We didn’t really trade our bikes for an Escalade….we’re having too much fun to do something crazy like that. The four-year-old and I had fun fishing in the creek a few weeks ago. We didn’t catch anything but beer cans, but we had a good time anyway.
– Anne
Posted in extravehicular activities, kids, seattle, xtracycle
Tagged bikes, Cowan Park, fishing, seattle, xtracycle
Who would have thought—rain, sleet, and snow—all on the same ride? Well, maybe in January, but not on March 26th!
Sheesh, it was a wet, cold, and lonely night out there. Not a bit like last week when I enjoyed a lovely spring ride in the company of a backpack-clad fellow commuter all kitted out in Broadmark Capital gear.
As he spun along on his unencumbered rain bike he couldn’t help but comment on me and my Clampett-size load of crap:
“You sure ride with a lot of stuff.”
Garrish on Bikes, Mostly wrote a Kona-Ute post about a photo I took at the NAHBS last month. My photo showed a wooden snapdeck and sideloader-like bag combo on a Ute. Garrish and readers wondered a) if it was homemade—it was. Props to the owner/builder if you are out there; and b) Why the heck wasn’t Kona sticking with the Xtracycle accessories, snapdeck, and the like.
For weeks now, I’ve been wondering about that too, and mulling over the lame choices Kona made when rolling their “own” long bike design. But before I open my can of whoop-ass, I’d first like to applaud Kona for their work with the Africa Bike, Bike Town Africa and the adopt an Africa bike program.
Way to go guys. Nice work there.
Posted in bikes, cargo bikes, consumerism, longbikes, xtracycle
I had some stuff to return to Patagonia today so I rode downtown after I dropped the kids off at school. Since I was riding downtown anyway, Tim asked me to take a detour to his office and drop something off that he forgot this morning. So I took the route he usually takes to work. Man he is right about Eastlake and South Lake Union. What a mess. It’s really hard to believe the city lets developers get away with randomly closing lanes on well travelled streets. Continue reading
We went to dinner at my sister and brother-in-law’s house on Saturday night. They live about five miles from us. In the “old days” we would have driven over there. Although I never considered driving this time, the decision to ride did give me pause: it’s a little farther than we normally go with the kids after dark. I wondered how they would do on the back of the bike on the way home. Darkness and kids with full tummies at bedtime is a recipe for some nodding off. But it wasn’t enough to make me take the car.
As we hit the section of the Burke Gilman that passes the dreaded Montlake traffic, we were feeling smug about our decision to ride. We breezed by on our bikes passing all of the cars sitting in traffic. Right on.
We had a lovely time at dinner. And as I predicted, we stayed a little past the kids bedtime. It’s hard to get us out the door when we’re having a good time. To to keep the kids from falling asleep, we fed them sour patch kids all the way home. It turns out candy does serve a purpose.
Since the four year old isn’t as skilled as his sister at riding no handed, he and Tim worked out a candy-eating-system. Tim gave the little guy some warning, then he opened his mouth like a baby bird and received his sugar bomb. The seven year old, ever so grown up and composed, casually sat behind me no-handed and fed herself. It worked like a charm – they got just enough of a sugar rush to keep them awake but not too much to keep them from going to sleep once we got home.
We really enjoyed the ride home – there’s something about riding at night that makes me feel extra free. Plus the kids get really excited when they are out after dark, they think they are getting away with something. We even saw a few raccoons peeking out from some shrubs: no big deal to us, but thrilling to kids who usually go to bed soon after the sun goes down. Ah the little things!
– Anne
Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids, seattle, traffic, xtracycle
Tagged alternative transportation, bikes, candy, cycling, family dinner, traffic, xtracycle
School has been out all week for mid-winter break. Who fabricated that vacation anyway? I don’t recall a week off in February when I was young. I’d rather skip it and get the kids out of school a little earlier in June. But no one asked me. Continue reading
If I was by myself I would definitely ride up this hill. It’s a good one. (at 70th and the Burke Gilman trail). Continue reading
We woke to a dusting of snow on the ground and some news that schools were closing because of inclement weather. Unbelievable – I’m sure it was a decision some school administrators felt really silly about less than an hour after they made it – the snow hadn’t even stuck to the street in Seattle! Luckily our school had a scheduled day off so we didn’t have to change our plans for the day. We rode to grandmas house and spent the morning with her. While we were there we got another little dusting – still no big deal but fun nontheless. The three of us rode home through the snow flurries. As we approached the last hill before home, the 7 year old jumped off the bike and decided to run – a break mom always appreciates. It’s amazing what a difference 60 pounds makes. She also gets pretty excited when she beats me up the hill. And this time she got to be the photographer – got some good shots – not bad for a 7 year old.
-Anne
I had a brief period of panic outside of Trader Joe’s today. I guess I’m used to the two-Xtracycle Trader Joe’s runs. You really don’t need to worry about whether it’s all going to fit or not when you’re loading up two. Sometimes Tim and I even fill up a shopping cart and a couple hand baskets and still get everything on the bikes.
I tried to be aware of the one-bike issue today – I set up my six cloth bags in the cart (the number that normally fit in the Freeloaders) and filled up each bag as I shopped. I was pretty confident I had showed enough restraint to get it all on the bike. Then I went to check out. As I was re-bagging after the cashier rang my stuff up, I noticed my six bags were bulging.
When the cashier read me the total – $205.68, mild panic set in.
Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bikes, seattle, shopping, xtracycle
Tagged bikes, freeloaders, groceries, kona, seattle, sun, trader joes, ute, xtracycle
It’s fun to re-discover neighborhoods by bike. Sunday we took an afternoon jaunt down the Burke-Gilman trail with the kids. We’ve visited Ballard more frequently since we’ve been on two-wheels than we ever did in our car. Some of the things that make the neighborhood a bummer by car (lack of parking, long traffic light waits, and its misfortune of not being on the way to anywhere) actually make it more desirable from a pedal-powered perspective. It’s a 30-minute cruise from our house — far enough away to make it an afternoon destination yet close enough to make it doable with the kids on the back of the bikes.
Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, Burke-Gilman Trail, extravehicular activities, kids, neighborhoods, seattle, shops, xtracycle
Tagged "weekend outing", ballard, bikes, Family Cycling, kids, outing, weekend
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