We took our first bike trip to the Crown Hill Value Village today. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to make the 4.5-mile trip; I’ve biked slightly farther on a couple occasions. Even more exciting than the thrift store was happening upon JRA Bike Shop. A friend told me yesterday that they have a few longtails–Xtracycle, Yuba Mundo, and Sun Atlas Cargo–but I discovered they also have a Christiania. Nice fleet! They’re also very nice and quickly provided a paper towel for the toddler’s snotty nose and offered us donuts.

Value Village was a big success. We got a kiddie skateboard for $3, our first bag of real Legos, and a plush fish we think is a salmon for 99 cents. And long pants for me, which was the main purpose of the trip. I keep assuming all this biking will help me fit in my old clothes, but it’s not doing the trick so now I’ve got four pairs of cheap bigger pants. Sigh.

While I was loading up the bike, two people asked if it was motorized. I love when that happens, although sometimes I think it’s because the internal hub looks like a motor and not because the questioners are impressed with my hill climbing.

When we overshop at the grocery store, the kids have to hold bulky items in their laps. I thought that might be the case today, but I was able to cram everything in the baskets. This left room for the kids to holds snacks (and Sammy the Salmon) on their laps and I discovered what a great snack holder a toddler makes. The front kid held a bowl of cashews and we didn’t lose a one: uphill, downhill, over bumps. Secured directly to the bike, all the cashews would have quickly bounced out.