What Did You Do on Your Summer Vacation?

[SheRidesABeemer]

My 12 year old daughter Lisa is in 7th grade this year. As expected, one of her first assignments for English class was the timeless 'What I Did On My Summer Vacation" paper. The kids were asked to write 3 paragraphs. Lisa could hardly keep her report down to three pages. I've posted a condensed version of her report (http://sheridesabeemer.blogspot.com/2007/09/what-i-did-on-my-summer-vacation.html)on my blog.
A 12 year olds take on a ride report doesn't include a lot of riding! :D

Here is an excerpt:

Heading back east, we traveled to South Dakota for the Black Hills BMW motorcycle rally. We were riding in the hills, and all of sudden we turn the corner and we could see everything. We were riding along a cliff and I swear you could see for at least 1,000 miles. It was amazing! And the rocks next to the road were red! It was beautiful!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1062/765135767_cce52dc598_o.jpg

When it was time for the rally, about 150 motorcycles enjoyed a police escort into town. Main Street was closed off just for us.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1265/765162045_d79637337e_o.jpg

[mrich12000]

Lost somethig at the finger lake rally:gerg :rofl :rofl :rofl :bar

[terham]

Lisa's summer (and yours) blows my summer away and I thought mine was pretty good. I enjoyed following your trip here and in your blog. You're giving me ideas...:D

[RebeccaV]

Gail,

I think that it is SO COOL that you share riding with your daughter!!!! :thumb

[SheRidesABeemer]

Gail,

I think that it is SO COOL that you share riding with your daughter!!!! :thumb

Hey thanks! You had a pretty good summer trip too! I hope you write something for ON! :clap

[Newstar]

What a great way to spend the summer! I enjoyed reading your blog. So, tell us, what was the reaction from her friends and teacher?

[GSTom]

I didn't get one:cry

[BuckeyeClark]

I have a 5 yr old daughter and an 8 year old son....after reading, and thouroughly enjoying, your blog I cannot wait for the day that their feet can touch the pegs! I am looking so forward to sharing the roads with my kids. I have already had Nicholas, my 8 yr old, on several short rides and he loves it. Katie, my 5 year old, can't wait for her turn. What the two of you shared is a beautiful thing even to an outsider enjoying it from a distance. Thanks for the opportunity to share it with you. :clap

[OfficerImpersonator]

I've shared your blog with my wife, in an attempt to relax her opposition to our son ever riding with me when he's old enough to not fall off the two-up bike I don't yet have.

If this isn't persuasive, I don't know what is! She's a great writer - tell her to keep it up!

And kudos to you for giving her a better education from the back seat of your bike than she could ever receive in a classroom!

[DougGrosjean]

Gail - very nice.

I have a 5 yr old daughter and an 8 year old son....after reading, and thouroughly enjoying, your blog I cannot wait for the day that their feet can touch the pegs! I am looking so forward to sharing the roads with my kids. I have already had Nicholas, my 8 yr old, on several short rides and he loves it. Katie, my 5 year old, can't wait for her turn. What the two of you shared is a beautiful thing even to an outsider enjoying it from a distance. Thanks for the opportunity to share it with you. :clap

Clark, I don't post much here due to lack of time, just sorta poke my head in now and then, but ... Upper Sandusky? We're almost neighbors. I'm heading into Tiffin on the GS this Sunday with a buncha sportbike guys outta Toledo and Findlay for a MX race.... spectating.

FWIW - my son Jean-Luc rode quite a bit with me during the age 5-8 time period. Less so now (he's 13), he seems to prefer our Jeep. Shrug. But it's a great time. I wrote a book about that time period, from his first ride with me from Kindergarten, to his learning to ride a small dirtbike at age 8. Though panned by the MOA ON it was praised in every other review (including the Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune), and titled Wheels. Paper and Ink in Tiffin had a single copy left, last time I was there a week or so ago. Come to think of it, we even wrote a little about Upper Sandusky, as we passed through there and stopped at the Indian Mill on our way home from VA / WV when he was 6 y/o.

My son and I took 3 weeks and travelled Chicago-LA on old Route 66 in the Jeep in July, then came home via UT and CO Jeep trails. Slept in tent, or cheap 66 motels, or with friends along the way. I didn't expect much, but it turned out to be fantastic. He ended up wanting to learn to drive the Jeep, after we'd forded rivers and crunched over rocks with it.... and 2 weeks ago he got his wish, learning to drive the Jeep on a buddy's MX track. :):):)

I can't say he's good with the clutch or the brake yet (he treats them like light switches), but his throttle control in stutter bumps is excellent.

Gail, if your daughter is like my son, I'm guessing she's still glowing from the trip. Right? :):)

Looking FW to the MX races this weekend....

[Sue]

Gail -

I did essentially the same trip with my son when he was 12. That was 19 years ago, and now he is a BMW rider and a member of this forum.

I enjoyed your blog and relived some of those experiences from 1988 when Chris and I were riding through Sturgis and then out to the Cascade Rally and then up through Banff and Jasper, before heading home.

Good for you! What a wonderful time it sounds like you had.

[Rapid_Roy]

That is great. Sadly , my son has no interest in riding with me anymore.
I have to ask, was the Bison "defiantly cool!" or is that a spelling oops?

[dancogan]

Gail, great riding report by Kiddo! Loved reading it, and then printed it off so Geri could read it, too. It has to be especially neat for you to find out what her highlights were and be able to compare them to your own! :clap :clap :clap