Bike to School Day was Wednesday and I celebrated by leading my first bike train and writing about it for the League of American Bicyclists. I hope I adequately conveyed how exhilarating yet chaotic the event turned out. I had a blast…and have many ideas for how to make things go more smoothly next year.

The kids did a ton of biking which isn’t usual for a weekday–normally Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are preschool days and I carry the kids two miles to preschool where I drop one off and then race right back to our neighborhood to drop the other one off at our elementary school. Thursdays and Fridays we walk or take separate bikes to bring the first grader to school, but it’s only two blocks from home. I wasn’t sure they’d want to ride their own bikes a mile uphill for our pre-bike-train doughnut stop, but we left early enough and they were game! And we may have even gotten there faster than me carrying all the kids, bikes, and stuff.

And that meant I could put our Mighty-O Donuts on my FlightDeck. Sweeter passengers than normal, har har.

Here’s an urban traffic jam we hit on the way to the bike train meetup park. I didn’t want to take to the sidewalk to skirt around the garbage truck because the kids already have a thing for snaking back and forth from street to sidewalk via driveways and I’m trying to convince them to stick to the streets with me where we’re safer.

I think the gorgeous weather had a lot to do with the huge number of participants, but these are Seattleites after all so they probably would have come regardless.

Here’s our horde of 91, ready for a 0.8-mile ride to school:

My preschooler was eager to keep pedaling so he biked the 2.5 miles to preschool and then back later in the day. I only had to vary our route a little bit to add more time on the Burke-Gilman Trail and avoid the door zone bike lane on 34th between Stone Way and Fremont.

He suggested a detour up Gas Works Park Kite Hill on our way home. It’s one of my favorite spots, too. I’m able to bike up the back side, but the switchbacks on the front are too tight for me to negotiate…him, too, it turns out–he insisted on going up the front to race me to the top. “It’s not a race!” I called, like I holler at least 100 time a day.

Happy Bike to School Day, Happy Bike to School Month, and IT’S NOT A RACE!

I was a little too late in submitting my story to make it into the Simply Bike: Cycling While Pregnant series before the blog took a hiatus, but I loved reading all the stories and am currently enjoying the trimester-by-trimester Common Pregnancy Questions on Velo Mom. My “babies” are now 7 and 4.75 (with no more planned) so my cycling while pregnant days are long behind me, but it was such a special stage so I’m happy to belatedly share some thoughts. These are my answers to the questions of the Simply Bike: Cycling While Pregnant series.

Favorite part about cycling:
Noticing so many little things about the city as I pass through—this is even more special with my toddler along for the ride.

Bike you ride:
Bianchi Milano city bike with Bobike mini baby seat.

What three words sum up your cycling experience while being pregnant:
Easier than walking!

How did being pregnant affect your approach to cycling or your daily commute:
I cycle primarily for transportation and am pregnant with my second so my “commute” is ferrying a two-year old around town which is very conducive to short trips that keep us close enough to home for midday nap breaks.

What (if anything) surprised you about cycling while pregnant?
Walking upstairs is much too tiring and I avoid stairs as much as possible, but bicycling is a breeze. I ride slowly on a fairly upright bike to begin with so sportier cyclists may notice more of a difference.

How did your family and friends react to you cycling while pregnant?
It certainly helps that half my family is in the Netherlands where cycling is such a normal part of all stages of life. No one seems especially concerned nor impressed with it.

What (if any) special accommodations did you require to continue cycling throughout your pregnancy?
Nothing! I was happy to discover my belly fits behind the Bobike mini front kid seat even past my guess date. During practice surges (that’s the HypnoBirthing term for Braxton Hicks contractions) I just coast or slow my pedaling.

I hoped the baby wouldn’t make his arrival on time so I could attend one last Kidical Mass ride and he obliged so I was able to keep riding to 40+ weeks.

What would you say to another woman interested in cycling while pregnant? What have you taken away from the experience?
You’ll love it! It’s a wonderful and easy way to feel normal and energetic during pregnancy. It’s too easy to become sedentary when expecting and treat pregnancy as a delicate condition.

