Day 14: Montreal, getting ready to ride the Route Verte: Bicycle Bonanza
Kijiji turned up an ad for Sabrina this morning, in which a lady was offering four little kids' bikes for $45 total. Dodie watched the kids while Sabrina and I jumped in the car to check it out. We came home triumphant, for each of the four pieces was perfect for one or other of Amelia, Evelyn, and Joseph. The most advanced item, a two wheeler with training wheels, was red, black, and white - exactly the colours Amelia had been asking for. But technically, the most impressive was a trike with a pusher bar behind, the magic being that through the bar the parent can also steer.
Readers of Crazyguyonabike (plus 99% of the general population) know well the thrill that comes with a new bike, even if it happens to be a used one. This extends from a first trike to that Long Haul Trucker. So Sabrina and I were pretty excited as we brought these bikes to the kids, and we were not disappointed by their reaction. They have been riding around and around for the last five hours! Amelia is pedalling like a pro, and Evelyn - who just learned to walk stairs with alternate feet - is pretty much pedalling as well. Great!
Since the WeeHoos are back in Seattle, we are doing this short trip with a twin sized trailer. The one we got is by Schwinn, and is less than half the cost of some we have seen offered at REI. We have not made a study of the features and quality of these things, but we do see that the Schwinn seems fully capable and of excellent design and quality. It includes the feature of a removable front wheel and a rear handlebar, so that the trailer can be used as a stroller. We tried it out on an expedition to the grocery store to stock up on granola bars, squeezable apple sauce pouches, and the like. This is an important and fun part of the cycle trip for the girls, and they had a lot of input into what to get.
The rig for Amelia and Evelyn, at their current ages of 4 and 2. Next year we would put Amelia back in a WeeHoo and have Evelyn and Joseph in the Schwinn. The Schwinn cost just $200 Canadian but seems to be of excellent quality.
Between us and the route stands the high and scary Jacques Cartier Bridge. There is actually a cycle way on the bridge. Dodie and I spent 3 hours in 2011 trying to figure out how to access it, but now we are supposedly experts. Still, we do not want to take the kids through traffic at all, not even to reach the cycle way. So our plan is to get up early and beetle not only over the bridge but well down the route, to Chambly. We will then call Sabrina, who will drive out and drop the kids. Then we will continue with the kids, cycling to the far end (from our point of view) - St Jean sur Richelieu - find our B&B, and the next day start pedalling back toward Montreal. Got it? I hope we do. If not, cell phones should keep us coordinated!
They are choosing GoGo Squeez rather than single serve coffee, but environmentally these products both seem irresponsible
Scott AndersonScary, alright. Rachael and I biked across it in 1989, our first long tour together in celebration of our first wedding anniversary. I don’t recall now, but I doubt there was a bike lane then. We were happy to escape with our lives. Reply to this comment 6 years ago
