We attended the Sustainable Ballard Festival today, first to volunteer for an hour at the CoolMom carseat recycling station, then to try the practice bus bike rack affixed to the front of a van. I tried twice, once as the first bike on and once as the second bike on…and I fit, Bobikes and all! But it is tiring work hefting the bike up there, and I’m not sure it’d go as well getting in the second or third slot with the baby on my back. But good to know for in-case-of-emergency situations.

There was a covered bike rack set up at Ballard Commons Park, but I’m not sure if it was just there for the festival or if it will be there always. I did discover a couple sneaky spots under the overhang at Joanne’s Fabrics, but it wouldn’t be cool of me to steal one and then hang out in the library or Tully’s.

Other interesting items of the day were learning a bike windshield is also called a fairing–this from the wife of the guy who cycles his chickens around in a mobile chicken coop! And I talked to the Undriving people and might be an upcoming featured Undriver. Woo hoo.

The kids were hungry by the end of the afternoon, but between the big one tossing his rainboot sole inserts down a storm drain and the little one discovering puddles for the first time and therefore riding home with no pants on, we weren’t exactly cafe-friendly. Plus I didn’t want to deal with de- and re-biking so we rolled into Dutch Bike Co. for a snack on wheels. So convenient! And as luck would have it, Fritz showed up while we were there so I showed him my rubbing fender which he promptly fixed permanently, with zip ties. Black ones, so the work doesn’t even show. I mentioned to him my bright idea to turn the Milano into an Xtracycle, but he warned me it might not work with all its parts, such as my pretty Celeste Green rear fender. So there goes that idea. Not to mention an Xtracycle wouldn’t fit on a Metro bus.