In addition to cycling, what other activities helped you stay fit and active during your pregnancy?
I love swimming and loved how buoyant I felt in the water. It was a lot harder to find time to go swimming alone than it was to go biking with my toddler, though, so I’m not able to make it a regular habit. This photo is from 37 weeks pregnant, having just completed a one-mile open water swim. It almost felt like cheating, swimming while so buoyant.

p.s. TBT stands for Throwback Thursday

The Seattle Bike Expo was earlier this month and I attended both days, leading a Kidical Mass ride on Saturday and a Critical Lass ride on Sunday. I didn’t get to see everything at the Expo, spending the bulk of my time at Cargo and Family Bikes booth, presented by Familybike Seattle, but I got to see quite a bit of the new Bike Friday Haul-a-Day cargo bike.

I’d previously seen photos of Shane MacRhodes’s Haul-a-Day (the first! the only!) on his Fully Loaded Tumblr site so I knew I’d love it and shouldn’t skip the chance to test ride at kid-friendly Peddler Brewing Company when Bike Friday came to town a few days early for Bike Expo. The Haul-a-Day can take an Xtraycle FlightDeck and Hooptie, like in Shane’s pictures, but the visiting one had the standard midtail deck and stoker bars. My two weren’t too eager to share the stoker bars, but I eventually got them to agree on hand placement and tied a cargo strap around them for my piece of mind.

We rode around a bit and I found the bike very zippy! I hadn’t been on a bike with 20-inch wheels before…well, unless you count my six-year old’s little bike, but let’s not count that. It was very nimble, easy to dodge around potholes. I didn’t get to climb any hills, so I can’t comment on its climbing abilities. The front basket is frame mounted so it can carry plenty of weight without affecting steering. We were all very taken by its weight–just 35 pounds!

Most Bike Fridays are folding bikes, but the Haul-a-Day doesn’t fold up…though I think future versions might. But what is very cool about the frame is that it can be adjusted longer or shorter to accommodate a wide range of riders. And since it’s a midtail, it fits on the bus! Here’s a picture I lifted from the latest Bike Friday newsletter with it on a Seattle Metro bus bike rack. I read that the frame should be compacted to the shortest size before putting on the rack, but not sure if that’s the case.

Photo courtesy Bike Friday

Next month you should be able to see/test/buy the Haul-a-Day at G&O Family Cyclery and one will join the Familybike Seattle fleet, too! If you’re in or near Portland see it at Velo Cult on April 5th: Bike Friday Cargo Bike Unveiling.

Walter and the Haul-a-Day came along on our Kidical Mass ride so I took a picture of our bikes side by side, though my poor angle and busy bike don’t give a good idea of difference in length. The deck seems longer than other midtails (Kona MinUte–which we learned at Bike Expo will come back into production next year!!!!, Kinn Cascade Flyer, Yuba Boda Boda), but it’s somewhat shorter than my deck.

And just to give my bike some love…

The Friday before Bike Expo I met up with Davey Oil at G&O Family Cyclery to help transport bikes over. I carried one kid, my Burley Piccolo trailer bike and G&O’s Kinn Cascade Flyer.

Davey rode a Bullitt with a Brompton inside and Donald of Bike Works hauled a Brompton and his own bike with an Xtracycle EdgeRunner. So I won, I’d say. Though in all fairness, Davey and Donald may not have known it was a competition.

On Sunday, just when I was moping over the fact that I’d be riding home with no kids and just the Burley Piccolo, my friend Maritess decided to rent the Bridgestone mamachari. I quickly offered to follow her home with her regular bike and kid seat.

I’ve since taken my first spins on the mamachari and it’s awesome! I’ll post about it soon. Here’s what it looks like in the rain:

Because it wouldn’t be Bike Expo without horrible horrible rain.

I love an online challenge! I just took part in Chasing Mailboxes’ Winter Challenge: The Errandonnee, 2014 Edition! – 12 days, 12 errands.

I failed at rule #2 and didn’t fill out the Errandonnee Control Card as I went. Bad call–it’s a lot harder figuring it all out at the end! And I don’t have a real job, but listed two errands as Work, pretending that Bicycle Advocacy fits the bill. Hopefully that’s OK. I do like and respect the long list of rules, but I’ve bent them coffeeneuring and errandonneering now!

