So far so good

The kids and I took the tandem-trailer combo to school this morning. They had a good time, and it felt like a pretty safe, stable ride.

The main reason I've got to do this, rather than let them go on their own bikes, is that we have to go for about half a mile on a pretty busy two-lane street. It's got a decent bike lane, but there are a number of delivery vehicles that use it in the mornings (FedEx and the Post Office both have distribution points nearby), and it's also used by people driving to or from work.

I managed to get my old panniers on the trail-a-bike's rear rack (something I was a bit skeptical of), and stuffed lunches in them.

I hadn't quite noticed how many parents bike to school: there must have been half a dozen bike-and-trailer/Burley combinations around the nursery-1st grade side of campus. I suspect my daughter, whose going into the second grade and therefore is on the other side of campus with the big kids, would find it embarrassing to bike to school on the trail-a-bike. But a tandem, that's okay.

So, my hope is that we can do this whenever it's not raining. It'll be good for everyone concerned.

[To the tune of Led Zeppelin, "Since I've Been Loving You," from the album "Led Zeppelin Box Sex" (disc 2).]

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