Kennebec River Rail Trail - a great ride

The Kennebec River Rail Trail is a great, family-friendly biking trail and well worth the investment of a bike rack for the car to get your family there for some riding. We started out at Capital City Park in Augusta, about a mile into the trail (the trail starts at Old Fort Western) and headed towards Hallowell. About 1/2 mile into the trip Fino had a problem with one of his bike's tires. Since G. had taken over his bike because she outgrew the one she used last year (she's been growing like a weed!), Fino rebuilt an old bike he found at the town dump over the winter. Luckily he brought along the bike pump and filled the tire and didn't have any other problems with it. Since I'm still paranoid about taking the kids riding on the street (moms are entitled to a few hangups about their kid's safety right?), we walked our bikes through downtown Hallowell and enjoyed some window shopping. The road is narrow through this area (and no bike lane through part of it) but it only runs about 1/2 mile before the off-road trail starts up again. I got a little worried walking through Hallowell that we would miss where to pick up the off-road trail again, but it was clearly marked. We made a few stops to look around on the trail, including a spot where a brook ran into the river that L. insisted we stop to admire. Since there are trains that use the rails along this trail, there are quite a few signs where bikers need to stop and look before crossing. We biked to the end of the trail in Gardiner, which was a shopping plaza with Hannaford, Subway and a few other eateries and shops. We packed our lunch but it was great to have a couple of options to use a bathroom at that point. We had spotted the Hi-Hat Diner in Farmingdale on our way down so we decided after lunch we had to get some onion rings on our way back to Augusta. They were tasty and cost under $3 and was a fun stop. With less than two miles to go, L. started to complain that she was tired (after biking almost ten miles at that point, we were all starting to get a little winded!) so I suggested a short stop at the Maine State Museum after we packed up the bikes. That perked her right up. The kids absolutely LOVE that place and it was just across the street from Capital City Park. And as luck would have it, there was a special curator's program happening that day that the kids enjoyed. We also admired the gemstones and the other geology and nature exhibits (the girls are studying geology right now) at the museum. After both Fino and I nearly nodded off watching one of the short exhibit films, we decided it was definitely time to head home. The kids begged to stay claiming that they were not tired even though I could tell they were. Promises were made to return again soon. Like the Adroscoggin River Bike Path, this trail is almost completely paved (there's a small portion between Augusta and Hallowell that is packed gravel) and a great place to ride with your family. Below is a GPS track of the trail that we took during our ride yesterday. The biking crew in front of the Kennebec River in Hallowell. TRAIL REVIEW Trail: Kennebec River Rail Trail, which is part of the East Coast Greenway that connects trails from Maine to Florida Length: 6.5 miles one way Terrain: Mostly paved (approx. 1/2 mile between Augusta and Hallowell is packed gravel) Trail use: Walking, biking Towns: Augusta, Hallowell, Farmingdale, Gardiner Trail head: There are several access points to this trail. Capital City Park in Augusta and Hannaford shopping plaza in Gardiner are the main points of entry with plenty of parking. Bathroom: There are nearby businesses at both trail heads that have public bathrooms. There are also public bathrooms in downtown Hallowell. Dog-friendly: Yes, on a leash Kid Rating: Both girls gave this trail 5 stars (on a scale of 1-the worst to 5-the best). 12-year-old: "I liked the bike path because it was smooth. There were not many people on the trail when we were there so it made it really easy for us to ride. I also liked passing by all the pretty shops in Hallowell." 10-year-old: "The pavement was easy to ride on and I liked the railroad track crossings. I liked the wooden bridge with the brook under it. I also liked stopping for onion rings at the Hi-Hat Diner, I just wish I got more onion rings!" Trail Map: Kennebec River Rail Trail at EveryTrailMap created by EveryTrail:Share GPS tracks

Surprise on the trail

Yesterday we had to do some overdue maintenance on a geocache we had hidden on the Nature Trail at Kiwanis Beach in Standish. A geocacher who had visited the location in March told us that the plastic container was cracked and needed to be replaced. Since I had been meaning to replace our old containers with ammo boxes anyway (they stand up to the elements much better over the years and cost about the same as a large plastic container), I had one on hand. But when the girls and I went to the trail a few weeks ago, the snow was still really deep (and cared not to make a repeat performance of sinking in the snow in my boots) so we couldn't change the boxes then. So yesterday, even after so many days of warm temperatures, I was surprised to see there was still quite a bit of snow out on that trail. We did however make it to the cache location in our sneakers and replaced the box. I guess a warm rainfall is needed to melt away the last of the lingering snow... but I'm not wishing for that. We're having way too much fun on our bikes right now to give up a day for rain!

