30 Days of Biking 2014 – Day 12

Today we headed five miles east on the Burke-Gilman Trail to Magnuson Park for the Celebrate Urban Nature Festival. On the way we discovered the new connector to Children’s Hospital is open! We’ll have to schedule another doughnut delivery soon and use it.

The kids get so excited when we enter the two-way cycle track connecting the Burke-Gilman Trail to Magnuson Park, but not all adults like it. Note the guy riding uphill in the street rather than use the cycle track. I often see downhill bicyclists skip the cycle track, or at least exit it at the bottom-most green patch to avoid the confusing exit. I’d love if it had a separate bicycle light and both straight and diagonal intersection crossing markings or at least something. As it was, I crossed straight and loitered at the corner, in the way of right-on-red turning cars, debating if I should just cross through the red light to get out of the way, completing my left turn.

We stopped at University Village shopping center for lunch. It’s always fun to have the cargo bike there–moms with kids, shopping, and minivans can really appreciate a big bike.

Then onto Solsticio to meet up with visiting friends.

I met Joyanna at Portland DRT where she helped save the day with her regular bike and trailer. Today she and Joseph test rode my bike…I wonder if they’ll catch the cargo bike bug. It’s funny because normally Seattleites go down to Portland and experiment with cargo biking, not the other away around!

The four-year old and I took a little ride in the evening. I send him uphill on the sidewalk, but downhill in the street behind me. He can make it up OK without stopping, but the 16-inch single speed seems a little slow for uphill in the street.