We’re sitting pretty on a Gazelle Cabby thanks to Alternabike. Early this morning, before getting the bike, we walked a mile and a half along the boardwalk in search of beach toys and coffee and it took soooo long. As soon as we got the bike we took back off down the boardwalk for second breakfast. Much better getting there on two wheels.

Our big adventure of the day was riding to Old Town. The Cabby did great. The only hill was the Mission Bay Drive Bridge which I wasn’t a fan of back in my beach cruiser days, but we muscled up it just fine. It was also my first time on the Ocean Beach Bike Path. It was great being able to travel so much of the way on separated paths.

Unfortunately, we got caught in a rain storm on the way back from Old Town. The baby was miserable as he’s used to being a bit protected from the rain by his Bobike windshield. I was pretty miserable, too. I think if this had happened to me back when I was living in San Diego (not that I would have ventured out given today’s forecast), I would have hidden under a bridge and cried. But it was a brief rain storm and we saw a gorgeous rainbow afterwards.

We stopped for dinner and then swung by the grocery store and I realized my dream of grocery shopping by bike. The kids had to bunch up their legs a bit, but I fit three full grocery bags in front of them.

I might change my opinion of the Cabby a bit over the course of this week, but so far I’m loving it! …As a rental, that is. The kickstand is a beast to disengage and I think that alone is deterrent enough that I wouldn’t want to own one. Of course in Seattle I’d only have to wrestle with said kickstand while wearing flip flops for six weeks of the year. I love sitting at a 90 degree angle on the bike; it’s such a relaxed ride. I also love not worrying about bumping my knees on the seat in front of me, while having not one, but both kids right in front. I still find the handling a bit weird, but I was able to negotiate the crowded boardwalk just fine. I also took the wrong side of the Sunset Cliffs Boulevard Bridge on the way back and ignored the “Narrow bridge, cyclists should dismount” sign and made it across with no scrapes so I guess the handling isn’t that hard.

Daily distance: 17.6 miles
Cumulative: 69.5 miles