Lupine Field

Lupine Field



The art of family trips is different for us. Where most people believe that getting to their destination is the most important aspect of any such trip, my wife and I believe that how you get there is just as, if not more, important. Thus the reason for taking our two daughters, ten and eight, on a New England bike ride vacation. We packed up the two tandems and a bicycle trailer with clothes, food, and camping gear and headed out.

We biked over three hundred miles during that trip. It was fun for the most part because the kids were engaged in what was around them and what they were a part of; the small towns we pedaled through, the people we talked with while taking breaks, and the abundant scenery around every corner.

I can distinctly recall one of the rest stops we made on Route 16 in New Hampshire, a little before the Maine border. We rested next to a large field of blooming lupines overflowing with pink, purple, and white blossoms. All across the field the tall colorful spines standing atop their dark green stalks swayed lightly in the breeze, as if waving hello.

It was a warm day as we sat basking in the sun, driving out the memories of a cold and rainy night before. While drinking water and eating snacks we watched and listened to the honey bees as they raced from flower to flower gathering nectar; their black and yellow bodies blending into the field’s sea of colors.

There was a sharp line of transition between where the field stopped and the forest started which only made the lupines that much lovelier, as they were framed against the dark background of the trees. There was only so much room for the field and its flowers in this place of quiet nature. One we could all appreciate. There is only so much room on a bicycle seat to move around on, or in a tent to stretch out in.

We didn’t stay there particularly long as the girls were anxious to get to our planned campsite so they could see their cousins, aunts and uncles. So we got back on our bikes and continued the journey. I was reluctant to leave but knew there was still a lot of road ahead.

We’ve been on other family trips since then, but have never to my mind found a place as memorable as that lupine field. For me, that is “The” place where we as a family enjoyed nature together; even if it was for just a brief time.

I have attempted on other occasions to find that field at the right time, hoping to see the lupines in full bloom again, but haven’t accomplished it yet. The girls are older and aren’t too keen on long bike rides, so going back to recreate that moment isn’t going to happen. But I have that memory of us as a family and that’s what counts.