I did some fine tuning of our Seattle Center route this morning. Westlake/Broad and Westlake/Mercer are very car-heavy intersections so I stick to the sidewalk and I’ve determined these are the only options–to avoid the ill-placed curb ramp in the first case and the aggressive right turners in the second.

I’m trying to work more balance biking into our days. We’ve been “riding” four blocks to the nearby elementary school where the boys practice their skills. Unfortunately, they’re not content to just run around the open area and insist on going up and down curbs and hills. I’ve drawn the line at them tugging their little bikes up the play structure steps to ride down the slides.

They also spend a lot of time walking their bikes. I’m telling myself they got the idea from my having to walk my bike through the Ballard locks and not because they want to emulate my having to push the bike up a half block most days.