We took a weekend trip to Portland (by car, with my road bike on the car bike rack) which made for some exciting non-Seattle destinations.

Many of my observations are bike parking related…not sure why, but we hit some cool racks and why not have an almost-theme?

P.S., if you’re looking for an online challenge, my all-time fave, 30 Days of Biking starts April 1st.

Errandonnee Control Card

Errand	Stats
Bike Shop – Trip 1 Destination: Clever Cycles (Portland) What I learned/observation: Swung by Clever Cycles to retrieve my LifeProof iPhone handlebar mount I left on the rental bakfiets two weeks ago. I often take pictures of my little bikes perched on rocks or logs, but sticking it in the unattended rental bakfiets was new and fun!	Miles: 1.1 Date: 3/8/2014
Bike Shop – Trip 2 Destination: Recycled Cycles What I learned/observation: Hit RC to pick up some grippy pedals to replace the temporary ones (thanks for the stopgap G&O!) after one of my Pedalite flashing battery-free pedals gave out after two good years. While there met Jesse, the house sitter/web manager for Dimitri Kieffer of Nexus Expeditions who is circumnavigating the globe on a Big Dummy and other human-powered means. Jesse was at the shop delivering stuff for Gigantic Bicycle Festival–check it out!	Miles: 4.3 Date: 3/10/2014
Breakfast or Lunch – Trip Only Destination: Burgerville and Lardo (Portland) What I learned/observation: Delivered lunch to go (bikes OK at Burgerville drive-thru windows!) to the kids at a playground with Mr. Family Ride and met four family biking luminaries for sit-down lunch: Christine visiting from Pittsburgh, Emily Finch, Kath Youell, and Sarah Gilbert (btw, it’s thanks to Sarah that bikes can use the Burgerville drive-thru). In pure Portland style, I glanced out the window to see Todd of Clever Cycles on a Dutchtub rental delivery run.	Miles: 5.4 Date: 3/9/2014
Coffee or Dessert – Trip 1 Destination: Solsticio What I learned/observation: Despite its super-bikey location along the Burke-Gilman Trail, Solsticio has no bike parking! Most bike-in visitors lock to the fence in the parking lot and hope not to be backed into by a parked car. While we were inside a couple on bikes parked on the other side of the fence, on the trail. I like my spot better. I think it’s a pay parking lot so probably not the easiest place to stick a big bike corral in place of a couple parking spots, but that’d sure be nice.	Miles: 4.8 Date: 3/11/2014
Coffee or Dessert – Trip 2 Destination: Husky Grind at Mercer Court What I learned/observation: First visit to the new Husky Grind by The Wall of Death. It’s really fancy–I never could have afforded to hang out at a place like this when I was in college. I love all the new staple bike racks in the area, but we learned they’re impossible to climb. Quelle bummer. And the grilled cheese pesto sandwich was delicious!	Miles: 0.6 Date: 3/13/2014
Community Meeting – Trip Only Destination: 19th and Boyer, Montlake What I learned/observation: Met with Transportation Nag, Merlin Rainwater, to be part of a photoshoot to promote the upcoming Silly Hilly Ride that will investigate possible Neighborhood Greenways routes in the area. Learned that the narrow dirt path by the Greek Orthodox Church (part of the convoluted route to Capitol Hill) will become a proper bike/ped path.	Miles: 4.6 Date: 3/13/2014
Grocery Store – Trip 1 Destination: Fremont PCC Natural Market What I learned/observation: I think the Fremont PCC bike corral might be Seattle’s first on-street bike corral. We love it!	Miles: 4.5 Date: 3/7/2014
Grocery Store – Trip 2 Destination: Roosevelt Trader Joe’s What I learned/observation: While I love the six new bike staples, I worry my long bike sticks out into the sidewalk too much (or else towards opening car doors too much) so I still park at the railing by the emergency exit.	Miles: 2.1 Date: 3/14/2014
Any store that is not the grocery store – Trip Only Destination: Fremont Brewing Company What I learned/observation: I’m categorizing this as a store and not a cafe or personal care since we just grabbed a growler to-go (although we hung out inside for a while since one of us wanted to play with the toys and eat free pretzels and apples). There’s a huge, well-spaced bike parking area in the parking lot. The two bike-shaped racks at the ends are the best for climbing, but even the green loops work OK.	Miles: 1.5 Date: 3/7/2014
Work – Trip 1 Destination: Sprocket Podcast recording studio What I learned/observation: Forgot to take a picture while all the recording stuff was hooked up (my podcast goes live in a week or so!), but pictured are Brock and Aaron posing at doing podcast stuff, and riding home with my co-guest Katie in her Cleverhood demonstrating her brilliant technique for dealing with rain: no clothing on parts not covered by the rain cape.	Miles: 5.3 Date: 3/8/2014
Work – Trip 2 Destination: Cascade Bicycle Club What I learned/observation: Met with the Cascade Rides Coordinator about their soon-to-be-expanded women’s programming and to discuss a panel I’ll be part of–save the date: April 8 at Flagship REI! The CBC staffers who bike to work carry their bikes into the building so the bike rack is always empty…save for the bus-style bike rack locked to the bike rack.	Miles: 8.4 Date: 3/11/2014
Wild Card – Trip Only Destination: Belltown apartment What I learned/observation: Fetched the Familybike Seattle mamachari (Bridgestone Angelino Petite Assista) from my friend who’s been using it the last two weeks before she headed out of town. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to easily tow it with my Big Dummy so I brought my road bike. I really wanted to try ghostriding my road bike home–and even read this tutorial, How To Ghostride a Bike–but chickened out and just carried it draped on the rear seat (secured with bungee cord, cargo strap, and toe strap). What a fun bike! I will write more about it soon.	Miles: 10.6 Date: 3/18
TOTAL MILES: 53.2

