Blog Challenge Day 4: Favorite Childhood Memory

Blog Challenge Day 4- Favorite Childhood memory


I feel like I had a pretty happy childhood, we had some nice vacations, my sister and I played together and I had plenty of friends. My parents divorced when I was 13, but I’ve always considered that just a small blip on my overall life. When I came to my favorite memories I realized I had a lot of good memories, but I couldn't pick a favorite. Until I remembered a weekend activity we would do several times a year.  The weekends our family would go bike riding downtown.

Austin has a really great running/bike trail downtown that loops around the lake and is well used and well loved by Austinites. Known simply as the Hike and Bike trail, it spans about 10 miles around the lake downtown.

I have great memories of Saturday mornings where my dad would get up and ask who wanted to go ride bikes. We’d eagerly get dressed, my dad would load our bikes in his truck and off we’d go. We’d park at Austin High School unload the bikes and be off. We usually did the full trail riding at times through trees and along the lake and then up on what is now Cesar Chavez but at that time was 1st street. We’d ride across the Congress Ave Bridge and in front of Auditorium shores by the old Palmer events center.

We usually rode with my dad in front with my sister and I in the middle and my mom bringing up the rear. As this was the early 90’s there were no helmets or knee pads we just rolled along with the wind in our hair and the sun on our face. Don’t worry, we wore sunscreen!

My sister, always the braver one, took on the hills fast, even after a couple spills she never backed off. I have always been much more cautious and if I wasn’t comfortable with a hill I’d simply hop off my bike and walk it to the bottom and then keep going! I think this says a lot about our differences, even today.

However, the best part of bike ride mornings were that after we’d ridden around for a couple hours we’d load the bikes back up and go get a late breakfast before heading home. There’s nothing better than pancakes and bacon from Magnolia Café after you’ve spent the morning outdoors!

Now at 30, I can’t even remember the last time I rode a bike that wasn’t in a spin class. Bikes aren’t cheap, but I’m hoping we can invest in some for ourselves and kiddo pretty soon. I’d love to take my family downtown someday and maybe have one of those amazing Austin mornings like I used to have.