Three years ago, Kerry Waldman became a dad. A prolific cyclocross mechanic, the Escondido, California resident was used to making things run smoothly in the midst of frenzy; discovering the best way to make his new, demanding role as a parent compatible with his steady love of bikes was a perfect challenge.

Waldman stopped racing when he “couldn’t really justify leaving Grom at home just so [he] could spend all day at a race,” he says, but was determined to find a way to not only keep riding, but also to share his passion with his daughter, Laura. (Start planning your most adventurous year yet with the 2017 Bicycling Calendar!)

Riding with a child can be tough: You often need to carry more emergency supplies (and weight) than normal, and keep a captive companion entertained for long periods. Both affect how far you can go before your legs give out—or your travel buddy does. A perpetual tinkerer, Waldman set out to build something that would let him have adventures with his daughter and address these issues, allowing her to do more rad things before the age of five than many people do in a lifetime.

Kerry Waldman

Enter the E-Bike

Emily, Waldman’s wife, got him a Yuba Mundo cargo bike this past Christmas. “At first it was just a novelty; I would ride it about once a week,” he says. The bike had a large carrying capacity, but it was heavy, and struggled with the hills around his house. Even as a fit rider, Waldman didn’t find himself reaching for the bike. Things changed when he added an e-bike kit, which took some of the strain out of moving the heavy load to make the bike more practical.

“The Mundo is a part of our daily lives now,” he says. The family uses it to get groceries, commute to work (Waldman is a park ranger with the City of Escondido), and to take Laura to the park, resulting in about 2,600 miles ridden in less than a year. Most importantly, he can put his daughter on the back and turn every trip to the store into a father-daughter adventure.

It didn’t take long for Laura to fall for the e-bike.

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Emily smiles just thinking about it. “Laura jumps on, straps herself in and slaps the side of the bike,” she says, noting Laura associates the Yuba with fun times with her Dad.

On the weekends, Waldman and Laura take father-daughter trips to the Safari Park or the donut shop. They’re a regular sight on the bike path (e-bikes are legal on bike paths in California). Between the cargo bike and Laura’s ladybug helmet, they’re hard to miss. Plus, Laura loves to share her snacks (which she stores in her Dad’s pockets) with local riders at stoplights.

But the Waldmans’ father-daughter adventures don’t stop at town lines. The daily jaunts were practice for something much bigger.

Kerry Waldman

Upping the Adventure Anté With E-Cargo-Bikepacking

Waldman has always loved outdoor adventure, and hoped to quickly instill that joy in Laura. Most people start their mobility-limited toddlers with some light car camping, but not Waldman and Laura. They went bikepacking instead—e-cargo-bikepacking, to be specific.

A few months ago, a friend called up Waldman, suggesting they go for a boys’ weekend (two days, one night) in the Catalina Islands—jumping on the ferry, riding across the island, and camping before reversing the trip the next day. Waldman had a better idea: He wanted to go with his daughter. The trip, which would include 23 miles of travel each way, with 3,200 feet of climbing, was planned for the last weekend of August.

Before setting out on the big trip, Waldman and Laura “practiced camping” in the yard. She loved it, so they quickly progressed to an overnight trip to the beach, which also went well. Waldman says Laura really enjoys the camping: “Once we have been riding a few hours, she starts tapping me and saying, ‘Make tent? Make tent?’”

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The Catalina trip would have been an adventure for anyone. The island, which is only accessible by ferry, has few cars and paved roads. It’s a wildlife conservancy where you’re more likely to run into a buffalo than a Buick. And given the climbing under load, the trip would have been impossible without an e-bike.

Even with the assist, Waldman was still working hard, especially on climbs. Including Laura, the bike weighed over 70 pounds, he says.

“I knew I only had so much juice in the battery so I had to pedal hard... especially when I remembered I needed to save some battery power so [Laura] could watch Zootopia before bed,” he says.

They stayed in a tented cabin, complete with lanterns and a camp stove. Such amenities were definitely useful; Waldman’s panniers had been too loaded down with all the clothes and gear he needed to keep a potty-training kid happy for two days on the road. That night, they played on the beach, saw a buffalo (Laura’s first!), and went to sleep in their camp cots. The next day, they broke camp and set off back to the ferry. Waldman says he was glad he carried a spare battery, as he was almost completely out of juice when he got on the ferry home.

Things weren’t completely smooth sailing. Waldman found difficulty getting the loaded cargo bike into the ferry’s bike spaces, and says it was a huge task planning the duo’s daily distance when factoring in entertainment stops. But he feels the trip was a great success.

Surprisingly, Laura didn’t add long to Waldman’s morning packing-up time, he says. The daddy-daughter adventurers had so much fun that they are already planning another trip in California’s parks for the upcoming spring.

Kerry Waldman

Ride It Yourself

With plenty of experience riding with Laura in tow, Waldman has valuable advice for those looking to get into riding with their kids—and taking it to the next level of adventure.

Pick the right kid-toter. To start, he says trailers are fine, but not the best option for toting kids and gear because they make it harder to keep an eye on both. Waldman much prefers a cargo bike, which seats Laura on his level.

Break things up. He’s also learned to plan interesting stops for meals and side adventures off the bike, so nobody gets bored or sore. As Waldman says, “you need to add a few hours of Grom Time every day.”

Don’t overpack, but pack lots. Waldman makes sure to bring plenty of water, snacks, and sunscreen, because a sunburned and hangry kid (or parent, for that matter) is not a happy camper.

Kerry Waldman

Ride cautiously. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t ride anything too technical and risk a crash, or simply take lots of bumps if your child is anxious, but Waldman did note Laura loves washboard descents.

Bring something comforting. Familiarity is important for kids. Waldman always brings something ‘from society’ for Laura to kick back with, like a tablet with a couple of films on it.

Bring something comfy. Waldman also suggests that parent-child bikepackers get a camping quilt; it works much better than a bag for kids who tend to move at night and allows for snuggling if things get a little scary in the dark. Emily told me, “I use Laura’s camping quilt to get her to take naps now, it’s her favorite way to sleep.”

Get snap-happy. Oh and finally: Take lots of photos, because before you know it... your kids will be dropping you!

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