I just got home from Women on Wheels at Gregg’s Cycle in Green Lake. It was terrific! Huge turn out, many raffle tickets bought to support the represented non-profits, and a panel of five local female executive directors of bicycle organizations (Cathy Tuttle of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Deb Salls of Bike Works, Elizabeth Kiker of Cascade Bicycle Club, Holly Houser of Puget Sound Bike Share, and Barb Chamberlain of Washington Bikes).

I particularly like seeing a mixture of serious cyclists and transportation bicyclists. I even met a couple serious cyclists who have cargo bikes for carrying their kids on the side! I was a little intimidated, I have to admit. Yes, I own a serious road bike and a mountain bike, but only because Mr. Family Ride got them for me early on, hoping I’d take to cycling. And I did…but only once he added a beach cruiser to my fleet.

Nowadays, ten years later, I enjoy riding my road bike. I love a chance to feel fast and nimble compared to my workhorse cargo bike. Of course the road bike is usually encumbered with something kid-related, be it trail-a-bike and trailer to form Engine Engine Engine:

Or just a trailer (this is from a couple days ago, shaking crumbs loose…wish I could do this with the Big Dummy!)

Or a hop-on kid:

But once or twice a month I get to go out all alone. My last time out with the road bike was this past Saturday for a hair cut. I wasn’t in a hurry heading home, but it was drizzly and I was really cold, shivering at each red light. On a few solo occasions I’ve taken the 75-pound Big Dummy rather than the 20-pound road bike for the sake of staying warm, and probably would have this time, too, had I not been running late on the way down.

I caught up to lycra-clad man on the flat part of Dexter and would normally have hung back to not engage in the whole woman-passing-man rigamarole. Interestingly, I didn’t even realize there exists a woman-passing-man rigamarole until this moment. Sadly, it’s second nature. Very often, if I’m pedaling along faster than a guy, I’ll pass him only to be overtaken a moment later. Yet then he’ll slow down to his previous speed. I don’t think it’s ever intentional, but it is a bit annoying. So I usually just slow down if I catch up to a guy dressed in a lycra. This, too, I didn’t realize until the moment I caught the guy on Saturday. But it was much too cold to slow down. So I kicked it up to late-for-preschool-pickup pace rather than just-quick-enough-to-warm-up and all was good (though my legs were a bit sore the next day).

