Ballard Bike Street Party to celebrate the end of Bike Month. My Commute Challenge team was awesome! Even with me, the captain, laid up the last six days with the flu. Blech, I haven’t had the flu since 1988 and I don’t think I’ve ever been this sick. Now I just feel like I have a cold. Go Team Family Ride!

Riding to the street party was OK…though maybe it’s a sign I wasn’t quite ready to be out and about when I was riding head down, huffing up a teeny hill and didn’t realize the person I exchanged “hi!”s with was my husband. Fortunately the kids clued me in and he didn’t seem to notice I mistook him for a random well-wisher. We pulled over and he turned around to [wait while I finished a coughing fit and] check in.

The street party was big fun, with lots for kids. KEXP had this cool pedal-driven art project. A turntable spun a piece of paper around while kids squirted paint on it. And the bike! It’s a longtail cargo bike made by someone at 20/20 Cycle.

I was smitten by the kickstand:

The Cascade bicycle license plate making was very popular, but my guys seemed to have the most fun with the magnetic board at the Elliott Bay Seawall Project.

Here’s the cutest bike passenger of the day. I think that’s an Outward Hound Pet-A-Roo Front Carrier worn on the back. (Outward Hound! I love it!)

The dog (and his human carrier) were in the “Share Your Style” Bike Fashion Show put on by Hub and Bespoke. As were we–they’ll let just anyone in! We did it last year, too. I couldn’t resist the free Fun Reflector stickers, Theo Chocolate, and bike t-shirt this year. It pays to play. I’ll stick a picture in here if one surfaces from Cascade or Hub and Bespoke.

Also in the fashion show was Ian of Bicycle Benefits ($5 sticker on your bike helmet saves you money at participating businesses all over town). This guy is so cool–read the Seattle Bike Blog profile on him.

The Cycle Saloon was also at the party so the kids sat up on seats (and freaked out at being so high–babies) and I got to ask the driver some questions. Apparently passengers can have booze on board now! With an easy-to-obtain banquet license. I verified they don’t have a motor and a car battery runs the lights. On the way home we discovered there are two Cycle Saloons in the fleet when we saw another one on The Missing Link. Way to go, Cycle Saloon! (This picture is from a month ago, by the by.)

Once we got past The Missing Link I let my pedaler ride ahead of me. Then my balance biker wanted to join him for the last mile. It takes a lot longer and it’s often quite nerve wracking when they’re both out there, but I was very relieved not to have to lug them up that last hill. Good timing, too. I got home to read Kids are the true indicator species of a bike-friendly city, written by BikePortland’s Jonathan Maus while he’s visiting Copenhagen.

That’s Super Hi-Vis Man we’re riding by, by the way. A lot of people have been reporting seeing him (how can you not??) on the Burke-Gilman Trail lately.