Our family ventured to Cable, WI this weekend for the 26th Annual Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. Mike and his high school friends have been competing in this 40 mile off-road bike race for years. The kids surprisingly handled the four hour car ride with ease. (We finally invested in the over the seat DVD players and it truly made a world of difference.) Both kids stayed content and happy the entire trip.
On Saturday morning, before the race, the kids participated in the bike parade in Hayward, WI. They each decorated their bike with balloons, streamers, and a racing number. They got to visit with the clowns and dance with Smokey the Bear. We even managed to find an old fashion candy shop near by. Of course this made Lilly's morning. She got to fill a white paper bag with a variety of suckers, jelly beans, and gummies. Nolan proudly paraded up and down main street like a real pro. Lilly on the other hand, needed a little coaxing. Mike had to carry her and her bike a block or two until she felt comfortable enough to bike with the gang.
After the parade, the kids and I headed over to start of the race where Mike and 2,000+ competitors were lined up patiently waiting for the canon to fire. (Charlie actually set up their bikes at 5:00a.m. so they could be near the front of the pack.) It was amazing to see all of them go whizzing by. All the women and kids made it to three spots along the course to cheer them on. Nolan and Lilly especially loved ringing the cowbells and rooting for their dad!
Despite the weather, Mike had a great race. He was happy with his time, because it was better than last year's, but in the same breath wished his bike chain hadn't caused him so many problems. He finished with a time of 2 hours 55 minutes, and was in the top 1/4 of all competitors. The course was a little slower this year due to all the rain, but no one reported major bike problems. As you can see from the pictures, there was a lot of mud!
We all enjoyed lunch in the condo after the race and headed to the pool and hot tub for a fun-filled afternoon. The kids swam until it was supper time and then we all headed back to the condo for a garbage pail dinner. It was the perfect way to feed all 14 kids and 10 adults.
Everyone crashed hard on Saturday night. The kids slept together in the same bed for the first time and thought sleeping in a hotel was great. They were really sad to leave on Sunday morning and are already looking forward to the 27th Annual Fat Tire Festival.
On Saturday morning, before the race, the kids participated in the bike parade in Hayward, WI. They each decorated their bike with balloons, streamers, and a racing number. They got to visit with the clowns and dance with Smokey the Bear. We even managed to find an old fashion candy shop near by. Of course this made Lilly's morning. She got to fill a white paper bag with a variety of suckers, jelly beans, and gummies. Nolan proudly paraded up and down main street like a real pro. Lilly on the other hand, needed a little coaxing. Mike had to carry her and her bike a block or two until she felt comfortable enough to bike with the gang.
After the parade, the kids and I headed over to start of the race where Mike and 2,000+ competitors were lined up patiently waiting for the canon to fire. (Charlie actually set up their bikes at 5:00a.m. so they could be near the front of the pack.) It was amazing to see all of them go whizzing by. All the women and kids made it to three spots along the course to cheer them on. Nolan and Lilly especially loved ringing the cowbells and rooting for their dad!
Despite the weather, Mike had a great race. He was happy with his time, because it was better than last year's, but in the same breath wished his bike chain hadn't caused him so many problems. He finished with a time of 2 hours 55 minutes, and was in the top 1/4 of all competitors. The course was a little slower this year due to all the rain, but no one reported major bike problems. As you can see from the pictures, there was a lot of mud!
We all enjoyed lunch in the condo after the race and headed to the pool and hot tub for a fun-filled afternoon. The kids swam until it was supper time and then we all headed back to the condo for a garbage pail dinner. It was the perfect way to feed all 14 kids and 10 adults.
Everyone crashed hard on Saturday night. The kids slept together in the same bed for the first time and thought sleeping in a hotel was great. They were really sad to leave on Sunday morning and are already looking forward to the 27th Annual Fat Tire Festival.
You can view more pictures from our trip on the slide show to the left. =0)
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