It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

Started the day with school drop off with one passenger and one bike rider. The balloon is still going strong — a teenager even shouted at me that she liked it today!

On the way home Pixie and I checked out the house with the little horses. If it’s clear to turn left off the busy street I use on the way home I’ll do so a bit early and today it took us by the horse house. In the past I’ve let Pixie out to walk among the herd (they’re the exact same size, it’s so cute!) but I could hear the homeowner working in the carport so we just paid our respects and moved on. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

Later on Kath of Portlandize met up with our cargo bikes and laptops to sit in a cafe and work together as we try to do once a week. COFFEE BEER is very new, as are its bike racks. You can tell by that extra bar near the bottom so if a bike thief unbolts the bottom of the rack they can’t slip your lock off. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

We went to the grocery store together after working and Kath showed me her favorite route in — it avoids the steep hill I take and doesn’t require biking through the parking lot. It also features a cool “desire line:”

In the evening I picked up a free trailer from my local Buy Nothing Group that no one else wanted. It’s the same make as the one that was stolen from me a few years ago! I think I’ll mostly use it for non-kid cargo, but hope to loan it to friends to use for kids and non-kid cargo, too. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

April trips tracked on Strava
Today’s miles: 10.32
Total April miles: 233.76

It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

Everyone had sore legs or feet this morning so I had a full bike for the school run. Except no Pixie because it was pretty rainy and I figured she’d be happier staying home alone for 15 minutes (which probably isn’t true, she’d probably have been happier with us even in the rain). I admit I err on the side of caution giving the kids lifts when they don’t want to ride their own bikes because I worry about them turning into teenagers who don’t want to get around by bike anymore if we overdo it. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

I did another Kidical Mass test run today, this time near Gateway Green mountain bike park. The route testing wasn’t a success this time, but the day had turned sunny for a bit so I took my bike through the singletrack area. It’s an All-City Nature Boy Disc that I originally got for racing cyclocross, but I ended up quitting racing before I ever had a chance to use it so it now sports sensibly smooth city tires and wasn’t as fun on the course as it could have been. I ate it on the Toe Trail, but jumped free as the bike fell so I got dirtier when I moved a fallen tree limb off the Fenceline Trail.

I have yet to ride in the little pump track (my kids are braver than me and like it, though!) but I took a little nap in it. I think for Kidical Mass on Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day I’ll bring my mountain bike. Bike: All-City Nature Boy Disc.

After school we hit the thrift store to look for a pair of red pants. I didn’t expect to find them because it’s impossible to find an exact thing, right? But we did! They were way too big, but I hemmed them to the appropriate length and they’ll do the trick for after-school film class even if they’re too puffy to wear all day long to school. We also found two pairs of pants the appropriate size, five awesome books, four stuffed animals, a toy car storage solution, and a Minions toy. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a successful thrift store trip. Not to mention I thought this nearest thrift store of ours was too small and ill-stocked. I had forgotten that I was supposed to bring my eight-year old’s bike to pickup for him to ride home from school; I would have had an easier time squishing all the stuff onto my bike if there was just one passenger, but it worked because it always works with a cargo bike :) Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

April trips tracked on Strava
Today’s miles: 18.23
Total April miles: 223.44

It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

This morning I biked to Green Bean Books for the Cycle City book launch. It’s a wonderful new children’s book by local author and illustrator Alison Farrell. Here’s Six questions for Portland illustrator and ‘Cycle City’ author Alison Farrell on BikePortland.

After the story time and Q&A kids decorated their bikes and Community Cycling Center organized a bike parade that I got to lead. After cautioning the kids to keep their balloon tails short so they wouldn’t get tangled up, I left my balloon too long and it snuck into all my pictures, doh.

I was impressed with the turnout despite cold morning drizzle. There were lots of kids on balance bikes with parents walking alongside so we proceeded fairly slowly for our six-block loop.

I’ve gotten used to kids sneaking ahead of me during Kidical Mass and I kind of like it! They feel capable and bold…but I know it’s also because it’s really hard to go super slow and I’m better at holding a parade pace than them, ha ha.

