Departure! Getting out the door is easy when riding an S24O.

A week ago we headed out on our first bicycle tour as a family of four. It was a short one – a simple S24O to Chippewa Creek Conservation Area, about 50km from our house. The weather was beautiful: clear skies and comfortable cycling temperatures — a welcome break from the sweltering heat we have been experiencing for most of July.

An S24O was an obvious choice for our first tour with the four of us. Two days of cycling with only one overnight allowed us to pack relatively light and not worry too much about forgetting anything important. We were able to prep quickly and get out the door easily with little anxiety. I took both of the kids on my bike: Eden rode in her normal spot on the back, and Harper up front where I could keep a good eye on him. We didn’t use a trailer for this trip since we were not worried about inclement weather. Heidi rode light with two panniers full of our food and cooking gear.

A touring first: a downed tree blocks our path!

This outing was quite a learning experience for us, and we are glad that we have a few of these short tours planned this summer before we head out on a longer trip this fall, and before we dive into our big adventure next year. While challenging, figuring out the details of traveling by bike as a family is a fun process. We had a number of ‘realizations’ on this mini-trip that will help us get things in order for future outings:

1. 3-year-olds need entertainment.

About two hours into our ride we had our first realization. Eden was getting bored.  We knew that kids her age are not that good at delayed gratification, so trying to explain that in a couple of hours we would be camping (which is what she was excited for) wouldn’t be that effective. So, we faced up to it: we simply didn’t prepare enough activities for her to do while we were on the bike. We haven’t gone on a long trip with her since she was 2, and a lot has changed for her developmentally in the last year. Later, we realized we also didn’t prepare enough activities for her at the campground. Good thing we were only out for one night! We got through it by singing together a lot while riding (she LOVES singing), answering all the “why?” questions 3-year-olds like to ask with long, drawn out answers, and plenty of time swimming and playing on the playground at camp. Going forward, we need to seriously think about what kinds of activities to bring along for Eden. When she was younger, she used to be entertained by a few small toys, but her needs are larger and more involved now. While she is normally very creative and is able to entertain herself with minimal amounts of toys, this short trip put her a little out of her element. On longer trips, camp activities will also become more ‘normal’ for both her and us, and we will have more time to establish a play routine designed for living outdoors.

Marshmallows. What kid can resist them?

2. The memories of a tour are mostly of the time spent OFF the bike.

'Quiet time' at a campground is different than at home!

Since our destination was only 50km away, we arrived around 1:00pm — quite a bit earlier than we expected to. During the ride, we really only stopped when we got tired, or when the kids were hungry, so we covered ground very quickly. We could have easily taken more breaks, or longer breaks, which would have been beneficial to everyone. While arriving at the campground early allowed us to enjoy swimming and use the playground, these things will not always be available to us on longer trips. So we need to learn to slow down a bit more! Enjoying the day on the bike is much better than arriving early and facing boredom at camp. On future tours we will stop more often, and for longer periods. Instead of just jumping off the bike for a quick bite to eat, we’ll stop and do crafts with the kids, or play games in the shade for a while.

3. Camping with two toddlers is tough.

Harper was a handful (despite his offer to help with the maps).

Our next realization may seem obvious: camping and cycling with two kids is harder than doing it with just one. Especially when one of them is an 8-month old who is just starting to crawl! When we arrived at the campground we were both pretty exhausted, so keeping track of, and entertaining the two kiddos through the rest of the day was a challenge. We think maybe reducing our planned daily distance could give us more energy to actually be parents while touring. We also know that as Harper gets older, things will change as he gains independence and learns to play more with his sister.

Lunch break in front of a roadside church on our way back to Hamilton.

4. Training for a tour is important.

Hand-in-hand with our exhaustion was another obvious realization: even for trips as short as an S24O, physical training is a necessity! We were simply not physically prepared for the ride, which left us tired most of the weekend. In the past, we both commuted by bicycle which let us take off on tours with little physical prep. Now, with Heidi on maternity leave and with me currently commuting by car, we no longer have that ‘baseline’ of physical training. Outside of utility rides, training for us is difficult. Longer rides are tricky to build into our schedule since we live in the city and don’t have simple access to the open road. And since we want to do our training with the kids along, we are usually only able to work in one ride per week when the weather cooperates. This will get even more difficult as we are prepping for our trip next year and trying to train through the winter.

So, we are learning. And we will continue to learn about the best ways to tour with our little family. Adapting to each situation is critical, as children are dynamic and will be in a new stage of life with each trip that we take. Speaking of future trips — we are more than excited about our next tour: a four-day outing departing this coming weekend, where we will be joined by my parents (for their first bicycle tour)! It will be interesting to see how cycling with Nana and Papa impacts how the kids experience touring. And hey — a couple of extra hands around camp are always welcome when dealing with toddlers, right?

Out-and-back route (traveling clockwise):