The four-year old and I checked out some PARK(ing) Day parks today. There were 40 Seattle PARK(ing) Day parks listed, but we chose 10 that seemed fairly close together and on flat terrain for a 2-mile ride around downtown (plus 4-mile ride to the first park and 5-mile ride home from the last).

On the way down we discovered a guy tossing out several planks of wood. Just yesterday we built little stairs in the backyard for Bettie the Dog and the kids really wanted to add a ramp (because that’s exactly what every sight-impaired, elderly chihuahua wants!) and boom, here was our ramp! So I biked around a bit more of a spectacle than normal with trailing kiddie bike and plank of wood.

Most of the park visitors we saw were on lunch breaks from nearby buildings and discovered the event while walking around, but we also saw a group of friends biking from park to park. And Seattle Neighborhood Greenways had an organized Greenways Go to PARK(ing) Day Downtown we caught up to at our 9th stop.

Stop one was the ReLEAF & Urban Forestry miniature urban forest:

Check out Dougie, the googly-eyed Douglas fir. He was at Fiestas Patrias last weekend, thus the “Hola soy Dougie” name tag. Que lindo!

Stop two was Weber Thompson’s “Carmageddon” putt-putt golf through buried cars.

Stops three, four, and five were three of the four Cornish College of the Arts parks. We drew with sidewalk chalk, drank lemonade while playing board games, and made a crown and sword.

Stop six was SDOT & Puget Sound Bike Share. The “Choose your mode adventure” transportation obstacle course was great! We used the scooter, but there was also a kiddie bike, hoppity hop ball, and hula hoops.

They wouldn’t let me ride the Puget Sound Bike Share (coming Spring 2014!) bike, but they let me lift it. It wasn’t too heavy. I think I’ve read they weigh 35 pounds. My bike is 75 pounds so I call that light!

The prizes were pretty great–small kid activity book and bigger kid comic book, crayons, sidewalk chalk, and stuff for grown ups. And Whole Foods had drinks and dog treats to go.

Stop seven Bohlin Cywinski Jackson bean bag toss.

Stop eight was Zipcar & Timbuk2 for the stationary bike time trials. We were so sure we’d win the prize bag, but the kid couldn’t reach the pedals and my showing just wasn’t good enough. This bike is one of the three Timbuk2 free bike share bikes.

Stop nine was the very exciting Cascade Bicycle Club temporary cycletrack. This was why I dragged the kid bike along today. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I didn’t think it’d be the entire block long! It was great. We hit a red light so I got the little guy ready across the intersection and he followed the temporary bike lane markings across Madison and into the cycletrack. We both loved it and rode it twice.

And finally: Stop ten SAM & Trust for Public Land had painting. With easels and brushes–though I’m sure finger painting would have been cool, too.

Henry was on site working on a piece, too. Talk about a striking resemblance! Though instead of a sasquatch, ours features a tree running with hot lava. Henry stopped by to check it out and I could tell he wished he’d thought of that. Keep an eye out for a Lava Owls mural, I’m tellin’ ya.

I’d hoped to help create and run a PARK(ing) Day park of our own for FamilyBike Seattle, but I didn’t get it together this year. However, expect something awesome next year! And feel free to send me any great ideas–I don’t actually have any yet.