On the way home from Green Bean Books, Kelley from Community Cycling Center and I stopped by nearby Gladys Bikes to say hi. Owner Leah Benson says she calls we friends who come hang out (especially on Sundays) “shop cats” so I guess that’s what we were! We both test rode the new Surly “road plus” bike, the Midnight Special. The pearly white color is really pretty…but I see now that it’s called “Hot Mayonnaise.” Not so pretty a name. It was a very comfortable ride. Next week Leah will have another new Surly in, the Bridge Club, (in a blue called “Diving Board Blue”) so we’ll have to go try that one, too.

April trips tracked on Strava
Today’s miles: 16.65
Total April miles: 183.58

It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

Super exciting day with my Big Dummy on the back of a van!!!

It’s been on a van once before — to the Iron Horse Trail — and it’s been in the BoltBus several times, but it still feels novel to transport it anywhere. Sarah of Cordilleran Tours has a Drayton Solutions “Hitch Mounted Eight Bicycle Folding Bike Rack” that held my Big Dummy. There wasn’t a lot of clearance…but there was enough!

We drove an hour to Vista House in the Columbia River Gorge to meet up with Jerry Zelada (of Safe Routes to Groceries as well as many other awesome things) to shoot some video for his upcoming Gorge Pedal:

The Fire is Gone.

Bring your Bicycle Legs and Families to the First Gorge Pedal Ride.

Come Back to the Gorge. Wake up your Senses and Mind.

See & Hear how the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is rebounding after the 2017 50,000 acre fire.

Experience first hand seeing the Gorge’s rebirth on both the Historic Columbia River Trail & Highway.

Meet passionate people who present the Botany, the Geology, and the Native American perspective. Listen to Ambassadors/Advocates of the trails and history of the Gorge.

Enjoy Dave’s Killer Cinnamon bread, Fresh Salmon lunches, and other goodies along the rides.

Biking by Shepperd’s Dell Falls. Photo courtesy Sarah Gilbert, Cordilleran Tours

Right now the Historic Columbia River Highway is only open from Chanticleer to the Angel’s Rest trailhead, but Gorge Pedal isn’t until August 25th and by then it will be reopened for the 12-mile family ride and 46-mile cardio ride. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

Despite forecasts for lots of rain and high winds all day long, we were incredibly lucky for filming in the Gorge. But the rain came to Portland in the afternoon and I spent four hours saying “I’m leaving in five minutes to go grocery shopping” before I finally mustered the energy to go out into the wind and rain for a five-minute pedal to the store. It wasn’t all that bad. I parked under an overhang, but I’m not sure what that motorcycle in my photo was doing on the sidewalk in front of the grocery store. He was a jerk and got in an argument with a homeless man trying to stay dry outside the store before revving his engine right by the front doors. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

April trips tracked on Strava
Today’s miles: 9.01
Total April miles: 166.93

It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

Horrible start to the day, jarred awake at 5am (over an hour too early) by horrible menstrual cramps, something I rarely experience. These were so bad I didn’t even get to the point of worrying how to bike to school with the kids, I couldn’t fathom making them breakfast. I felt marginally better by the time we left the house, but it was later than usual so we took a more direct route with one block of an arterial with a bike lane we usually avoid. We made it on time, but I think my off morning is reflected in the fact that my eight-year old parked his bike facing the wall. He’s taken to parking aimed out for a quick getaway from school at the end of the day.

During our trip to school I mused about how we’d get there if I couldn’t bike. We could walk three blocks to a bus stop and take a bus that would drop us five blocks from school. These are little blocks, but still that much walking with having to time an infrequent bus probably would be more of trouble than biking no matter what. When the school year started a neighbor offered to carpool the kids with him if ever it rained (he didn’t know us very well back then) so I could always look into that. I guess it’s a good sign that I don’t have a backup plan. I’d feel safe with the kids walking themselves to school, but the thought of them biking alone currently makes me nervous. And that’s a sign we should work towards that now before the school year runs out!

