2004

My daughter’s first long ride with me came several years ago on the back of our Rodriguez tandem. We rode the Centennial Trail from Spokane to Coeur d’Alene. Rene was six at the time. We stopped to play in the river when we got hot and took plenty of play breaks. It’s not the fastest I’ve every rode that route, but we had a lot of fun. Rene called the tandem “My Tandem” the rest of the summer and would get jealous when her brother would ride with me.

This summer, Rene and I road the trail together again. Same tandem, same riders, but what a difference three years makes. Rene now has a little “need for speed” and the two of us made short work of the miles. We didn’t stop until we hit Spokane and took a breather before climbing the city’s south hill to Grandma’s.

Fast or slow, nothing beats a tandem ride with your daughter.

Greg Mason