Today’s bike excursions were several stops to get us ready for our big kid’s 5th birthday party with his preschool class. Thank goodness I did the bulk of the shopping last night because everything took a bit longer than expected today. We started off with a downhill trip to PCC Natural Market to pick up allergen-free chips I can’t find anywhere else. Then back uphill (and steeper than necessary since I chose the wrong route–extra points for that!) to Mighty-O Donuts for some mini donuts. Two boxes of a dozen minis each fit perfectly in my Linus Delano basket.

Then we went to QFC for balloons. After two pages and patiently waiting (OK, maybe not so patiently) ten minutes, the floral/balloon person showed up and spent five minutes tinkering with the helium tanks before declaring them both empty. Grr. Two strikes against QFC. Last year I brought in two train balloons (ordered from TrainParty.com–awesome site!) and the lackadaisical balloon guy tied the ribbons so loosely that one escaped the moment we walked outside. It turns out Bartell Drugs right next door has balloons, too, so the day was saved.

The birthday boy suggested we tied the balloons to his handlebars and that sounded like a good idea to me. I attached them with three slipknots, alternating sides. It looked good and started out OK, but then the two-year old decided he really didn’t like balloons blowing in his face. In retrospect I should have secured them behind the bike without a lot of loose ribbon, but rather than risk loosing the lot of them by reattaching en route, I held them down by my hip and rode home one-handed…possible since it was all flat and downhill.

We dropped off our supplies and helped Mr. Family Ride set things up for ten minutes before heading back out to Cafe Allegro for a travel coffee kit. That fit nicely in the front basket, too.

I thought I’d have to take one last ride later in the day when we realized Bettie the dog had snuck out during the cupcake-induced-sugar-revolt-mass-exodus of preschoolers. I put on long-sleeved bike jersey over my shirt, figuring I’d scout around on bike and then wear her home. I’ve never biked with Bettie (poor Bettie!), but Lyle traveled all over UCSB and Isla Vista this way. My plan was thwarted when she showed up just as I dug my beach cruiser out of the pile of bikes. I tucked her under my jersey and was going to take her for a spin just for fun, but then I heard the screams of brothers fighting over balloons coming from inside the house and rushed in to help restore peace.

Today’s miles: 7.4 miles
April cumulative: 178.2 miles