In terms of women on wheels in the general sense, Women on Wheels isn’t the only thing going on. The National Women’s Bicycling Forum is next Monday at the National Bike Summit. I won’t be there, but many friends will and I can’t wait to hear all about it.

And meanwhile, I’ll do my part to get more women out there on wheels so the novelty of being passed by and/or passing women wears off. This Sunday, join me for Critical Lass rides to Bike Expo where we’ll check out the Cycling Wisdom by Women, for Women panel. And Saturday, it’s Kidical Mass to Bike Expo.

Three days before our super snowy day, Hum of the City was in town from San Francisco. She blogged about the visit–Return to Seattle: Snow day!–but didn’t include any pictures of our fair city so I’ve taken it upon myself to provide a supplemental post.

I figured it’d be fun to ride a mile from her hotel to the #BikeLove Party in Nord Alley to mix some bike stuff into the work trip. I should have thought to offer ferrying her there on my FlightDeck, but I’m not a very practiced adult toter so I went the bike rental route instead. My first idea was to grab a Timbuk2 “bike share” bike which seemed appropriate given the store’s proximity and their #BikeLove Party sponsor status…but I worried about the first come, first served availability of their small fleet. So instead the four-year old and I set out for Counterbalance Bicycles because I thought their rentals were Breezer Uptowns, Hum of the City’s kid toting bike of choice when we first met. Plus the kids’ new bikes (to be blogged about soon) needed new-bike tweaking–derailleur adjustment on the big one, rubbing fender fix on the little one–so I was happy to hit a bike shop. It was dry, but very cold, when we set out–the four year old is in balaclava (“ninja mask”), ski goggles, snow boots, and ever-present oversized snowboard-jacket-cum-straitjacket:

I was in my warmer Bern helmet with helmuffs, but my cheeks turned red from the cold within minutes:

We dropped off the bikes and headed, unencumbered, to University Village for lunch. There we discovered frozen fountains:

Counterbalance replaced the rental fleet with Civia Twin City bikes, but I was still able to provide Hum of the City with a step-through frame and these new bikes have more gears (though Breezer Uptowns come in an eight-gear variety, too). The handlebars seemed very wide and I, uh, may have caught them on the chain link fence of the Burke-Gilman Trail detour. I wish I’d thought to take the bike for a little spin myself, but I just dragged it around. As is my way, I hadn’t thought through carrying three bikes plus one kid without the Xtracycle WideLoader…though naturally I was excited about the challenge. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately for my cargo cred), my son wanted to ride his own bike so we set out separately.

We encountered one icy patch on the Burke-Gilman Trail, but it’s been dry enough that slippery streets weren’t a worry.

Carrying the bike downtown was fun. At an intersection in South Lake Union, a woman crossing the street said she’d seen me from the bus on Eastlake and what on earth was I up to?

We happy houred at the hotel for a bit so by the time we got to the #BikeLove Party it seemed to be winding down. Apparently the food disappeared in a flash; biking and love make people hungry. But I got to introduce Hum of the City to a bunch of people she’s only seen in pixel form before. And on the way back, we got SNOWED ON!

For some reason, I figured Hum of the City had more snow experience than myself (since most people do), but we were perfectly paired in our excitement over a handful of snowflakes and quickly agreed that any amount of snow falling upon us counted as “biking in the snow.”

I took the Civia back home with me, though had the weather been warmer, it would have stayed at the hotel overnight to be used for a three-mile waterfront pedal to our lunch date the following day. I’ll have to bring Hum of the City to the Elliott Bay Trail on her next visit because she missed a most beautiful ride.

In heading to Fuji Bakery to meet Hum of the City and Jen of Loop-Frame Love and Ballard Greenways, we took the Amgen Helix Pedestrian Bridge. I’d only been over once before with the small mamabike and that was a tight fit in the elevator, but I was able to get the Big Dummy in–the trick was wheeling into the elevator backwards. And heading back over we fit three adults, one four-year old, kid bike, and Big Dummy.

It’s no secret that I’m not the most bike-fixey of family bikers. On the one hand, I like to demonstrate that one can know next to nothing about bike maintenance yet still successfully bike all over the city with kids. But it’d certainly behoove me to be a bit self-sufficient.

