Comments on: Bike camping at Stub Stewart State Park with kids

By: A Beginner’s Guide to Bike Camping

A Beginner’s Guide to Bike Camping — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:55:38 +0000

[...] Bike camping at Stub Stewart State Park with kids [...]

By: No

No — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:42:54 +0000

@Ron – A far better example to give the children is to not worry about a helmet and show that cycling is as safe as many other aspects of life.

By: Erik Sandblom

Erik Sandblom — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:15:09 +0000

Ron, thanks for sharing your story.

Bicycle helmets are sometimes controversial. The European Cyclists’ Federation is against helmet promotion. You can read about that in their brochure:
http://ecf.com/3675_1

You can also find lots of information on the subject at http://www.cyclehelmets.org

Happy cycling!

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:55:30 +0000

You should also just pass on propaganda to your children as truth whenever you hear it, rather than presenting your child with a world where they can evaluate choices and make their own. We don’t need people who can think for themselves.

Dutch grannies would think you’re a bit silly for wearing a helmet, I’d guess. None of them did, or do now.

Sorry, if that’s a bit too snide of a comment, you can delete it :)

By: Ron Grandia

Ron Grandia — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:15:07 +0000

Touring and camping with kids is a GREAT way to spend time with your children! I’ve toured with my 13 year old son, and taken my 10 year old daughter on her first overnighter this year. Magic!

Having kids on their own bikes is a different experience than what you describe, though. When they are done, they are DONE, and you’d better be where you need to be. My daughter’s first trip was 30 miles, which I thought was just the right amount of challenge. Unfortunately, our planned departure day was brutally hot, and I completely underestimated the inclines of the last 4 miles to camp.

She complained a lot, gave up more than once, but we were out of cell range to call for Mom in the family escape pod. We HAD to get there. We rested and snacked our way incrementally up the hill. While I never would have chosen to drag her through that kind of hardship, I was very pleased to see her dig deep and push through.

She’s pretty proud of herself.

PS. Love the “Oma,” but even Dutch grannies know that you should wear your helmet – especially around kids.

By: Lucy

Lucy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:14:47 +0000

Greetings greetings— I was observing the blog entry re: bike camping with the kids, and I saw that a gorgeous mint bike had GIRAFFE PANNIERS. WHERE CAN I GET ME HANDS ON THOSE? Please if you can help direct me to their origin. Thank you so much.
Cheerio,
Lucy
Enjoy the day!

By: Todd (admin)

Todd (admin) — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:39:05 +0000

Ray, I last camped on Angel Island 5 years ago. You could certainly bike to the site then. I would check with a more currently informed source if in doubt.

By: Tomaso S

Tomaso S — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:56:31 +0000

“Iâ€™m a little bit skeptical of how meaningful is the real locomotive assistance provided by most young kids (and sometimes adults!) in arrangements like this.”

Since I have a similar setup (family of five on two tandems and a single rider trail-a-bike), I’ll offer an opinion. How much? Well, more than if they didn’t have pedals at all.

On level ground, my four year old can power the whole rig. On an incline (up) my oldest son can kick in enough power so that I can’t keep up with him and his mom (even though I’m a much stronger cyclist than either one.) Of course, CAN does not mean DOES. The question is how to get everyone to do “their fair share”. My answer, so far, is not to sweat it too much, but to call upon their help when you need it most (going up hill) and to try to get the kids to compete against each other (“Hey, let’s pass your brother”) especially at the end of a ride when Mom and Dad have already done their “fair share.”

Of course, “fair share” or not, there is no doubt we can cover moreground on our two rigs than we could with single bikes and trailers.

By: Ray

Ray — Mon, 25 May 2009 04:33:06 +0000

Hi Todd. I plan to camp on Angel Island next week to celebrate my 55th birthday!
We plan to take our bikes as well. From what I’ve read so far I’m not sure if we’re allowed to take the bikes to our campsite… but will have to walk in nearly 2 miles. We will be on the eastern side site, site # 1. Do you know if we are able to bike to it? From the maps I’ve come across it sure seems feasible, just not sure if it’s officially OK.

Also luv My Life in the Bush of Ghosts!

-Ray

By: Lance

Lance — Mon, 25 May 2009 03:27:55 +0000

So my wife and I just took this trip. It was really fun. I love how you felt very welcome and that there were very few autos. Are there any others that feel as comfortable as this and similar distance/difficulty? Anybody heard of Oxbow Park, http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Gresham-MAX-to-Oxbow-Park?