My goal this morning was to go all out and try to hit 50 miles today. Obviously, that didn't happen. My legs are probably pretty happy that it didn't. I have to admit, I am sore now. The awesomest thing: biking=eating. I have just finished up a slice of Hobee's Blueberry coffee cake with almond butter and followed it up with an apple. A conservative estimate tells me that I probably burned 1,722 calories for the 3 hours I was riding. That doesn't include the added weight of the kiddos and the fact that they don't help pedal, at all. Lazy. I do believe this is the single-biggest inspiration I need to keep riding. 

Back on track, the reason I was so far behind getting started this morning was because we swapped out the iBert for a Yepp Mini front seat. The iBert is long gone and the Yepp installation was supposed to be a snap. I've seen it on many Yuba Mundos so I assumed mine wouldn't be any different. Wrong! I should have paid attention to the reviews saying that the clamp isn't designed for mountain bikes. The v4 Yuba either comes with a threaded or a threadless headset. My Yuba has a fat (albeit, awesome) threadless headset. The clamp didn't fit. I called Yuba and spoke with Benjamin who did some research on his side and sent me the link to the Mini Yepp threadless adapter. Had to be ordered but we couldn't find a dealer. Bummer. My hopes for a long day of riding were dwindling down to dispair at this point (have I mentioned that I might have a bit of a biking addiction?). Then, a holler from the backyard, "Jose's got it!" Turns out, there are spacers in the Yepp's clamp and he took those out to get it to fit PERFECTLY on the stem. Amazing! That's why I keep him around. And now you know. If it doesn't fit, check for spacers. 

So, finally we were off. Delicious picnic lunch (ala 'Nama) in the panniers. Little Brother chilling in the front seat and Big Brother in the back. Then, my bike computer wasn't working so I had to stop. Then, Big Brother had to pee so I had to stop. Then, Little Brother got cold so I had to stop. Then, Big Brother was cold so I had to stop. Then, Big Brother was hot so I had to stop. Then, he was hungry. Stopped. Then, we got to Hagan Park and we stopped. The boys needed to run around and get their "yayas" out as my grandma would say. We had a great picnic (thanks, 'Nama!) and played on the swings for about an hour. It was pretty great. 

After the park, I had to decide whether to go on or to turn back. I really wanted to keep going. The boys were in a good mood and it was only another 5 miles or so to the fish hatchery. I got about 100 feet and another stop was needed so I decided to turn back. It was a good thing, too, since the wind had picked up and we were now facing into it. Big Brother was hungry again (I think I need to get him a feed bag) and Little Brother got cold and tired again (maybe I need to get the windscreen). Little Brother did some great screaming to remind everyone within earshot (for him, it's about a 2 mile radius) that I'm a horrible mother and am torturing them terribly. We stopped about three more times on the way back for various needs and about 5 miles from home, both boys fell fast asleep. It was a pretty cute sight. For a moment, life was quiet and peaceful, just Mundo and I, enjoying the ride. 

Overall, lovely day was had by all. We saw jack rabbits, turkeys, deer, and more squirrels than we could count. We had some great conversations about trains. We got fresh air and beautiful Spring weather. The Yepp Mini held up fantastically. It supports Little Brother better and he doesn't slump as far over when he sleeps. He can, however, reach my computer and press the buttons so that is another issue to resolve. I'm hoping to get a couple more big rides in this week but the weather is iffy. Nothing ruins a ride quicker than cold, grumpy children. Note to self: more layers and a feed bag for the big kid. Speaking of feed bags, I might have a pre-bedtime snack to tide me over until morning.