DadandZachonRecumbents.com

4/10/2026

The Drive: 

It was a crisp 51 degrees F when we got on the road.  We drove behind a school van that we started following behind at Millersville.  We were wondering where they were going and they drove for about 30 minutes in front of us.  There were no students on board.  We got stuck at a few lights, but nothing that took too long.  We did notice a new building being built on the way to the ride, very large.

The Unloading:

We took our time as always and pulled the boxes filled with equipment out first.  We got the same parking spot near the trail entrance at Falmouth.  I switched to my riding shoes that fit in my pedal straps.  We take Dad’s recumbent off first by taking off the securing straps and rubber straps.  Dad pulled it over to the side.  Then from the “box of things” I took out the water bottles, my helmet and my gloves.  I noticed one of my pads on the inside of the helmet was detached and I stored it in the vehicle so I didn’t lose it.  I will glue it back on at home, I told myself.  Then I pulled the flags out of the back and all of the walkie talkies, radars(Varia) and Dad’s computer.  I put everything on Dad’s trike seat because my trike is still in the car.  Then Dad takes the batteries out of the car (he uses two) and attaches them to his trike.  We pulled my trike out of the hatch and I took it to the side next to his trike.  I open my flag and put it on and turn on the flashing light attached to the flag pole.  I then put the Ortlieb bag on the rack on the back.  I put the side bag on the mount and opened it to put my phone and items from my pockets into a plastic bag after pairing the Varia with my phone and turning up the volume, so I can hear the radar beeping from inside the bag.  I closed the bag and zip it half way, a lesson I learned a year or two ago from a ride on the Enola trail because a person told me my bag had flung open when I didn’t notice.

I then opened my folding seat and put the velcro strip on the bottom so it doesn’t flail around.  Then I find the level where the seat goes and wind the nut on the back until it is snug but just right and crank the lever to hold the seat in place.  I take the walkie talkie and put it on the side bag and make sure it is on the right channel and volume.  Dad is waiting for me to help him put the velcro on his shoes since it is hard for him to bend over.  I am proud he got on his shoes without me today!  I helped him with the shoes, then noticed that the trike holder on the back was put up and we were ready to go.  From my perspective, these are pretty much all the things I see, Dad does his setup and I do mine.  We help each other when we need it on the unloading process.

The ride:

It was a nice day in the 50s F. We first went down to the boat launch at Falmouth, there were a few boaters that were coming off the water.  One of the fishermen said that the water was still a little high to do well with the fish.  We started towards the trail.

I rode in tour mode for about the first half and turbo/sport to get up the hills again.  I spooked a deer that was hiding on the side of the trail.  I saw a female cardinal fly across in front of me.  We have 4.8 miles in the first half towards the White Cliffs of Conoy.  We first go around some bends , then see the native trees.  We head towards Koeser park.  The parking lot at Koeser was decently filled.  We started to pass more people at that point as the day progressed and more people showed up to the location.  I spooked two squirrels and one jumped straight up in the air.  We hoped that Dad caught it on camera.

We got to the White Cliffs and I got off the trike to check my rack because a screw had been loose in the parking lot.  I did a Captain Morgan on the rock that I usually go to and watched the birds and water for 5 minutes.  Dad told the vlog about the diabase rock formed across the river when the glaciers moved through from the north.

We went back to Koeser park and there were a few bikers at the pavilion.  We went to a bench farther down.  We saw a mallard duck male swimming alone.  We then ate our protein galaxy brownie bars, 180 calories with sprinkles on them.  We had to get new bars because our old brand was out of date.  We finished out drink break and I put the camera back in the case and the pole on the rack bag Ortlieb that Dad has on his trike.

The Return and Packup:

We have about 4 miles to go back to the Falmouth trail head.  I turned turbo on in max gear because my legs were tired from working out during the week.  I kept touching on about 19.5 mph coming down the hills.  Dad was close behind.  I like the curves and the trees before the parking lot that comes up next, the one before Falmouth.  We get back to the car without any problems and I thought about how that was another one in the books.

We pull into the same spots we placed our trikes to set up, but this time to unload.  I took my bags off and folded up my flag.  I took the light off the flag and the radar off the back and turned them off.  I took all my belongings out of the side bag.  I turned off the walkie talkie and placed the electronics and flag on Dad’s trike seat.  I folded my seat and velcroed it securely.  We had gone 9.6 miles on the trail.  

I help dad get his electronics into the car and I pulled the trike rack into position.  I opened the hatch and got my beanie on and my helmet off.  I put the helmet and all the water bottles into the “thing” box.  Dad got his normal shoes on after I unlatched the velcro.  I put my gloves into my helmet.  We put all of the things into the box and we had all the bags on the ground from the trikes.  Dad unloads his own trike.  I wheeled my trike to the hatch rack and we picked up and pushed the trike into place in the Escape.  We loaded all of the boxes into the vehicle and put the electronics in the side hole in the back of the car.  The flags went under my trike.  Dad’s batteries are placed on a plastic mat in the back so they do not slide.  The walkie talkies go in their own bag that goes in the back.  The hatch is then closed.  Dad’s trike is wheeled around behind the Escape.  We pick the trike up on a count of three and place it on the carrying rack.  We secure the trike with 4 rubber straps and a cloth strap in the middle.  

We are done.  We got inside the car and I already had the green tea and a protein shake out of the cooler for the ride over to McCleary’s.  

The Food:

I ate Maryland Crab soup (spicy and good), garlic parmesan chicken wings, fries, breaded shrimp, a pickle and diet Coke as a drink.  We had Erin for a server today.  The place was busy with people.  People were going to the outside bar I noticed, I normally don’t see people back there.  We paid the bill and got out pretty quickly.  Always a great place to eat.

The Drive Home:

We took the farm scene route back home from Marietta.  I zoned out and drank the rest of my tea.  As we got back home my mom was ready to help us unload to the garage.  

Today’s Final Thoughts:

I figured I could take the camera and do some trick shots with it a bit on the ride when Dad let me do some filming.  I just need to angle it right and hold it securely.  Animals and people are getting outside because of the nice weather.  My rack needs to be checked periodically for loose screws.  The sky was very clear and blue.  I felt much stronger today from the exercising I have been doing(I have lost 5-6 lbs over the last 3 weeks).  Our journey on these ”triking” days doesn’t need to be difficult as long as we have the right mindset.  We want to have fun and work together to set up our trikes and break them back down.  I will be uploading everything to youtube that we recorded.  It takes about an hour or so to finish the videos.  I felt like today was a chill day on the trail.