Obama, wife, daughters go on vacation bike outing under brilliant skies on Martha’s Vineyard

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First family goes on island vacation bike outing

WEST TISBURY, Mass. — President Barack Obama and the first family took advantage of brilliant New England weather Friday to go biking on Martha’s Vineyard.

Under cloudless skies, the first family left their rented farm compound and motorcaded a short distance to a site near Martha’s Vineyard Airport. They then got on bikes for a ride in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, a 5,100-acre preserve boasting 15 miles of bike trails.

“Hello. How are you?” Obama asked as he rode by a couple of bystanders, clad in a white polo shirt and beige pants. Spotting members of his traveling press corps, he then said, “Hi guys.”

He was riding with his eldest daughter, Malia, just behind first lady Michelle Obama, who was riding alongside younger daughter Sasha. Everyone wore biking helmets. The finished a six-mile trip along a trail called the State Forest Loop before returning to their farm little more than an hour after they left.

The outing recalled a similar excursion during their trip to Martha’s Vineyard last year. The family traveled to the far western end of this island off Cape Cod and rode bikes before climbing up a cliffside lighthouse in Aquinnah.

The president was the only one not wearing a helmet then, sparking complaints from bike-safety advocates.

The Obamas end their 10-day vacation on Sunday.