Sorry for the big gap between posts. I've been working up in Natomas teaching Project Ride Smart to a fun group of 5th graders. It's made life a little extra crazy these days but is so worth it. I love that job. During this three week contract, I also somehow managed to book up my weekends--last weekend I volunteered to assist at an LCI seminar. This weekend was our first official Sac Kidical Mass campout at Gibson Ranch Park. 

Last year, we threw together a longer trip up to Negro Bar in Folsom but because of the distance and hills, the trip was less accessible for new bike campers and families. This trip was a flat 13 miles that mostly followed bike path until the last few miles of rural roads. We had 20 people for our adventure, many of whom had never been bike camping, yet. 

We managed to get to Gibson Ranch in about 3 hours, just above the 4 mph average we accounted for. It was a lovely, quiet route that was mostly free of traffic and road bikers. Perfect for our heavily-ladened riders and the solo kiddos who kept trucking along. 

We had a beautiful shady spot and could spread out all over the lawn. The central tables were immediately covered in food and the adults rested and refueled while the children ran around. 

One of my favorite parts of bike camping with a group is checking out all the different and awesome set-ups people have. 

As the sun went down, the neighboring wedding party cranked up the music and the large Boy Scout group turned on a movie, something about going to space camp. It was noisy but I fell right to sleep. We were rained on a bit throughout the night. Good thing we had such a sturdy group of campers! Even though we were relatively close to home, no one called for back up in the middle of the night. I consider that a success! 

There were more sprinkles on the way home but I didn't hear any complaints, not even from the adults! We bypassed the playground and lunch stop to get home quicker (although we lost a couple to Thrift Town at the end of the journey). Our riders peeled away toward their own homes as we rolled off the bike trail. 

We had a great group of riders and a very successful trip. A huge thank you goes out to Keith, Melissa, and Jarrod for all their planning and preparations! I can't wait for the next Sac Kidical Mass Campout! 

What better way to spend the Fouth Of July than going on a weekend bike trip? I had planned on heading up one of my favorite routes to Lake Solano with an overnight at the West Sacramento KOA to make for a shorter day on Saturday. It was going to be warm this weekend but not terrible and although the Lake Solano campground had been booked for weeks, they have a hike/bike site that is first-come-first-served. I figured that in the worst-case scenario, I'd just try to ask another camper if they would share their site. 

Since I was riding without the kiddos, I decided to swap up my cargo routine and try out my dad's Burley Travoy. He's been getting tons of use out of it by going shopping and delivering large packages, kids' bikes, or dehydrators to me across town. I'd never tested it out before and was incredibly impressed. Although I had overpacked, the trailer still rolled really smoothly. It was especially nice to be able to pop the trailer off the bike and cart the gear into the cabin or roll it around the farmer's market without worrying about leaving it in the way or in danger of being stolen. 

As I reached the Guy West Bridge on the American River Parkway, I noticed big black plumes of smoke filling the sky. Sadly, the ARP is regularly plagued by brush fires--sometimes due to arson or illegal camping/cooking along the levee. They were able to fully contain this fire after closing off the bike trail for a few hours. The excessive heat and drought has made the area extremely susceptible to brush- and wildfires. Of course, the fireworks display at Cal Expo was still allowed to go on. Can't let a fire put a damper on freedom, right? 

The night at the KOA was surprisingly pleasant, despite the full campground (kampground)? I was so glad to have been nice and cozy in a cabin (kabin?) instead of in a tent super close to all the partying that was going down. 

In the morning, I received a text from my dad mentioning a fire out near Winters. There wasn't much information about it, yet, except that it was near Lake Solano and they had already evacuated some of the rural homes and resorts up the highway from the campground. Sure enough, you could see the smoke-filled sky stretching over the hills. After a nice long recharge stop at the Davis farmer's market, I continued up to Winters to see if camping would still be an option. 

The Winters community center had been set up as an evacuation site for the Red Cross and highway 128 was closed off about four miles from Lake Solano. It was hot and dry and windy, a terrible combination for fighting fires. Getting that close made my eyes and lungs burn so it was time to turn back. A refueling stop at Steady Eddy's was just what was needed before retracing back to Davis. Even with the headwind and lack of shade, it was a really enjoyable ride. The Amtrak train showed up right on time and made for an easy trip over the causeway and home to Sacramento. Things didn't quite go as planned this weekend but it was still a wonderful adventure. 

My thoughts go out to the firefighters out in dangerous conditions trying to contain the flames and to the people who have been displaced and are at risk of losing their homes. It's another reminder that we are living in a severe drought where even the tiniest spark can tear through thousands of acres in a flash. 

