Backroads Guests

When my kids were small, I poured over Backroads catalogs while they slept. I dreamed of exotic vacations where I’d bike through amazing scenery and eat better food than the boxed macaroni and cheese my children liked. But those were just pleasant daydreams.

Our friends, Mike and Kathi, broached the subject once again. "You guys really should think about coming with us on this Tuscany biking trip." As I lowered my head and peered at them over my sunglasses, I remember musing: "Are you insane?" "We'll think about it," is what came out of my lips.

Not a single complaint. Not even a sibling spat. Not while we're biking in sweltering 100-degree weather. And not while we're biking in a downpour. "I've never seen 30 people volunteer to bike in the rain, and smile about it," said my daughter, Reggie Foldes. Anyone who has traveled with kids knows it's rare--very rare--for such amiability on a family vacation. "We're usually arguing about everything, even where to eat," said Jenna Bronfman, 18. That's one reason why her parents and the other families had signed on for this Backroads trip for families with "Older Teens and 20-Somethings" in Europe. "Backroads takes all that stress away," explained Jenna's dad, Matt Bronfman, noting this is his family's fourth Backroads trip.

"We're going up over that hill?" I said under my breath, looking ahead as the road went up, up, up and disappeared over a hill. It was a beautiful sunny day in Nova Scotia, Canada, ten years ago, and we had been riding on quiet, shady roads all morning. More talking than riding, I had slowly been getting tired during the ride, but I knew we were almost at our destination for the day, Lunenburg. I hadn't been mentally preparing for this hill though.

I saw a moose. It was the best day of my life. Where did I see the moose, you may ask? We were on a Backroads family trip!

For many of us, the brain’s parsimonious nature seems to record time with less fidelity as we age. What happened in 2004? 2006? Do we remember a hundred things? A thousand? Ten? All is not lost! We have the opportunity to bring back that “child’s mind” of discovery, growth, novelty and lush memories. Unlocking this secret is incredibly straightforward: change things up. Try something new every day. Vary your routine. Or, even better, go on an adventure!

I've been lucky in my time as a Backroads leader to have some amazing guests, like Andy Russell. If that name rings a bell, it's because Andy was an NFL star in the 1960s and '70s. It was day three of our trip and Andy and I were riding along a gorgeous stretch of road. Something shiny coming from Andy's handlebars caught my eye, so I took a look: a ring. It looked like a Super Bowl ring. I had to ask.... Andy, who hadn't mentioned anything up to this point, grinned a little grin and told me his story, and what a story it was!

Stepping outside your comfort zone is an extraordinary opportunity although it's something we often shy away from as we tend to find solace in the routine of our lives. Our group of 22 women just returned from a private Backroads mountain biking trip in Argentina’s Lake District. From the moment we met our Backroads leaders, our group of accomplished, take-charge women began to let go of our insecurities and ease into the rhythm of our adventure.