Hey Brandon,
We did the section of the Virginia Creeper Trail from Whitetop to Damascus, all gradual downhill. Ryane pulled Charisma in a rented buggy (ghetto rigged w/ my own personal zip ties). I followed our 5 yr old Cassidy on her 16 inch Barbie bike. I am thoroughly impressed that my 5 year old banged out 17 miles on shallow grade railroad!!! Can you imagine how long of a ride that would be for an adult who's only pedaled around the house or the local park. And she did it without training wheels.
Funny part was when she slid her front wheel off a bank and the wife dodged her, but the wheel of the buggy smashed into her temple! Blue pump knot, a few big hugs on daddy's shoulder, a park ranger appearing out of nowhere to check on her later she was up again.
I was doing skids and S turns behind her, so she tried it and ate dirt. She learned to stand up on the pedals to coast, followed by slamming on her coaster brake right into the bushes.
All around, I gotta recommend it to any family if you want to get your kid biking. 2 1/2-3 hours of butter smooth trail shaded in forests and along a river bank with tons of convenient rest stops along the way. A whopping $11.00 for the shuttle if you have a group. Great little town and overall a smooth vibe.
Notice that I rode DH bike. My shoulders were so sore from doing short little manuals endlessly. Even saw a guy on an Azonic DS-1 decked out with an old Rock Shox Boxxer, beautiful red Race Face Cranks, neon orange Magura Tomac hydro rim brakes, etc pulling a buggy.
FYI, our group took us to an AWESOME BBQ joint between Bristol and Johnson City that was maybe the best pork BBQ sandwich I've ever had!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ridgewood-barbecue-bluff-city
Oh...and watch out for the senior citizens. For some reason, they attack this thing with a vengeance!
We did the section of the Virginia Creeper Trail from Whitetop to Damascus, all gradual downhill. Ryane pulled Charisma in a rented buggy (ghetto rigged w/ my own personal zip ties). I followed our 5 yr old Cassidy on her 16 inch Barbie bike. I am thoroughly impressed that my 5 year old banged out 17 miles on shallow grade railroad!!! Can you imagine how long of a ride that would be for an adult who's only pedaled around the house or the local park. And she did it without training wheels.
Funny part was when she slid her front wheel off a bank and the wife dodged her, but the wheel of the buggy smashed into her temple! Blue pump knot, a few big hugs on daddy's shoulder, a park ranger appearing out of nowhere to check on her later she was up again.
I was doing skids and S turns behind her, so she tried it and ate dirt. She learned to stand up on the pedals to coast, followed by slamming on her coaster brake right into the bushes.
All around, I gotta recommend it to any family if you want to get your kid biking. 2 1/2-3 hours of butter smooth trail shaded in forests and along a river bank with tons of convenient rest stops along the way. A whopping $11.00 for the shuttle if you have a group. Great little town and overall a smooth vibe.
Notice that I rode DH bike. My shoulders were so sore from doing short little manuals endlessly. Even saw a guy on an Azonic DS-1 decked out with an old Rock Shox Boxxer, beautiful red Race Face Cranks, neon orange Magura Tomac hydro rim brakes, etc pulling a buggy.
FYI, our group took us to an AWESOME BBQ joint between Bristol and Johnson City that was maybe the best pork BBQ sandwich I've ever had!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ridgewood-barbecue-bluff-city
Oh...and watch out for the senior citizens. For some reason, they attack this thing with a vengeance!