We finally made it out to the famous Breakfast Club rides that meet every few weeks over at Edible Pedal. This Sunday, they had arranged to ride over to a local farm, Hanks Hens & All Things Good in Rio Linda. It was about a 13 mile ride from the shop and it started around 8am. This morning, it was especially rough getting out of the house. There were missing shoes, sleepy children, a sick Jose. We finally got rolling at 7:55am and Jose had to turn back a few blocks in because he realized he couldn't make it. As we pulled up, sure that we had missed all the fun, we were greeted by John of Edible Pedal who kindly told us the rest of the group was just next door lounging around in Old Soul. 

There ended up being about 20-30 others on the ride, most of whom I had seen on other rides or knew of through mutual bikey friends. They were very welcoming of our crazy Bullitt-mobile and kidlets. Our ride was mainly along the Sacramento Northern bike trail and was kept at a nice, casual pace--not slow but not overwhelming to keep up with, even with our loaded bike. We had a great time chatting with the gang and enjoying the peaceful morning. 

We turned off the trail and were suddenly at a little farm, just a few blocks away. There were chickens running around and mama sheep with their lambs checking us out. This was where the real fun began. Our hosts were extremely welcoming and had set out tables and chairs, chatting and showing us around as everyone settled in. Food was pulled out of panniers and began to adorn the tables. A few of the riders fired up their stoves and within minutes, yummy things were sizzling--bacon, chimichurri rice, eggs, poached eggs in salsa, veggies with steak--it was a feast! The boys were thrilled to be running around, free from the bike for a little while. 

After everyone was sufficiently stuffed, our hosts took us on a tour of the farm. They have a great greenhouse with veggies sprouting up everywhere and seven little lambs, all less than a month old. The boys even got to bottle-feed one of the triplets! 

Just as the kids were starting to lose their marbles, the group was ready to head back. The wind had picked up and, of course, it was a headwind the whole way back--except for the times it was blustering from the side. Because we had the cover, the boys were nice and warm but we were struggling to cut through the gusts. 

Besides the wind, we got some heavy misty showers but since the boys were warm and I was sweating, it didn't matter. Little Brother started fussing on the way home but fell asleep shortly after their fight over the water bottles. 

We had a wonderful 30 mile day today that ended peacefully--it helps to eat well on a long day. I'm already looking forward to our next Breakfast Club ride and starting to think of ways I can step up my cooking skills and show up with something better than baguettes. 

We finally moved back indoors because the boys took a trip to the Bay Area to visit family. Jose borrowed my parents' car because it's such a hassle to bring kids and carseats and have to depend on the train/bus schedules and routes. So this weekend, it was just Zorro and me. I stayed in bed until 11:30am to compensate for the rough nights in the tent. 

Last week, our Blaq Designs weather protector arrived from Splendid Cycles! It is even more beautiful than I had imagined! It came minimally packaged with simple instructions so it was up within 10 minutes. 

The boys were so excited when they saw it! They couldn't quite figure out how to get in at first. Little Brother climbed through the back under than handlebars and took a header into the box before I could grab him. Big Brother was more cautious and waited until I unsnapped the side before he climbed in. One side is harder to clip in so we usually load/unload on the other side. 

Sadly, there hasn't been any real rain to protect the boys from but it is nice to have in the chilly/windy mornings. I even notice a difference on my hands since they're tucked under the roof. It's the perfect width to allow for turning, even including my mirror. 

One nice bonus is that it allows for extra cargo in the box without it falling over the sides. I like not worrying about the boys dropping things in the road, too. 

Today, I was spending the day giving lots of attention to our sweet doggie so we walked the 3 miles to the dog park for him to run around. Since my parents live close by and our Bullitt was still there from Jose picking up the car, I thought I'd try getting Zorro in the bike for his first time. Zorro is a very neurotic dog. He's a border collie mix with some PTSD from his previous life. We love him but he's nuts. Last time I tried to take him for a bike ride, it didn't end very well.

It took a lot of treats and encouragement for him to be willing to get inside the box and he wasn't ready to relax enough for a ride but he stayed inside while I walked the bike down the block. Because the cover was on, he kept trying to stick his face out the back opening. A few times, I could tell he wanted to bail but I kept him in with more treats. 

After our little walk, I realized we wouldn't be able to get all the way home like this so I turned back around and went back to my folks'. We got him to be able to jump in and out of the box on command (without the cover) but he still wouldn't relax enough to lay down and for me to trust him enough to ride with him. Overall, he did amazingly well for his first attempt! A few more boxes of treats and I think we'll be ready to move! 

