Our First Family Bike Ride

We had a fun weekend camping for the first time this year and finally being able to be the active family that we want to be.

My goodness, the first camping trip takes a lot of preparation. We brought our camper home and I cleaned it, which didn’t take much time because I cleaned it really well last fall before we put it away for the winter. The hardest part was all of the packing and purchasing of essentials. It took SO much time—especially with the little one following me around.

And then we found out that baby’s new car seat doesn’t work in hubby’s truck so we ended up driving separate vehicles. It wasn’t a big deal but it’s harder to keep baby girl entertained when I’m alone. It was about an hour and a half drive. We just have to have some type of brake system installed in our Jeep and we’ll be good to go for the next time.

So we had all of that and then we arrived and found that the forecast had changed and there would be rain for the weekend—but it did all turn out to be ok. It rained at all of the right times and our plans weren’t interrupted. The rain made the air cool during the morning and afternoon—so that was a plus!

We camped at Lake Red Rock, which is near Pella, Iowa. I had never seen the lake before and it is a really beautiful area. Our campsite had an entrance to a great paved trail that wound through a gorgeous dense forest with huge trees and all kinds of wildlife. I’d say it was the prettiest trail we have ever biked on.

We got a bike trailer so that we can go biking as a family. Baby girl did really well and didn’t get fussy until the very end because she was tired and needed another nap.

We have a helmet for her but she was refusing to wear it. It will be non-negotiable in the future and I’m sure she will get used to it.

This trail was seriously hilly. There were quite a few times we had to stop and walk up the hills or we would make it to the top gasping for air and had to take a break. Really, the Fitbit registered us climbing 33 flights of stairs on this bike ride. Talk about getting back into biking by hitting a hard trail first thing! We haven’t biked in a couple of years since two years ago I was pregnant and last year I was struggling with just trying to get through the days as a new mom with postpartum depression. Both hubby and I aren’t in the shape we were two years ago either. Whew! It was a fantastic workout.

It was so peaceful on the trail. We saw and heard song birds. A fawn ran across the trail right in front of us. A chipmunk sat still on a log just a couple of feet away from us. A thousand cotton tailed rabbits bounced across the trail and into the deep green forest. Butterflies were everywhere—and a variety of them. Purple, yellow, and white wild flowers graced the trail edge. There were glimpses of the lake every so often, including a marina with sailboats resting on the waters.

I was reminded that biking is most definitely my favorite form of exercise. I love being out on the trails experiencing nature, getting my heart rate up, and feeling the breeze in my face.

We turned around when baby started to get fussy and storms were looming on the horizon. Poor hubby had a little mishap on a wooden bridge on the way back—it must have rained in that area and it was very wet and his bike slid over. He caught himself so he was ok. Thankfully, he told me to walk when I caught up to him. My bike kept sliding over when I was walking it across!

Biking has always been a favorite activity for hubby and me. I’m so happy that we will be able to continue this as our family grows. It was a little bit different with stops for diaper changes and snack time, not to mention hubby having to pull around another 30+ lbs. in a trailer!

Overall, the ride was about 10.5 miles and took us about 2 hours because of numerous stops. I was starving when we got back to our campsite. I was happy that I had planned ahead and brought delicious fresh fruit to snack on! It was so refreshing.

That evening hubby and I got to enjoy another campfire and kick up our feet!

As I mentioned I would, I tracked all of my points over the weekend. I did really, really well until yesterday. I ate 1.5 donuts and also had pizza! This was simply because of lack of planning—I was hungry on our drive and by the time we got home I didn’t feel like cooking and pizza just sounded amazing. I ended up using 3 extra points. I think I’ll be ok though because I will do well for the rest of the week.

I’m looking forward to our next family adventure!