The great Eugene adventure!

The summer was almost over so I did what any rational and responsible mother would do--pack up the children and a giant bike and drive 10 hours north for a weekend camping trip the day before school starts. To be fair, this wasn't just an ordinary camping trip, this was the founding Kidical Mass's 4th annual bike camping overnight. The Eugene Kidical Mass's co-founder, Shane, had also arranged for us to stay with Bike Friday's president, Alan, and his wife Theresa! There was no way we'd miss out on such fun opportunities! 

On Thursday, my dad came by to help load up the Haul-a-Day. I had bought a new rear rack since the one we had was pretty old and the straps were brittle. I broke one on the last attempt at driving with the HaD and I didn't think it would survive such a long trip at freeway speeds. While I was at the bike shop, I asked about a top tube adapter for the rack. When I mentioned I had a Bike Friday, the guy handed me one from the shelf. Sadly, when I got it out of the case, I realized that it was going to be useless. It was too long and didn't clamp down. I decided to try the upside-down trick again but with more straps. 

I think I did a brilliant job! Ten hours later (yes, I drive slowly), the bike hadn't moved a centimeter. My boys are amazing travelers, both on the bike and in the car. This was no exception. Despite one initial freakout when Little Brother decided to unbuckle his seatbelt (lots of screaming followed), most of the time they played together and read books. 

We got into Eugene well after bedtime. The boys were really wound up but Alan welcomed us in and had set up a big tent in the backyard with nice foam mattresses. I was glad to not have to be cooped up in our tiny 2-person tent (yes, I know it's too small but I keep bringing it because I'm a weight weenie) for two extra nights. We also got to meet Fraeda, Alan and Theresa's daughter and also works at Bike Friday, who was busy building wheels on the couch. 

On Friday, we got a chance to visit Bike Friday (seems appropriate). I wanted them to take a look at the Haul-a-day and make any necessary adjustments. We got to meet some of the great folks there--Mike got right to work on our bike while Eamon took us for a tour around the shop. It is amazing back there! Just about every aspect of Bike Friday building/servicing/production goes on in that tiny but very organized warehouse. We even bumped into Alan who was working on a front frame-mounted basket that I could use for the camping trip. I feel like we are now a part of this awesome club! I cannot say enough about how friendly everyone is and how incredibly hard-working they are! 

While the team was bending over backward for us, I took my hooligans out to run down some of the residual crazies from the drive. They sure had a lot of crazy left over. Luckily Eugene has some beautiful paths. I was sorry that we didn't have more time to explore. 

Such a beautiful sight. Sigh.

Pretty! I saw at least 6 Haul-a-Days on Friday. Where else does that happen?

Look, we're Bike Friday Famous!

Packing up the crazy. Wait...where's the Little Crazy? Up to no good, I'm sure!

The rest of Friday was spent hanging out with the MacRhodes clan and picking Shane's brain about Kidical Masses and bike stuff while the kids biked and played as children should. 

Fast friends and Isla Bike twinsies!

Ready for some street-play but waiting patiently at the limit line while Shane gets the safety cone.

We got back to our "campsite" to find Alan working on our Haul-a-Day until 10pm just to make sure our front basket would work. That's what I call dedication and fantastic customer service! 

The frame mount was unpainted but totally functional and very useful! Thanks, Alan!!!

The next morning we packed up the Haul-a-Day. I was surprised at how much the bike could handle and how easily it all fit. I was worried that it'd be cramped since I hadn't tested it out and it's smaller than the Mundo (and we usually fill the Mundo up to capacity). We packed fairly lightly and Big Brother was on his own bike but there was still plenty of room when we were loaded up. 

We met up with Shane's crew to get to the starting point for the ride--a parade! It was great to be able to go with someone who knows the way since I would have been lost on my own. 

Sacramento represents!

This is probably the best photo I've ever taken.

The MacRhodes and Bustamante clans.

Family bike campers unite! I started to worry that I hadn't brought enough stuff...

The parade was fun but it was tiring to go at such a slow speed. I was really thankful for the reflective vests because it made spotting my renegade child much easier. It was great to get a chance to check out the other families' set-ups and meet some more awesome people. I think we had about 60 people in our group. 

My adorable boys. Little Brother got a little too wrapped up in the parade attention and after doing wheelies and weaving around the group, he decided to break free and check out the floats ahead of us. I finally caught up to him about 6 floats up. It was quite an entertaining chase (for everyone else watching).

Hey, it's Sami's crew!!!

After the parade, we had a quick lunch before we packed back up and headed out toward the campground. 

It was about a nine mile ride with a few stops for water, snacks, and playtime. Big Brother rode his bike the entire way and was really great about following directions. The Haul-a-Day felt wonderful to ride, even loaded down. Family biking always seems to be a slow journey but that's often what makes it extra fun--there's always time to check out the scenery and chat with whomever you happen to be next to. 

The campground was beautiful. There was a river just down a little trail and plenty of shade. The kids took over the road with their bikes and striders. We had a potluck dinner with an amazing amount of food that just seemed to keep appearing. 

It was nice to be around other families so we didn't feel like the only ones who have children who wake up at the slightest hint of daylight. All the kids were ready to get back onto their bikes and roll around in the dirt some more. There was a pancake feast then we packed up a bit early to head back to the car for the long drive home. I would have like to have been able to stay longer and enjoy the leisureliness of Kidical Camping but I also didn't want to be stuck driving late into the wee hours of the morning. We met so many great people and the boys made so many new friends. I think we're going to have to make the trip up again next year! Thanks, Eugene Kidical Massers!  

No, we're not on the sidewalk. This is an elevated cycle track!

Emma was kind enough to lead us home along a more direct route. We got a chance to experience Eugene's river path and Big Brother made it back the entire way (with a little coaxing and chocolate chip bribery). 

Back at the car, Theresa helped me load the bike back up and pack up our stinky gear. We made it on the road around noon. We were all pretty worn out from the long weekend adventures and our fuses were shorter than what we had started with. Luckily, we still had plenty of snacks and books. I'm pretty sure that Big Brother didn't stop talking for at least eight hours straight. Little Brother thankfully took a long nap. 

Even better loading job! I'm getting really good at this and probably should go on more trips.

The boys were asleep when we pulled up to our house and stayed asleep all night. I threw them into their beds and decided we'd deal with the dirt in the morning. 

My chipper kiddos were up bright and early as usual. Big Brother was excited to start Kindergarten and was especially happy about his new cycling gloves that Theresa and Alan had given him. He didn't want to take them off when he got to school! 

We had such a wonderful time! It was totally worth the long drive and exhaustion to get the opportunity to meet new friends and ride around Eugene. I look forward to coming up to visit again. Hopefully next time by train*! 

*I should mention that while I would have loved to take the train more than anything, tickets cost about 4x more than what it cost for us to drive and the long train trip would have cut into our already minimal amount of time.