Her father's daughter

The girls' 4-H shooting sports club held an open house yesterday at the gun club to introduce other kids and families to target shooting. (I had forgotten all about it until Fino reminded me or I would have posted the info here.) After the kids shot a round, the parents were encouraged to try it. L. was eager to be my helper. She took care of my bullets and helped me load each in to the gun and extract the casing afterwards (I honest to Pete had no idea how to do that at first). Fino of course was in his glory along with several other dads. I was not the only female on the range (my friend Sarah, a former 4-H shooting club member, was there too) but I was the only one who needed assistance from their child. L. relished her time as the expert and explained to me that the bullet block is set up like the target. Each bullet is shot towards it's corresponding target. And I realized quickly that even with a scope, it is not so easy to hit each target. I completely missed four black circles on my target and only managed to hit two anywhere near the center (the closest was the second ring out). But it was actually more fun to shoot than I thought it would be even if I'm not very good at it. L., on the other hand, was asked to shoot with a different gun yesterday because hers was needed for a smaller boy who had come to the open house. But she was a good sport about it and had Fino beaming with pride once he saw her target after she shot with that larger, heavier gun. It looks like shooting sports will be in L.'s future for some time. For me, I'm glad I gave it a whirl but I'll leave the weekly trips to the gun club next fall to Fino. In this respect, she is her father's daughter. L. teaching her mom about target shooting

The Androscoggin River bike path

Here are my 11 reasons why the Androscoggin River Bike Path is a great place to visit. 1. You can meet up with old - and new - friends to enjoy a glorious spring day. 2. We had girls 6- to 12-years-old in our group yesterday and no one had a hard time peddling the length (2.7 miles one way) of this trail. 3. There are plenty of scenic spots to stop for a water break. 4. There are only a couple of hills on the path and the larger one tops out over a bridge that the kids think is cool. 5. After biking nearly three miles, your kids will declare that they are not too tired to run around and play on the church playground's round-about. And that will force you to spend some time coaxing them to sit down and eat their lunch. 6. A porta-potty at both ends of the trail make the necessary breaks with kids very convenient. 7. You can feel OK about each biker setting their own pace and not getting lost on the trail. 8. The boat launch can be a fun spot to cool off after five miles of bike riding but the kids in my group will warn you that the river in mid-April is icy cold. 9. You can be silly by waving and yelling to your friend's grandma who lives across the river and not care that she can't hear or see you. 10. You can find a hidden treasure (aka a geocache) after a tricky hike through the woods (that could have been simpler if you started off at the mill parking lot instead of Water Street) about a half mile beyond the trail head. 11. You can spend four hours with six girls, bike more than six miles then hike another half mile and think you could have stayed longer. TRAIL REVIEW Trail: Androscoggin River Bike Path Length: 2.6 miles one way Terrain: Paved Towns: Brunswick, Topsham Trail head: Main trail head and parking is located at the end of Water Street in Brunswick. There is an entrance at the end of Grover Lane (near Cook's Corner) as well as a connection to Topsham via the Coastal Connector Bridge. Bathroom: There is and outhouse approximately 1/4 mile from the trail head (on Water Street) and the other about 1/2 mile from the end (near Cook's Corner). Dog-friendly: No Kid Rating: Both girls gave this trail 5 stars (on a scale of 1-the worst to 5-the best). 12-year-old: "The path is nice and smooth. I liked the roundabout at the playground at the end of the trail." 10-year-old: "I liked the roundabout at the playground. It was fun. I liked stopping for a picnic on the trail. I liked the bridge too and going down the hill."

