Learning to Ride

Family bike ride on Hilton Head Island

A vacation is a great time to try new things. For my brother, it was where he learned how to ride a bicycle. For him, this was a challenge and resulted in a few misadventures. When we were in Hilton Head Island, SC., my parents thought this would be the ideal environment because the island is flat. 

My dad loosed his training wheels, gave my brother encouragement, and we began our ride. An hour in, Jordan thought the wheels were too loose and couldn’t ride any further; his solution was to bail into a ditch. He fell so badly that he left skid marks in the grass and broke his bike. The sod was freshly laid, so here we were, trying to cover up tread marks, pick up the broken bicycle, all before someone saw us. Jordan had to walk back until my dad was able to purchase a toolkit to repair the bike. Eventually we made it back to the resort without further incidents.

Summer vacation in Orillia

This wasn’t my brother’s first fall, he had bailed into ditches twice before this. Once earlier that day for not wanting to cross a bridge over a swamp and another time for going too fast down a hill.

Jordan eventually learned how to ride but I think my parents should have reviewed some of these bicycle tips first. It could have prevented some injuries along the way. Also, always carry a toolkit, you never know when you may need it.

Jordan riding on the beach at Hilton Head