A Long Bike Ride

This morning we set out to ride bikes as soon as we could get out the door.  We were supposed to see a high of 93 today, so we thought that getting an early start would be best.  It wasn't too challenging to leave early, as Jesse was up at 5 a.m. and was super cranky because of these pesky teeth that are slowly working their way in.  The only thing that seemed to distract him from his pain was when James got the bike trailer out; he perked up a little then.

Here is Jesse all ready to go in his trailer.  Any mention of biking, and he is ready to head out the door.  Sometimes he randomly goes and finds his helmet and brings it to me, like he's trying to tell me he wants to go for a ride.

We set out a few minutes after 8 and made it to Navy Pier by 8:45. It was a perfect morning to take a long ride because Lake Shore Drive was closed to traffic since there was a biking event using the road.  This meant that we got to enjoy a peaceful and quiet ride along the lake.  We even made it to Navy Pier so early that there was just about no one there.  We all enjoyed a snack at the picnic area there, and since it was still so early and we were having so much fun, we decided to continue north towards Lincoln Park. It was an absolutely gorgeous ride, and it was about this time that the whole city of Chicago decided to join us.  There were literally swarms of people biking, walking, running and skating on the trail, not to mention all the people  lounging on the beaches.

James and Jesse having a snack at Navy Pier

A sweet father-son moment

I couldn't get him to look at the camera to take a picture with me, but this is the best I got.  He loved seeing all the boats in the lake, and even got the policeman in the police boat to wave back at him.

After stopping at Lincoln Park for another short break, it was about 10:00, so we thought we'd stop back by Navy Pier and treat Jesse to his first Happy Meal.  He was definitely a fan.  By this point it was time to head back.  The ride back was definitely much hotter, but it got less and less crowded the farther away from downtown we got.

Yum. Chicken McNuggets.

Our outing ended on a slightly sad note.  Jesse took a rough tumble down several concrete stairs outside our building and now has a large knot to prove it.  Considering how awful it looks, he really didn't cry that long, and he was acting completely fine after a few minutes.  What a trooper.

Taking a bath after our ride and sporting his new bump