I’ve owned a mountain bike for at least 35 years. Mine isn’t he fanciest, nor is it the most rugged or the most light weight. Mountain bikes have evolved a lot in the time since I got mine. At the time I got mine we lived in Idaho and I had some friends who were doing quite a bit of trail riding. I took a few rides with them and got to use the lowest of te 21 speeds on my bike. I also got the thrill of rushing down a steep trail, avoiding obstacles, taking small jumps, and such. I learned quite a bit about keeping my weight over the center of the bicycle and using my brakes effectively.

Around the time I got my bike our son bought a slightly better mountain bike. His had suspension in the front forks with shock absorbers. It isn’t a full suspension bike, but the ability to take a few hard hits with the front wheel makes quite a bit of difference. Although I enjoyed that bike a bit, it isn’t quite the right size for me while my mountain bike is just right for a short legged one like me.

I never got into trail riding, however. For the most part I have been an occasional bike rider who will even less frequently take a small jaunt off road. Still I have kept the bike and kept it maintained and read to go. In the last couple of years my bike riding has mostly consisted of following my grandchildren as they grew and developed their skills as riders. I don’t think my bike has been out of the middle range of its gears for more than a few brief tests for over a decade.

Following grandchildren, however, does mean that I have to speed up as they gain skills. i’ve watched grandkids progress from pedal less Strider Bikes up to their first pedal bikes and then to bikes with multiple speeds. At present we are camped in a beautiful state park with a fairly good trail system. The park is at the edge of the Skagit River which means that there is quite a bit of altitude variation. We are alongside Mount Baker and so the land rises dramatically. There is one paved and accessible trail that leads toward the river’s edge. It passes through dense forest as it descends and the roots of the trees have caused several bumps and cracks. Although the trail is labeled “Accessible,” it would be a real challenge to attempt it in a wheelchair. I’m not sure that it would be possible for many who use wheelchairs for mobility. However, there weren’t many visitors in the park yesterday and we pretty much had the trails to ourselves.

In addition to the paved trail, which was a challenge for our youngest granddaughter, we tried out most of the other trails in the park. Riding with our two oldest grandchildren meant that I had to push myself a bit on the winding and sometimes steep trails. After a few loops, I began to regain confidence and was feeling pretty much at home. I was also feeling happy that I have kept my mountain bike for adventures such as this. Although I own a shiny new e-bike, it is a cruiser and would not be appropriate for the winding trails we were riding yesterday.

As we rode I was observing, as grandpas do, that my grandchildren are growing. Not only are they getting more skilled on their bicycles, they are simply taller than they were a few months ago. I’ve adjusted the seats on their bikes, but they are nearing the maximum for the size of the bikes they currently have. In the middle of the afternoon I decided to try an experiment. I lowered the seat on my bike and had my grandson take it for a test drive. I adjusted the seat on his 8 speed bike and had his sister take it for a spin.

I’m not sure that I am going to get the opportunity to ride my bike today. We have to leave the campground to head home around noon and the kids will be eager to ride the campground roads and trails a few more times before we pull out. And both of our older grandchildren have sped up enormously by having the opportunity to ride bikes that fit them better.

The good news is that I kept and have been hauling around our son and daughter’s bikes since they left home for college. They are currently hanging in the barn at our son’s place. Both will need tune ups and lubrication. They probably will also need new inner tubes and will need to have the wheels trued. The owner of the bike shop where I got my new bicycle is a friend and although he is busy, he will appreciate the business of a couple more bikes to get ready. I think our grandson is going to enjoy the bike that was his father’s and I think our granddaughter is big enough to step up to her aunt’s ride. Observing our youngest granddaughter riding around the campground, I’m pretty sure that she will be ready to step up to her big sister’s bike before long, too.

One of the advantages of having four grandchildren living in the same house is that there are a lot of things that get handed down. I notice clothes that have been worn by a sibling, though the kids seem to go through jackets quickly enough that they rarely last long enough to be worn by the next in line. Bicycles are a different matter, however. They are far from worn out by the time a child has grown enough to pass it down to the next one. Although they ride the bikes enthusiastically, there aren’t many good places to ride on the farm, which is located on a busy road with no bike lanes. We have to haul the bikes to find good trails to ride and I don’t get the chance to do that too often.

I think the way for me to get my bike back now is for me to get busy and help the kids step up to their next rides. In the meantime, I guess I’ll get used to watching my bike zoom past being ridden by a child who is really enjoying it.