But that’s all for another day, and I felt fine to pedal an additional seven miles to a meeting about a bike parade in a cafe as soon as the kids were safely delivered. My friend Andrew, leader of the En Plein Air Coffee Club in Seattle, was in town and joined me at the end of my meeting to bike around town together. We went to Rivelo to say hi to John and buy fun little things (me John’s Irish Straps, Andrew a knife) and lunched at Taqueria Los Gorditos.

My two favorite products at Rivelo: Jonh’s Irish Straps and my book, Urban Cycling!

Andrew came along for a tour of my neighborhood (fun fact: we lived in the same neighborhood in Seattle so I could whine about all my least favorite hills to him and he knew exactly where I meant). Turns out Andrew likes hills so I gave him directions up Mount Tabor for on his way back. I also realized that the route I think of as kid-friendly but not as direct (quiet side streets vs. the bike lane on an arterial) is also nice for biking with a friend since we can ride side by side and talk. And it’s only ever so slightly out of the way. I don’t think our old neighborhood had any gravel other than in playgrounds so it was fun to show him that, too. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

Later on I biked to the Kidical Mass planning meeting which was awesome: the 2018 calendar is shaping up splendidly, bike camping decisions were made, and Sara named me co-director! After a rainy morning and a nice afternoon, the evening was pure summer! Mid-sixties and I biked home in short sleeves. Bike: Surly Straggler.

April trips tracked on Strava
Today’s miles: 29.58
Total April miles: 157.92

It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

Pixie insisted on facing non-drive-side (left) in my basket for the school run this morning. Not sure what it portends. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

Lindsey was headed home to Seattle today so Kath set up a doughnut meetup for the local cargo bikers at the Blue Star Donuts by the train station. Lindsey graciously let me carry her four panniers, but about halfway there I got a flat tire. Now in the past I’ve been lax about keeping my tires adequately inflated which makes one susceptible to pinch flats, but I’ve gotten better! So the flat was a mystery. My tools were at home in my pannier…though in the rain and considering how slow I am at fixing flats (especially rear flats) I may not have tackled it myself even if tool-equipped. I gave Lindsey directions and walked my bike two blocks to the closest bike shop, A Better Cycle, where I learned what a street sweeper bristle looks like! Bike: Surly Straggler.

Tire-puncturing street sweeper bristle (on the white sheet, lower right corner)

All better:

It was pretty rainy at school pickup and I realized I need a mini umbrella for Pixie. And then my eight-year old came out with a delicate art project and I realized I also needed a box. Before I could figure out what to do he and a friend had set up a playdate at our house and since I didn’t have an extra helmet for the friend and we couldn’t walk like we usually do with my other kid’s hurt foot (not to mention it would be pretty miserable walking in the rain) I told the friend’s dad to wait five minutes and drive to our house…with the art project. Win-win!

April trips tracked on Strava
Today’s miles: 14.02
Total April miles: 128.34

It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

Started our day with the one-mile (each way) school run. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

Then I accompanied Lindsey and family on an epic ride (about 28 miles all together) to some area bike shops. Here’s most of the ride (I had to leave them at Clever Cycles to grab my kids from school and then meet back up).
We visited:

• Velo Cult
• Cat Six Cycles (to play with Steve the six-toed cat!)
• Gladys Bikes
• Ate lunch at Stella Taco
• Norther Cycles
• Microcosm Publishing
• Clever Cycles

Photo courtesy Lindsey Bartley

Lindsey’s Straggler has a Thule Yepp Nexxt Maxi rear seat that fits on any rack so she put it on my Straggler’s Burley Moose Rack (for my Burley Piccolo trailer bike). The baby rode with me for almost three miles before he wanted to move back to the front seat on his dad’s bike…I think so he could have a better view of my funny faces that he couldn’t see from behind me. Bike: Surly Straggler.

The school run was fun with my kids chattering about a million things on the way home. They chat when they’re each on their own bikes, but having my 10-yeard old sitting backwards behind me facing his little brother was especially conducive to conversation. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

Math time! I left home at 5:03pm heading west, Lindsey left Clever Cycles at 5:06pm heading east, and we found one another on Clinton Avenue somewhere in the 30’s. On the way to them I saw a cool van. It passed me, but got stuck in traffic so I had plenty of time to bike up onto the sidewalk and cruise by slowly for a better distance to snap a photo from. It got stuck in traffic several more times so I ended up getting far ahead of it. Yay bikes! Bike: Surly Straggler.