While we don't have a polar vortex outside, it's still been chilly at night--usually about 30-35 degrees. Since this is much colder than we've ever gone camping in with the kids, it's been hard to get my nerve up and give camping a go. It's especially frustrating because the afternoons have been so beautiful and warm about 65 degrees. Big Brother was actually the one who thought backyard camping would be fun--"I know where we can camp AND had a bathroom!" This actually sounded like a great idea because if we realized our gear wasn't up to the weather, I'd rather be 50 feet from the backdoor and not 50 miles. So yesterday at dusk, we set up the big tent (our 4 person one as opposed to our 2 person Hubba Hubba).  

We are borrowing a Thermarest from my mom, who actually doesn't remember that it's hers at this point, and I have an older 3/4 length one from over 10 years ago that was a gift. A few years ago, I picked up one on my own at an REI sale but it got a burn hole on one of it's first trips out when Jose took it to BeerFest. I tried patching it once but used the wrong material that turned out to be porous. On our trip to REI yesterday, I picked up some specific Thermarest patches but it hadn't dried in time for us to head outside (*update on the patching--the kit has, so far, been useless. The patch curls up around the edges and the glue gets everywhere. I'm on my third attempt and it's involving duct tape). Instead, I brought out our  two newer Cat's Meow sleeping bags to use as a mat for me and I slept in my older (12 years) Cat's Meow. The boys both had their wonderful Deuter Little Star and Starlight bags, Big Brother on the longer mat and Little Brother on the shorter. 

The boys were thrilled to be outside in their sleeping bags and for a few minutes, this is what it looked like inside the tent: 

But then they quickly calmed down to this: 

And within about five minutes, they were silent. I was so proud! I, however, lay awake until about midnight. I was surprisingly comfortable because I had my cheapo airline u-shaped pillow that I picked up on my way to somewhere and have hated carting around ever since. This might actually work out well as a camping pillow. I was hyperaware of every movement and noise the boys made. I worried about them being too cold or uncomfortable or having to wake up to pee as the temperature dropped. When I checked my phone around 11:30pm, it said it was still 50 degrees but about to get to 36 within the next few hours. 

I tossed and turned, Little Brother fussed in his sleep a few times, Big Brother was silent. At some point, Little Brother sat up and said "Mama, I'm cold" so I scooped him up into my bag and took over his 3/4 Thermarest. The sleeping pad made a HUGE difference in my warmth. The sleeping bags just didn't cut it as insulation. Since we had the extra bags, I used them as additional warmth because Little Brother was flailing around in my bag and it was difficult to keep us both covered. An extra bonus was when Little Brother's diaper leaked and he ended up soaked. I took his pajama bottoms off and kept the diaper because I didn't have an extra in the tent. Big Brother, on the other hand, stayed snug in his bag, he never woke up except once to pee, and he never complained.


Of course, Little Brother was the first to wake up around 7am with a loud "IT'S MORNING NOW!" Big Brother stayed cuddled up inside is bag but awoke with a smile. We didn't stay in the tent long, it was nice to run back to the house for a warm breakfast and the heater. This was the perfect way to figure out what we still need to be happy campers. I was surprised at how comfortable we all seemed, however I don't think we can try to share two pads for the three of us longterm. The pillow is coming with me camping forever now. I'm also rethinking my original plan of using the smaller tent and stuffing us inside instead of carrying the extra weight for more room. The morning was pretty foggy and the bags that had been touching the tent walls were soaked. I realized that if we want to bring our gear inside during our tent AND be comfortable, the Hubba Hubba isn't going to work. Also, I don't plan on bringing three sleeping bags just for myself but I'll be using one of the newer bags because the older one has been pretty compressed and probably isn't as warm anymore. It will be good to have warmer nights during our Whine & Chocolate epic bike adventure. 

I just asked Big Brother what he thought about camping and he did say that he was "sad that no one was cuddling" him and that he had been cold but when I asked if he wanted to camp out again tonight he lit up and said "YES!" Pretty soon, we're going to be pros! Next step will be how to fit all this stuff on the Mundo and keep it upright! Even though I didn't get much sleep last night, I'm surprised that I'm not actually tired (I think I'm usually more tired and sore when I sleep inside). We'll see how it lasts throughout the day it's probably good that we're having a quiet day anyway. 