Roasted potatoes: bulk cooking recipes

Roasted potatoes are easy to make and a favorite at our house so we make them in bulk for leftovers. They go with all kinds of meat (chicken, burgers, pork roast, sausages, etc.) so you can vary your meals during the week without having to make multiple side dishes every night. Roasted Potatoes 10-pound bag red potatoes 2 medium onions olive oil *Adobo w/pepper Seasoning Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the potatoes well and slice into small chunks. Slide the onions large enough so that the kids who don't like them can pick them out (did I mention this is a kid-friendly recipe ;). Drizzle olive oil over the top of the potatoes and onions and mix well, coating most of the potatoes. Sprinkle Adobo seasoning generously over the top of the mixture, then mix in and then sprinkle a bit more over the top before putting in the oven. Bake potatoes for about 50-60 minutes or until fork inserted in largest piece of potato is tender. This dish doesn't last long at our house but when warming up the leftovers, just add a tad more olive oil before putting in oven. Usually 15 minutes will get these warm and toasty again. * I cook A LOT with Adobo seasoning. It's a blend of garlic, oregano, tumeric and black pepper with a subtle lemon tang. It's great on chicken but makes this roasted potato recipe particularly tasty.

Oh yeah, our bike riding days are back

We broke out the bikes for the first time yesterday. We have a bike trip planned with some friends on the Androscoggin River Bike Trail this weekend and needed to do a bike check to make sure everything was in working order. OK, so that's our excuse for dropping everything we should have been doing yesterday afternoon to ride. The yard might not be clear of snow yet, but the roads are. It became obvious to us yesterday that it will take a while to get our "bike legs" back when we had to take an earlier than usual water break during our trip. Since the soft serve ice cream machine hasn't been turned on for the season at our local convenience store, the girls chose another frozen treat from the freezer. Some sort of frozen chocolate pie slice. It was finger-licking good. We are psyched another bike riding season has started. We biked four miles round trip yesterday and were all tired but excited to get back to enjoying the outdoors on two wheels. We are planning to explore more bike trails this year so if you have a favorite place to ride (that has generous shoulders on the road or is a bike path), tell us about it.

Enjoying change of season & trick photography

For the past couple of weeks we've been on the hunt for EarthCaches (which you can read more about in the next edition of Raising Maine, the magazine). While we were looking for these interesting geological features on our planet with the help of our GPS unit, we also learned a few other things. For instance, you can make your own sea foam 'bunny slippers' at Old Orchard Beach... ... and smash every foam cluster you can find because it's fun. You can examine broken lobster traps while also admiring the basalt dikes of Odiorne Point and use the lobster bait bag to carry your new sea shells home. The crevice in the rock was filled with volcanic magma (also known as basalt) during the Triassic Period, which was about 200 million years ago. You can see the largest known glacial erratic in New England and be inspired to take some 'trick' photography shots. "Jumping off the boulder" "Strongest 10-year-old on Earth" And you can simply enjoy the fact that it is a great time to be outdoors to appreciate the early days of a new (and warmer) season.

Adios cross country skis

We had a wonderful winter with you. You took us to Fort Kent to enjoy a night skiing adventure and taught us that even cross country trailheads require cars to climb mountains. You taught us that it is possible to make puzzles and ski at the same time (well, sort of). You inspired a 10-year-old to teach other kids how to ski so they could have as much fun on the winter trails as she has had. You taught us that snow days are the best inpromtu days of the year. You took us to the golf course more times this winter than we've ever been in our entire lives. You taught us that our weekly Ski Club meetings can create memories and bonds that last long after the winter trail adventures are over for the season. So later today we reluctantly return you to your home at the Maine Winter Sports Center at Pineland Farms. But fret not. We will be back for you again next year.