Campy van > camper van

Later on Lindsey’s husband stayed home with all the [sleeping] kids and Lindsey and I went out in the neighborhood! I don’t go out very often so it was super exciting. She rode my Brompton. Bike: Surly Straggler.

April trips tracked on Strava
Today’s miles: 32.84
Total April miles: 114.32

It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

Today we were back to our normal gravel school run, thank goodness! Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

That school run was only with my third grader because my fifth grader had an ouchie foot and we went to visit urgent care in our neighborhood a bit later, with him on the back of my bike. It was diagnosed as a bruised heel to ice if wanted and keep an eye on for a few days so I dropped him off at school and still had time to run around town with visiting Lindsey. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

We met Kath of Portlandize at a cafe and then rode to the top of Mount Tabor to do #coffeeoutside. Kath showed us a great route up Mount Tabor (saved here from Rain or Shine Coffee) that she discovered while volunteering at the soapbox derby last summer. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

For dinner, Lindsey’s husband and I biked over to Pok Pok (my first time, ohmigosh so good!) for take-out with zero kids and it was fun and fast. He used my single speed rather than ride his bike with the baby seat on the front. Bike: Surly Straggler.

April trips tracked on Strava
Today’s miles: 22.44
Total April miles: 81.48

It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

We were running six minutes late this first morning of school after spring break so we took a more direct route to school. It wasn’t the most direct route I take when I bike over without the kids, but it was still quite horrible given the parents driving too fast as they rushed their kids to school and away from school after dropping them off in the middle of the street outside the building. However, I think it will be a nice route for getting into the center of our neighborhood while avoiding any gravel during non-school-rush hours.

Midday I went to an appointment and hit the grocery store on the way home. My list had 3 small items on it, but then I remembered a bunch of other stuff I needed. I was reminded how bad (or maybe just unpracticed?) I am at shopping with a regular bike. I should have brought a second pannier with me…or better yet, just brought the cargo bike.

I switched back to my cargo bike to meet Lindsey Bikes! and family at the train station so I could carry their bags because most of my friends know I live to carry stuff for other people. They packed light so it was just three panniers.

And good thing I packed light because I got a phone call from school that one of my kids was in the office with a sore throat so we swung by to grab him on our way home. I think I could have fit both him and his bike on my bike, but I opted to keep it simple and leave his bike at school to retrieve later on…but not because I knew I could sneak in a couple extra miles by doing so, although during 30 Days of Biking that’s certainly a valid reason to do something like that!

April trips tracked on Strava
Today’s miles: 27.8
Total April miles: 59.04

It’s April! That means 30 Days of Biking and biking every day and hopefully blogging about it each day.

Today started with an unexpected trip to deliver some friends to a bus stop. I mistook how close to home the bus stop was and wore my pajamas. Which is sweetly fitting for 30 Days of Biking as it’s not uncommon for participants to ride up and down the street in their pajamas at 11:59pm to get a day’s ride in. Bike: Surly Straggler.

The main event of the day was Kidical Mass and it was so fun! Pixie and I led the ride of 150 humans and 4 dogs. 3.2 miles from Overlook Park to Arbor Lodge Park and an Easter egg hunt at the end. Bike: Surly Big Dummy.

Photo courtesy Kelley Goodwin

And finally I biked to the train station. We were lucky with the weather earlier in the day with just a bit of drizzle, but it was properly raining by my 5pm trip. The silver lining is that I think Pixie finally figured out how to tuck her head into her backpack. Bike: All-City Nature Boy Disc.

I like keeping track of miles for 30 Days of Biking so I’ll try to Strava everything to make it easier than drawing out my routes on Google maps like in the old days.

Dunno if I’ll assign a theme this year, but maybe something will present itself by the end of the month.

Today’s miles: 31.24
Total April miles: 31.24