We made it through the big cold spell without much bother. I'm pretty sure the drivers complained more about the cold than we did. I always think it's funny when people give us so much credit for riding around in the winter. After a few minutes of biking, I'm usually sweating. Drivers are the ones who have it rough--having to wait for the heater to kick on, taking off the kids' jackets to fit in the carseats, getting out of the car just as their bodies have adjusted to the warmth. Sounds like hard work to me! Riding certainly helps us keep the heat down in the house because we come in from the cold and it feels toasty warm already. 

Our California winter means that sometimes we have to dress like this: 

And sometimes like this: 

Sometimes we resort to this: 

Big Brother found a great way to keep his eyes from watering: 

We see this guy riding along our route home on the wrong side of the street and on the sidewalk. I keep wanting to ask him why he does it but I don't have the nerve. He has a nice bike, a Cannondale road bike, and he rides for at least 3 long blocks on roads with clear bike lanes. My guess is that he eventually makes a left turn and he doesn't want to do that across traffic. It's amazing to me the variation in comfort-levels people have while riding. I just want to scream at him "It's not legal and it's not safer on the sidewalk!" He's obviously not doing it to be a jerk but he's not helping the bikers-as-scofflaws perception people have.  

In other news, here's a chicken on a bike: 

And here is a toy that my children will NEVER have the joy of playing: 

Here is a crappy bike parking situation at the downtown Embassy Suites hotel (they had wanted me to park at the racks on the waterfront and I said "Heck no!": 

And finally, in case you were wondering how our bike commuting is going, here's Big Brother rocketing along on his Isla Bike. He actually hasn't been riding as often because our morning timing often puts us way behind schedule these days. Also, one day he refused to ride because I couldn't find his black gloves and only had his blue mittens. Joys of parenting. 

It was chilly for us this morning at about 30 degrees Fahrenheit and in typical Bustamante family fashion, we were "pretty much" prepared.  

Yesterday, I threw both boys in the Bullitt due to time and schedule issues as well as my laziness about dressing them for warmth. The whole ride was a mess of "he took the blanket!" "my face is cold!" and so on and on and on. Today, I finally got around to call Splendid Cycles to order our Blaq Designs cover. Sadly, they're still in production and will take a few weeks to get here. That's what I get for waiting for the last minute. 

Today, Big Brother got to ride his bike. He had his gloves, scarf, a couple layers of shirts, his big jacket, jeans, and his snow pants from last year that were smaller than I had expected. We pulled out the driveway and he immediately lost it emotionally. It was too hard to pedal with the big pants on. I kept urging him to keep moving but he wouldn't, he'd coast until he got really wobbly and then struggle to find his footing again. It quickly became a safety issue because he wasn't listening to me or reacting quickly enough. We pulled over and I took the pants off, leaving him with just his jeans. It was pretty frustrating considering how long it took us to get everything on him and then all the work to take them off again on the side of the road. Pretty silly to think we were only traveling less than a mile. He was totally happy once he could pedal again and then he just complained about his fingers being cold while he rode the rest of the way to school. 

Little Brother got the blanket to himself this morning, which made life much easier. He's still too little to really figure out how to get his thumbs in the thumb-holes so mittens are a much more feasible option for him. These are waterproof ones from last year. Under his warm jacket is his fleece jammy top because he woke up late and under the blanket, he's wearing flannel-lined pants that we got from a thrift store. He was okay on our way to school but as we headed back, he took his gloves off and immediately regretted it. I tried to get him to just keep his hands under the blanket but he wasn't having it and he fussed the whole 8 minutes back home. 

Lessons learned today: Buy the dang cargo canopy before the weather turns south! Also, make sure the layers fit and work before you actually need them. However, hot tea after a chilly ride fixes everything (except a loose BionX wire which I need to have Tim deal with as soon as he gets back from his fun Southern California vacation. I lost power 3 times on the way in to work and again once on the way home which was a bit more of a worry as the battery was also powering my lights! Luckily, I can pinpoint the offending wire and jiggle it enough to get rolling again). 

I ordered two pairs of thermal pants for Big Brother from Sierra Trading Post--they were about $5 each with an additional 30% discount. I also got the boys a fleece neck gaiter as well (~$6 each). I don't really like the idea of them wearing scarves, especially on the bike where it could get caught in something. This way, they can pull them up over their noses without them falling off or getting tangled. It's hard for me to justify really investing a lot of money into expensive winter gear because we don't need to use it much and most likely, it'll be too small by the following year. Sierra Trading Post had some nice inexpensive gear and if you sign up, you can get $10 off your first purchase (and I'll get $10 for referring you!) so go for it!