Riding bikes

For the six of us kids on my grandparents' block, our bikes were all important. When we weren't playing with our Star Wars figurines, singing along to the radio, or playing Charlie's Angels (I was always Kelly), we were riding our bikes. Our boundaries were either end of the block. Occasionally we'd get permission to ride all the way around the block where the best hills were, but most of the time we just rode up and down the block all summer long.

There was one empty lot on our block and it had a hill that we could ride up and back down to the street. There was a dip in the road that made you feel like you were flying. We'd get up as much speed as we could and then coast over it with our arms held out wide.

Of all the bikes I ever had, my favorite was the Star Spangler, which I called my Evel Knievel bike. It was white with red and blue stars. The vinyl of the banana seat looked like an American flag. I have a picture around here somewhere ...

One of my favorite memories is of building the bike trail the summer I was 10. Laura and Sarah's backyard was big and full of trees. There was no grass, but lots of dead leaves. So we set about raking a winding trail. Then we found scraps of wood and built a small ramp. We gathered tree limbs to lay in the trail to jump over. We dug dips in the trail with a shovel. We raked short cuts, weaving through the trees. We worked for weeks and we did it all ourselves.

Then we rode.

Around and around, oblivious to the blisters on my hands and the muggy Southern heat, I raced and popped wheelies and flew through the air with my friends, the wind tangling my hair.

***

You can read more memories today at Gayle's place - Monday Memories.

Comments

[Anna]

I was a twinkle... ;) But sounds fun! Several years later I was doing much the same thing, only with snow and ice, for our sledding hill. :D

[Natalie]

Wow.

I can see your hair flying and a flash of red, white, and blue through the trees.

Great memory.

[Gayle]

Jacklyn Smith played Kelly, right? I liked her and Sabrina. I guess I related to them because they had dark hair and so did I! maya, I can just picture you and your friends on your bikes, flying through the trail you made! Such wonderful summer memories.

Thank you for joining Monday Memories!

[Melinda]

I had the Star Spangler too! And I pretended I was Evil Knievel and Charlie's Angels with my friends! What a great flashback. Thanks.

[Lisa Renata]

Childhood memories. Always so fun to remember.

[spread your wings]

oh man that sounds just like our summers with our bikes. a memory that always sneaks into my thoughts is one of building a bike trail in an old wooded lot a block or so from our home –the one you describe is almost exactly like my memory. oh that was so much fun, jumping those logs, the humps launching us into the air, ducking for the branches as we made sharp turns to avoid a tree. it was our own secret place. great memories.

[Puna]

We don't ride our bikes like we used to do we?

[Toni]

Wonderful memories, Maya. I remember ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff okay, I just fell asleep. Seriously! I'm going to bed, you'll have to get my story later!

[vchelle]

What an exciting memory. I can picture your bike trail. Oh, those were the days, weren't they? No computers, no Xbox's or Playstations, just imagination and the will power to get it done.. And the awards were always great! Thanks for visiting Operation You! I feel honored that you stopped by...

[Toni]

I don't remember what my bike with the banana seat looked like, but I do remember my ten-speed bike. It was banana yellow! And it was a boys bike, so when I fell, it tended to be a bit painful. I grew up in a suburb of L.A. and my neighbor and best friend would ride for hours all over town and to the neighboring towns. My mom would have died, if she'd known. (I really did fall asleep last night, with all those fs the result of nodding off.)

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Recent blog post: It was a berry good day…