two blocks Theo would stop every 15 feet or so, exclaiming that there was a stop sign. I began to doubt our chances. As we rounded the Y, however, he seemed to settle into it, and we started to make good time. The first half of the walk is uphill, so I kept pushing and tried to keep a steady pace. When we reached the summit at Trader Joe's I was feeling optimistic enough to take a picture.

From Epic Trike Journey

After the hard push uphill, descending towards Broadway was delightful. The sun was out and we had found our rhythm. We passed by the police station, waited while a skateboarder was filmed grinding on a bicycle stanchion, and made a surgical and rapid pass through the bookstore. We continued around the corner to the cupcake store.



I was quite pleased. While we still had the 15 blocks home to go, most of it was going to be downhill, and Theo would be fortified with a cupcake.

From Epic Trike Journey

We even had a totally voluntary trip to the potty. Sammy woke up while we were eating, but was in a good mood.

From Epic Trike Journey

We continued back uphill. Theo's concentration had deteriorated and he kept running the trike into walls and trees, but his enthusiasm was still strong and he kept peddling away. We soon arrived at the summit with the prospect of an easy roll downhill back home.

From Epic Trike Journey

The descent began smoothly, and with the sun at our backs Sammy remained calm. As we approached 23rd he grew restless, and probably a little sweaty, and the last few blocks were a little tense as he began to fuss. We finally arrived at the garage, all in good spirits and happy with our success.



We went around to the front yard to find Sara finishing up some weeding. Theo quickly shrugged off the fatigue of the journey and announced he wanted to pull up some grass and dig in the dirt. Sammy was happy to get out of the bjorn and squirm around.