A *sweet* ride

This is Huckleberry. (The bike, that is.) Huckleberry is a pretty fantastic tandem bicycle that has the back rider in a "typical" riding position, while the front rider is semi-recumbant. It makes it a fantastic bike for someone with a physical impairment because they can not only get the therapeutic benefit of pedaling (either independently to assist with the work, or can simply have their feet strapped in so their legs are moved through the cycling motion as the bike is propelled by the rider in the back) but also get the full experience of biking - wind in their face, they're the one in the lead. There's also just a beautiful closeness between the two riders, with the front seat cradled between the arms of the back rider.

This is quite the bike. And this particular one happened to retire to a small little bike shop almost within sight of our church that we never knew existed until a few weeks ago. Here's a little snip - Huckleberry was named after Ernie's dog. This bike's put on quite a few miles!

And last Saturday we got to take it for a test ride.

Krassi's legs are tucked up and in under his blanket because moving the pedals into a position where he can reach them is not something the shop had time to do before our ride, but they're in the business of adapting bikes, so are completely capable of doing that, should it be necessary. They would also be able to help with custom seating for Krassi to support him better.

We found this little bike shop after looking for a long while for a bike that would be suitable for Reuben. Having finally made our decision, we wanted to look for a local dealer so we could see a real one before purchasing. Imagine our surprise when the German bike we're looking for not only has a retailer in Minnesota, but within three miles of where we live! Bicycle Bill apparently loves what he does, and is pretty passionate about the benefits of cycling for people with disabilities, and is very creative and devoted to finding ways to make it happen.

We have until tomorrow to decide if we want to have him place an order for us for this bike for this year (deliverable for spring 2015).

The only problem is that this particular bicycle is NOT cheap. It's cost is almost 20% of the cost of the 12 passenger van we're looking into saving up for as a conversion van for Krassi's wheelchair and a vehicle that fits our whole family.

But, for a family who loves biking, it's awfully tempting.