I used to be an accomplished flat-tire changer, back at bike-friendly UCSB. I kept two spoons, borrowed from the dining commons, in my backpack to use as tire levers and quickly changed many a flat. But I haven’t changed one since then. Nowadays I walk my flat bike to the closest bike shop. Or allow a friend to do my dirty work–thanks, Tom!

Part of my problem is that I’m loathe to attempt any full-attention-requiring feats with my two little “helpers” in attendance. But I’m also intimidated by my bike–disc brakes and dynamo hub in the front, disc brakes and wheel-hiding bags in the back are new since college. Not to mention the 76.4 pounds (not counting any rocks in my FreeLoader bags) of bike to manipulate.

But after nearly six years of family biking it’s time to change! I’ve been talking about taking Bike Works’ Bike Repair 101 (formerly ABC: Adult Basics Class) for at least a year, but haven’t been able to find time to commit to a six-week class. Fortunately I went poking around online and found this page about repair class at nearby R+E Cycles. I called to check the date of the next class and learned they’re taught on demand. I think other shops probably do this, too. For instance, I found a very old class calendar on Recycled Cycles’ website, but have since seen repair classes advertised on their sidewalk placard.

So I gathered three friends, which cut the price in half, and we met at R+E one night last week for

Road Side Repair
(max. 4 people per class)
In this 2 – 3 hour class you will learn how to fix the things that stop your ride.

• Check your bike pre-ride
• Fix a flat tire
• Fix a broken chain
• Deal with broken spokes
• Make a minor adjustment to your shifting & brakes
• Pack tools and parts appropriate to your bike, your skill, and your specific ride

Frosene of Bikelava–Artisan Peddled Baklava had the smallest bike–a lovely new-to-her Rodriguez–so John put it up in the stand for the duration of the class and we all worked on it in addition to our own bikes.

Check out the built-in bottle opener! I think all Rodriguez bikes have this.

Aerial shot:

Taken from my FlightDeck if you couldn’t guess:

We laughed, we learned, my bike was the guinea pig for fixing a broken chain when John noted my dirty chain was not just disgustingly dirty, but also stretched out and due for replacing.

From now on I vow to clean it weekly and lengthen its life. And I’m no longer scared of my tires…though thank goodness my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires are incredibly flat resistant because it was soooo hard to get the steel bead in and out of the rim.

I recommend the class to everyone not already in possession of these skills. And if you’re in Seattle and available Thursday night, you can do it for free! From the Rodriguez Bicycles Facebook page:

Free Bicycle Repair class Thursday Feb 20th @ 7:00pm! Come down to Peddler Brewing Company on Leary Way just past 15th in Ballard to get greasy with me. I will be going over basic mechanical and maintenance procedures such as : Fixing a Flat, minor adjustments of brakes and derailleurs, how to repair a broken chain, proper cleaning and lubing, etc… If anybody has any specific questions concerning their bike, feel free chew my ear a bit (figuratively, you sickos) and we’ll get it all straightened out. I hope to see y’all there.

And visit R+E this Saturday between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. for their annual Bike and Pike Open House.

Want some online bike fixing inspiration? Watch Cascade Bicycle Club’s video: Fix-a-Flat with Robin Randels, one of my Seattle Critical Lass co-founders.

Sadly, I had to cancel Explore the new Beacon Hill Greenway with Kidical Mass last Sunday on account of snow. We weren’t up for the long trek to Beacon Hill in those conditions, but made the most of the snow close to home. However, I checked it out (a.k.a. route tested) the Wednesday before the scheduled ride…otherwise known as Seahawks Parade Day.

I had called for the ride to start from the playground at Judkins Park, assuming the restrooms of such a large park would be open year round and justify starting the ride 0.6 miles away from the start of the greenway…but they were on seasonal closure. Something to keep in mind if we get a chance for a do-over before public park potty season starts.

However, starting north of the freeway meant I got to ride over this six-block-long ped-and-bike bridge alongside the freeway that meant avoiding a dip and climb. Google maps tells me this is part of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trail–a different type of greenway, not to be confused with Neighborhood Greenway.

