Stage 2 - Delayed

Woke up this morning and got the kids all ready to go. We ate a hearty breakfast of Coffee, Honey Combs and Chocolate Dyno Bites. I loaded the bikes up on the rack again... and it started to rain. We're currently sitting in a rain delay while the boys play Minecraft downstairs and the girls watch Edgar & Ellen on Netflix. Here is a picture of James cleaning his bike on Friday night, preparing for the weekend:

Stage 1 - Ridley Creek Park

This morning we loaded up the car and headed to Ridley Creek State Park.


Some may think this is obnoxious but it is simply how we have to travel when we bring friends along with us. I'm just glad it worked. Sammy's friend, Matt, came along with us.

Ella was a champ. She was cruising down hills when we first got there. I actually had to tell her to slow down - which is something I've never had to say to her before. Then she crashed.

I was quite surprised, actually. She normally moves at a snails pace and if she topples over she quits. She did neither today. She was upset for a bit, understandably, but got right back on and was cruising at top speeds by the end of the day.



That's a picture of the girls walking up a huge hill. I knew it was there but didn't realize just how big it was. Once over the top it was a 3.5 mile gradual downhill the rest of the way.

The start:



The end:


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Tour de Five Kids (and friends)

This Labor Day weekend we will be having a bike extravaganza at the Morris household. (I really have one singular purpose - which is to get Ella off her damn training wheels before the summer is officially over.) But it also will be a fun filled, ride packed weekend with various destinations including Ridley Creek State Park, Pennypack Park, Forbidden Drive and possibly Valley Forge. (The kids, i.e. Ella, may kill me by the end of the weekend - OR she will be forever grateful to be able to finally ride on two wheels. We will see.)

Tonight will be spent cleaning bikes, filling tires, getting bike racks on the car (yes plural), and maybe taking a quick spin to the neighborhood cemetery before turning in for the night.

Truth be told - I think that the kids are going to have a blast this weekend if we keep it fun, easy, and explore some fun places. Look for posts (and pics) all weekend long...


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Greetings from Camp Sombrero - Day 1

We aren't actually staying at Camp Sombrero, but after seeing this sign, that's what I'm calling our place now. The real Camp Sombrero is a mile or two down the street. We have not met anyone from Camp Sombrero but it is on the to do list. It is just past the shooting range... also on the to do list.

I got the bike yesterday from Brian at Cactus Adventures. It's going to be a fun week. The roads are beautiful here and they are generally flat. When there is a climb it's pretty steady and consistent.

The views are stunning.



Now we are off to figure out what game to see today!

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Location:W Capistrano Ave,Phoenix,United States

Space Traveler

I'm heading to Phoenix tomorrow with a few friends for some biking, spring training games, and March Madness watching (on tv by the pool).

On Thursday, Ella was all teary-eyed and said, "Dad - have fun on your vacation. But can you please be careful when you are on Venus?"

I think the poor girl had been stressing for days that Daddy was going to outer space and she wasn't quite sure how to handle that. Poor kid. I will bring her a Space Cactus back to put her at ease. :)


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