Children of bloggers: there is payback

After nearly four years of writing Kid Tracks, my children can't really remember a time when it wasn't part of their lives. I've written about all kinds of things and quoted them often and they've been great sports about it all. But as they've become older, and more web savvy (they read the blog regularly now), they've requested that I take their suggestions for an entry when offered. Case in point: a recent hiking trip when their mom ran in to some difficulty walking in the snow. I knew the most difficult thing about this particular hike was going to be the snow depth. Inland trails have a lot of small branches and pine needles on top of snow that is filled with ruts along with sporadic patches of mud right now. Chewing up our cross country skis is not my idea of a good time (or a smart move for the gear or family budget) and since we do not have snow shoes, we decided to tackle this trail in our boots with the hopes the snow wasn't too deep. Walking on top of the snow without breaking through took some finesse but wasn't too difficult for the girls because they don't weight very much. But there were occasional patches where they sunk well below the surface and required some assistance to remove the snow from their boot. Being almost 100 pounds heavier than the girls, my sinking was more than occasional. Like every other step. "Gimme that camera mommy. I gotta take a picture of you. It's funny you can't walk in this snow." There are times when mommy has to look silly on the blog too.

Creative cooking tools for kids

The girls were preparing Mejeddarah (lentils with rice) for their history class today. The recipe called for chopped onions so the girls decided they needed more than just a knife and cutting board for the job. It required a trip to the sports closet in the basement for the last 'tool.' Ski goggles. G. did the onion chopping but L. said that the 'onion germs' were going to 'get me' so she donned a pair of goggles as well while prepping the lentils. This is reminiscent of their creative approach to laundry chores last summer that required swimming goggles while sorting socks. And L. liked the goggles so much she kept them on for dinner. After dinner, G. asked me, "Mom are you going to use those pictures you took at dinner on your blog?" "I'd like to. Can I?" "I guess so. It is a good idea you know. The ski goggles worked." Yup, they did.

Breakfast for dinner: bulk cooking recipes

We often eat breakfast items for dinner because the kids enjoy it. In my search for a more nutritious pancake, I reworked a couple of different recipes to come up with one my kids like that is packed with protein and fiber. Pancakes 2 cups white wheat flour (I like this flour from King Arthur) 1 1/2 cup oatmeal flour (put ground rolled oats in your food processor and process until flour-like or substitute another flour you like) 4 tablespoons soy flour 4 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons baking powder 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 cups milk 2/3 cup ricotta cheese This recipe makes between 20-25 pancakes depending on how large you make them. I cool all the pancakes on racks before stacking each pancake in my plastic containers, using small squares of wax paper between each pancake. This prevents the pancakes from sticking to each other and makes grabbing one or two to warm in the microwave easy for the kids. Did you know 1 tablespoon soy flour plus 1 tablespoon water is equal to one egg? The batter doesn't taste very good but the end result looks and tastes as if you used eggs. It's a great alternative not only when you don't have eggs available but also a good nutritional substitute. Soy flour is high in dietary fiber and protein. And with the protein from the ricotta in our pancake recipe, the soy adds that extra protein for kids who don't like to eat meat (L. isn't a big meat eater but she loves these pancakes). Cinnamon Granola 9 cups rolled oats 1 cup dry milk 2 tablespoons cinnamon 2/3 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup honey 1 1/2 cup brown sugar Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large roasting pan mix the rolled oats, dry milk and cinnamon and set aside. In a saucepan add the oil, honey and brown sugar and stir over med-high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Pour honey mixture over oats and mix well with a wooden spoon. This is a sticky job and takes a while to get the mixture combined well. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until lightly browned. The ingredients in home made granola is a bit of an investment initially (dry milk and honey aren't so cheap) but the recipe is easy to make in bulk so it saves you money in the end. And if you use all organic ingredients, you save a significant amount of money making this recipe versus buying the same amount at the natural food store. This granola is BEST stored in a ziploc baggie. I've used plastic storage containers but after a few days the granola gets hard as a brick because my containers are not air-tight. I've had the best luck using baggies and it helps me ration the granola. If I don't keep an eye out with the kids and Fino, they'll have the doubled-version of this recipe eaten in a couple of days. L. loves to lick the spoon after I get the granola in the oven to brown. One of my family's favorite ways to eat this granola is simply with milk in a bowl but we also like it with yogurt and sliced apples or pears. Share your favorite recipes by posting your own blog entry or write a comment below.