Platte River Trail ride

Be-bopping to her own music down the trail, comme d'habitude.

Earlier this week my daughter and I took a ride with friends David, Joel and Drew along the Platte River Trail. It was sort of a Bike Daddy day with an orbiting squadron of kids. The ride was a bit of an ambitious distance, as it was likely Joel's longest to date, and among her longer rides this year. The two of them ended up riding a straight shot of a bit over three miles in total, an impressive figure considering their stature.

View aft of Joel burning up the track.

Drew rode in the trailer pulled by David, whose impressive tractor rig was an '89 Rockhopper with a fixed gear. At times he had two kids and a bike strapped to the trailer, quite a load to handle with one gear and no coasting. However, he pulled off the challenge with aplomb.

A venerable old Rockhopper revamped as a fixie. A laconic definition of the term bombproof.

After a nice breakfast along the way, the kids decided to become passengers for the return trip. As a bit of a changeup, Joel rode with me on the Dummy and seemed to enjoy the experience. He was a good co-pilot and was happy to oblige in ringing the bells whenever the situation warranted.

My cheerful co-pilot for the return trip.

After we parted ways, she and I took the long route home along the Lee Gulch Trail. The Platte River Trail had been fairly busy with weekend warriors and folks out for the holiday, but apart from a few runners and an occasional group bicyclist, we had Lee Gulch for ourselves. It's a scenic connector to the Highline Canal Trail with a nice crusher fine surface. Because I ride mostly on the street for transportation purposes, it's sometimes easy to forget how many great trails there are in the metro area.

Trail riding is the perfect opportunity for a post breakfast snack on the back of the Big Dummy.

By the time we got home the Dummy had logged about 15 miles for the morning. We then launched into some yard work and she taught herself how to climb a tree.

"I'm taller than you, Daddy!" was proclaimed for all to hear.