The family that bikes together, hikes together, and shall remain a fit, cohesive family forever.
Or something like that. The joy of family activities is such a wonderful gift. So many adventures my Dad would organize for my family when I was young. Family was everything to him. He loved taking us boating and camping, hunting, and just spending time outside with nature and each other. He was always focused on making memories, having fun, and being safe.
He never learned to swim, so our first family lesson was boat and water safety. It was always a little frightening for him when we were out on the water, but we had our life vests, and we all learned to swim.
I’m not sure why he never did learn, but it was never an issue, thank goodness.
Our family was large: my parents, six kids, and my Dad’s little brother lived with us his whole life, so it was a big group to take on the road. We would take frequent breaks, stay on trails most of the time, but he was always prepared with the first aid kit, extra inner tubes, oil for the chains that fell off, and he tried to prepare us for everything.
He never wanted the fun to be interrupted by something disastrous, and we learned these very important lessons from him.
My Dad, My Hero.
Beyond The Helmet
I had a serious bike accident when I was young.
He was so glad when the helmet was invented and became law. I, of course, hated it, and since my accident, I was nervous on a bike anyway.
But he made me get right back on as soon as he could, so I didn’t fear this mode of transport in the future.
So here are some essential things you’ll need:
Fix-It Kit
- A little kit with replacement inner tubes, patches, and a hand pump.
- Know your bike and how to cope with these little inconveniences.
- Know how to fix a slipping seat, tilting handlebars, and chains that fall off the whatchamacalit (chainring, sprocket, gear, whatever).
Owie Fix It Kit:
Pack different-sized bandages, antiseptic wipes, iodine, gauze bandages, medical tape, and a triangle bandage for pressure on wounds, bone breaks, or keeping hands above hearts. Why?
- ‘Cause scraped knees happen.
- Road rash happens.
- Bumps and bruises can happen.
- Hazards on the road happen. (like when I hit the curb with my pedal and flew off my bike, getting a concussion and losing my memory).
I was by myself on a short journey, only a few blocks from home, but it wasn’t very comforting for everyone. When you are travelling on open roads or busy city streets, you must always remember that you are a vehicle and you are travelling with other vehicles, so be aware of hazards.
Be aware of where you are, and know local rules of the road for the state you’re in, as these can vary from state to state.
Here are a few examples:
- In the state of Michigan, bicycles are legally defined as ‘vehicles’ (Michigan Vehicle Code, MCL 257.4), which means that riders have the same responsibilities and have to follow the same rules as a car driver.
- Specific California laws allow cyclists to ‘take a lane’ and treat stop signs as yield signs.
- While not a specific law, this is still relevant; In Detroit, cyclists will commonly take a little head start at traffic lights, because there’ve been studies pointing to this being the safer approach for bikers.
But it’s not all about laws, sometimes you AND others just need to be careful!
I was visiting some friends in Springfield (the capital of Illinois), and while we stayed there, we decided to have some quality family time on bikes. And I was a bit nervous because of the traffic, so we decided to stick to parks.
Carpenter Park is the largest one, and it WAS the closest one, so we naturally went there. And all was fine and fun until one of those electric scooters ran into me at full speed.
Now I wasn’t seriously injured, but that was horrible! If I hadn’t had my protective gear, or if that person had crashed into one of my kids, I would’ve lost it! That’s why I’ve decided to hire one of the Springfield attorneys at Chicago Bike Injury Lawyers, and they helped me get the situation resolved, legally.
You can be careful as much as you want, but your safety (and your family’s) is sometimes dependent on others.
High-Visibility Gear
- It may not feel ‘cool’ to wear a high vis vest.
- Ensure you have blinking lights.
- A working horn.
- Family members should carry a card with personal details, parents’ names, phone numbers, and an emergency contact. Make sure everyone knows how to call someone in case of an emergency, cause it might not be a kid who ends up injured, but Mom, or Dad, or Uncle Don!
Just be aware, think good thoughts, and make moves for the prevention of injury instead of support for one.
Expect the best, prepare for the worst! That’s what Dad always said.
Hydration & Easy Snacks
- Make sure to bring some water, protein bars, fruit roll-ups, or non-messy snacks to eat on the go.
- Better yet, head to a local park and have a sandwich fest with fresh fruit for dessert.
This will pick up everyone’s energy levels, supply some energy, and provide a little rest for the muscles.
Power bank and a Charged Phone
Everyone carries phones these days, and it is now a way for us to navigate without a map app or Waze. If you get lost and have no access to a map, or if everyone has been taking videos and photos, make sure to have one fully charged and a power bank for charging as well.
Conclusion
Once you have all the essentials sorted out, please put them in the backpack and go out and enjoy all your city, county, or country has to offer. Check out these bike trails perfect for bikers.
The fondest memories I treasure, even the ones when my sister and I fought, or they forgot to wait for me to return from a bathroom break and left, are my fondest memories. I relive them all the time and try to get together with family for adventures as often as I can.
Life is short; once people are gone, all you have are the memories, so make them good ones.
Be safe, be happy, and can I even say, ‘Live Long and Prosper?’ (even if you aren’t a Trekkie, you probably know that one!)