Beach run

We managed to make it to the beach. The last 2 runs failed for various reasons.




Here we are parked up on a village square for a drink stop.




We had quite a few people check the bikes out which was fun. Just watching their faces speaks for itself.



Yuba nap.

Done alot of shopping trips and errands with the summer sun. Its good to be out.
The orange yuba has a persistant slowflat. I have a shard of beer bottle that i pulled out that must have left a sliver that flats it over night despite the sludge goo no flat inner tube. Can't find it though. I might end up getting the same tyres for it as came standard with the green Yuba. Kevlar reinforced and no
problems in over a year.

Reality check

Yesterday we used the car. Despite my vow to cut out driving after a recent trip to see family 100 miles away, which had found me at night on a motorway (6 lane highway) at 75mph facing a car coming head-on the wrong way. Yesterday the cat was very ill so we had to speed off to the vet, so that was that... We used the car all afternoon, went to the beach and a mall, sat in tourist traffic with the A/C on and couldn't find a place to park. Wasted alot of time doing miles and miles on highways that were not economical in their route from A to B... it was the cats fault... but it was still awful.

This morning we were having breakfast and listening to the news about the suffering following the horrific floods in Pakistan, and then the journalists wondering if this disaster might possibly have anything to do with global warming. What followed was pretty eye opening. My 6 year old who had been munching on her cornflakes asked if it was because we had used the car. My 9 year old confirmed that it was, and quoted global warming. I then asked them how we would go food shopping for the familly get-together tonight. My 9 year old said we would take the car (she obviously relished yesterday's aircon cooled effortless transport), and that is when my 6 year old told her,

"Well you say home and get a fat bum, we are going by bike."

My 4 year old broke out in giggles, and I asked my 9 year old why she wanted to go by car if it contributed to such a nasty thing.

" Whats the point ? Everybody else takes the car so it makes no difference..."

Thats when I pointed out that somebody has to start somewhere and that I didn't want to add to a horrible problem if I could avoid it. They munched on a little, thinking it over a bit, then they got up grabbed their helmets and the shopping bags and we headed for the Yuba. Truth from the mouths of babes yet again !

Pump jinx

Started our ride today prizing a shard of glass out of the rear tyre on the orange yuba and watching it self seal when I pumped it back up (At home with my foot pump). All I had to do was spin the wheel and the hissing air was stopped by the goo in the inner tube in under a second. Still good after 20 kms loaded up. Fantastic.
Our objectif was the beach but after our park picnic break we came back to the bikes to find two flat tyres. Both the front ones on the kid's bikes. After thousands of miles of cycling over the couple of years this is the first time we had had a flat on a family outing and not the morning after. This time it was a rusty drawing pin (tack) and a nice big thorn. And guess what no pump... had patches though....


As we had been able to move along without using the pedals on the way out, literally pushed along by the wind, we decided to head back home, and I got to pull the two girls and their two bikes.... won't go out without a pump again. Infact I don't generally, but it just goes to show that when you forget. Bingo !