I don’t know what the view looks like on regular days, but on Seahawks Parade Day there was no one leaving Seattle and standstill traffic into Seattle:

And that took me straight to the Greenway.

Looking back towards the trail used to access the greenway shows the DEAD END sign Transportation Nag writes about (among others) in Not Dead! It’s a Living End!

Due to the closed restrooms, I made plans to stop in at Hello Bicycle for kids in need of a pit stop and for a quick toe thawing. Playground-to-playground rides are tough in the cold season, though I had planned to bring lots of blankets and extra outer layers along to share at the end point.

And finally, Jefferson Park playground:

My original plan was to ride to the south tip of the greenway and return to Jefferson Park, but it was a slight downhill the whole way after the park and I didn’t think it was worth climbing back up if there were little riders along. So here’s the route, though I think a future ride might start much closer, like at the Beacon Hill Library, because the beginning of the greenway has a hill, too.

I think the Beacon Hill Greenway isn’t completely done, but when it is, Beacon B.I.K.E.S. will organize a celebration. I found some of the transitions a little confusing so I hope those will change. Following a turn of the greenway through a two-way stop often meant stopping to wait for free-flowing cross traffic which felt a bit awkward–these would be more comfortable as four-way stops. There were quite a few of those. And it was interesting to see a combination of speed humps–one across the whole street or divided into two or three humps. The three-piece speed humps didn’t encourage the few motorists I encountered to slow at all.

But there’s a lot of good stuff, too! The views are amazing up here:

And there’s a Little Free Libaray at 3307 Lafayette that would make a fun stop. It didn’t contain any children’s books when I route tested, but I could hopefully recruit a nearby Kidical Masser to seed it with something for the kiddos ahead of time.

Save the dates! Seattle Bicycle Expo is coming up and it’s big fun for kids and their keepers:
Saturday, March 1: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 2: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Cascade Kids’ Zone (back left corner of level two) is a blast. Last year it featured oddles of carnival games:

and craft projects:

Even the not-specifically-for-kids things are fun, like running the wrong way up the green bike lane carpet shouting, “I’m a salmon!” and pedaling a stationary bike at Watts-Up?

Non-pedalers should check out the Learn to Ride Class Saturday 9:30-10:45 a.m. (Bike Stunt Area on level one) and all kids should hit the Wheelie Fun Stunt Course Saturday and Sunday 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Bike and helmets will be provided!

Last year a bonus stunt course was added outside, but no guarantees that will happen again so try to hit one of the early ones.

We also enjoyed last year’s indoor picnic area provided by Nutcase Helmets. Kids ran and rolled on the artificial grass and colored with sidewalk chalk while parents perused the adjacent Kenmore Camera Photo Contest entries (you can still enter photos through February 25th!). This year it’s called “Lounge & Spinathon Area” so it might look quite different.

The presentation you can’t miss is “Look Ma, No Car!”…An Intro to Transportation Bicycling for Families by Morgan Scherer of Familybike Seattle Saturday 10:15-11:00 a.m. on the level two Main Stage. She’ll also be available both days at the Family Bike Expo:

Last year the family bikes were at booth 306 (back left corner on level one–here’s the floor plan). I’ll be there most of the time as well and we’d love local family biker volunteers to hang out with us at the booth–sign up here. Bring your bike, bring your kids! Conveniently close to the potties and the food court.

Also not to miss are the German artistic cyclists, Saturday 11:00-11:20 a.m., 1:20-1:45 p.m., 3:00-3:15 p.m., and 5:00-5:15 p.m. in the Bike Stunt Area. The kids and I were mesmerized by them four years ago–here’s someone’s video of Corrina Hein from that day:

and my oldest posing with his heroes:

Many of the booths will have fun stuff for kids. I hope to check out everything, but especially

• G&O Family Cyclery – booth 418
• Pedalheads Bike Camps – booth 124
• and the demo bike rack at King County Metro Transit – booth 363

I’ll lead a Critical Lass ride to the event on Saturday and a Kidical Mass ride over on Sunday. Details on those coming soon.

Bring a friend and save some cash: Cascade has a livingsocial deal going for two one-day tickets for $9.