Earlier this spring my 9-year-old decided to learn to ride a bike. I'm not exactly sure what brought on her determination to learn but with her firecracker personality, it took only a few days to develop the skill. Her older sister, not wanting to feel left out, learned how to ride in short order as well.
Not long after, the kids became quite vocal about only being allowed to ride around the yard and driveway and that my husband and I should find some bikes to ride with them. Neither of us had ever been real keen on bikes since we both grew up in big urban cities with plenty of roadway hazards to be concerned about. But we decided we should help the kids explore their new found interest and teach them about riding safely. Within the week, we each acquired a bike to ride.
Not feeling my kids were steady enough to venture on to the roadways just yet, I solicited advice on my KidTracks blog (outdoors.mainetoday.com/children/kidtracks) about off-road bike paths that were paved. The Androscoggin River Bike Path in Brunswick was enthusiastically suggested and since we had never been there - and it wasn't too far away - we decided to give it a try.
ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER BIKE PATH
Equipped with snacks, water bottles, a picnic blanket and first aid kit nestled in our bike baskets, we set off on the bike path from the Brunswick trail head on Water Street.
The path was smooth without many hills and the bike lane (yeah, the bikes have a lane separate from the foot traffic and that was great) was wide enough to accommodate the girls' occasional swerving as they worked on their steering correction technique.
But after spending years encouraging the kids to look around and enjoy nature, I found that bit of parental advice caused a serious problem while bike riding. They spent too much time being distracted with the natural world and repeatedly forgot to look where they were going.
For instance, a lone caterpillar had wondered on to the paved bike path and my 9-year-old saw it and stopped short because she did not want run over it. Her abrupt stop had me jamming on my brakes to avoid running in to her. When I explained that it was important to signal to the riders behind you that you're planning to stop she heatedly replied, "I couldn't mom, I had to save her before anyone ran her over!"
Being a parent means navigating the messy world of double standards.
But this demonstrated one of the many reasons why I felt my kids were not yet ready for the roadway. Though the busy Route 1 traffic behind a guardrail and chain link fence on the path made for a good lesson on the volume, sound and speed of traffic.
We continued our ride after the caterpillar rescue and before we knew it, we had traveled the full 2.6 mile distance to the trail head in Topsham. We found a small pond brimming with croaking frogs so the kids parked their bikes and went over to take a closer look.
On the way back we found a great shady spot on the grass along the river for our picnic. We lingered after eating to review hand signals before heading back to the car.
The car ride home was full of chatter about how much fun the Brunswick path was and the anticipation of exploring the Portland Trails the next day.
It took a little extra planning on my part to map out a route on the Portland trails that avoided roadway bike lanes but still offered at least a 2-3 mile ride. I settled on a portion of the Back Cove that linked to the Eastern Prom trail because not only did it stay clear of the road, the parking at the Back Cove was easy and free.
BACK COVE/EASTERN PROM TRAILS
Although it is not paved, the Back Cove trail's stone dust was easy to ride on. The kids commented that there were more hills in Portland but nothing they had much trouble with. And although the sites were different than Brunswick, there was still lots too look at and distract them.
When we spotted the graffiti wall I suggested we walk our bikes past it so we could take a closer look at the designs. Then we stopped again to read a sign about the aeration process at the wastewater treatment plant. After seeing the roiling brown water, the kids opted to get back on their bikes. They were not as interested in lingering there.
Picnic benches were scattered around the East End Beach and we settled on one at the top of the hill overlooking the beach. The gross-out factor about the treatment plant was discussed before my 9-year-old pulled out her Bird Identiflyer to help her identify the bird songs we heard. That birding device never fails to entertain the kids and my 9-year-old is getting more accurate every day without the aid of the device.
We took a detour to Fort Allen Park to see the cannon before returning to the main trail and back to the car.
The kids really enjoyed both the Brunswick and Portland bike trails, not only because they were smooth and easy but because there was plenty to see along the way. And the pride they felt at the mileage they covered each afternoon was a real self-esteem boost too. For me, it was easy on the blood pressure. I think my novice bike riders will be ready for the roadway soon but I would not be too disappointed if they wanted to stick to the bike trails. They really were a lot of fun.
NEED TO KNOW
Trail name: Androscoggin River Bike Path Nearest Town: Brunswick
Region: Mid-coast
Difficulty: Beginner
Mileage: 2.6 miles one way (not a looping trail)
Trail Head: We parked on the Brunswick trail head is at the end of Water Street, just past the Water Street Boat Landing
Bathrooms: Porta-Potty at Brunswick Trail head and one on trail
Other: Bike Path Website
Trail name: Back Cove, Eastern Prom trails
Nearest Town: Portland
Region:Greater Portland
Difficulty: Beginner
Mileage: varies
Trail Head: We parked at the Back Cove trail head on Preble Street Extension.
Bathrooms: Porta-Potty at Back Cove trail head and bathrooms at East End Beach
Other: Portland Trails Website
Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, May 2007
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