After no biking and a lot of driving yesterday (down to Kent and back and then to Issaquah and back), we got back on the bike for a rainy two-mile ride to preschool. I wrapped up the bike for a four-hour sit and a friend fetched the little one and me on her way home from kindergarten dropoff for a playdate at her house. Due to the slight difference in school start times, I probably could have arrived at her Loyal Heights (heights=uphill) home at the same time as her, but it was a convenient experiment. From reading Car Free Days and A Simple Six, I’ve discovered it’s helpful to utilize carpools for car-free and car-light living.

There was one problem: I got really cold! All my routes involve enough hill (and it doesn’t take much) to keep me warm, but sitting in a car for ten minutes instead of pedaling for 30 doesn’t heat one’s core. Now I know how the kids must feel. Bummer for them, because I probably won’t be as accommodating of “But I don’t want to wear my mittens!” as I have been.

A big crowd braved the cold weather for today’s Kidical Mass to check out the newly completed Ship Canal Trail and after-party at the Fremont Brewing Urban Beer Garden. Today was also Cranksgiving, which we enjoyed participating in last year and were sad to miss, but we couldn’t miss a Kidical Mass! Not to mention KM was closer to home, less hilly, and ended in a brewery rather than outside in the cold.

The ride was big fun, with more family bikes than I could count, including four Madsens, a couple bakfietsen, an Xtracycle or two, trail-a-bikes, kid seats, and trailers. I think the most impressive (though we’re all impressive) was Babette with her Madsen containing two kids towing a trailer containing two bikes. Her husband wasn’t empty handed, either, pulling a trailer containing their puppy–their 65-pound puppy. We weren’t able to discover if an extra-long bike plus trailer can negotiate the walkways over the locks because a family with an unencumbered bike showed up and took charge of her trailer.

Speaking of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, the big one was empty. Not a common occurrence, but apparently it’s been closed since the 8th. We haven’t been down this way as often with the colder, shorter days. I detected an awful, fishy smell as we neared the water and figured a stinky fishing boat was passing through, but the stench was coming from the dry lock. The kids didn’t mind the smell and found the empty lock fascinating. Another discovery I made today is that the bathrooms on the south side of the locks (by the fish ladder) are not big enough to easily accommodate a bike, one of my favorite things about the north bathrooms. But all little bladders in distress squeezed in and we were soon on our way to the Ship Canal Trail ribbon cutting.

Our Kidical Mass ride, a couple Spokespeople rides, and countless other cyclists showed up for ribbon cutting ceremony. The kids were all very patient through several speeches and we soon got to ride on the new path. I’ll have to ride it on my own from the other direction to really get a feel for it.

The new path is so efficient, we arrived in Fremont 20 minutes before the brewery opened. Everyone scattered to pick up lunch at various places and we spent our extra time at the new Milstead & Co coffee shop. Our friends who led us to the new cafe hung out in the garden, but we needed to thaw out indoors. I’m grateful there was no snow as originally predicted, but it was plenty cold enough.

Despite the cold, my Seattle-born child refused to don his jacket, balaclava, and mittens for the ride home (though he agreed to keep his hands warm under his stuffed salmon), but my desert baby’s ears were cold even with his extra layers and I had to wrap my sweatshirt around him to better protect his ears. Even his stuffed salmon was cold and wore one BabyLeg as a body sock.

There’s talk of another winter Kidical Mass, which is exciting news, but we’ll have to toughen up a bit for it.

The forecast threatened a bit of snow tonight, but I didn’t take it too seriously…even after we rode over some salted sidewalk on Westlake. It’s much too early in the season to start worrying about snow. I wasn’t able to get the boys into all their new warm gear, but they were warm enough and I figure they’ll let me add pieces as they get chillier. The more exposed rear kid isn’t comfortable wearing the ski goggles so we substituted sunglasses. The front kid didn’t want balaclava, goggles, or even gloves, but his fairing keeps him sheltered. And he had his salmon on his lap to tuck his hands under.

Heading home from the Seattle Center at 4:30 we encountered a bit of hail. I thought it was freezing rain or sleet (maybe those are the same thing?), but a more weather-savvy friend later informed me it was hail. It wasn’t too bad, but it started while I was slowly making my way up Densmore–my latest hill of choice–on the way home. I’d taken off my jacket and gloves and found the hail refreshing. The kids didn’t complain, either, so this daily winter riding might just work out.

I’ve had to drastically reduce my downhill speed because my rear passenger shouts “yellow light!” as soon as we pick up the pace and cold wind hits his face. Not to be left out, the front kid shouts “blue light!” but I think his fairing keeps him warm enough and he’s just returning the favor of shouting out his brother’s favorite color. We discussed which specific body parts are getting too cold and the answer was: face, neck, and tail (because they’re puppies, you know). So we headed to REI for ski goggles and balaclavas.

I was delighted to find $10 clearance Scott Little People Goggles, but the kids didn’t like the $15 Seirus Thick-n-Thin Headliner Balaclavas I’d admired online from home and chose the $30 Turtle Fur Windtech Maskot Beanies. They’re worth the extra cost–the kids are more comfortable with the little nose hole and they’ll fit forever and work great in the snow, too. But then our visit got even pricier as we found plush salmon near the checkout. I wanted to replace our lost yellow perch with a salmon or two–every Pacific Northwestern child should have a toy salmon, right?–and at least we saved on shipping by buying on the spot. So we added two Cabin Critters to our haul: sockeye for the four-year old and chinook for the two-year old. We’ll earn a dividend big enough to also buy salmon for Mr. Family Ride and me at this rate.

I have yet to choose a favorite route to REI and often get lost on the way there if I haven’t studied the map closely before heading over. I’ve already forgotten the route I took there, but to avoid the Mercer Mess of South Lake Union, I took Eastlake home. It was convenient in that Eastlake runs right alongside REI (I hadn’t realized this before!) but Eastlake isn’t the most pleasant street to ride along, being so busy. I resorted to the sidewalk for half a block to avoid a delivery truck blocking my sharrow, but otherwise it wasn’t so busy that I couldn’t use the road. And it certainly is direct. I’ve also been taking Dexter a lot lately to avoid the South Lake Union construction, but I have to admit it’s really not that bad for bikes…despite the BICYCLISTS SLOW DOWN DANGER AHEAD signs.

Last year only three-year-old Brandt participated in the Woodland Park GP cyclocross kiddie race, but this year little Rijder was also big enough, and I was talked into the new beginners category. I’m no racer, but Anne-Marije Rook, The Riding Reporter, made it sound fun with the heat just for beginners and demo loaner bike.

Photo courtesy Anne-Marije Rook, The Riding Reporter

I’m glad I was able to piece together a cycling kit because everyone else in the beginners heat was fully outfitted and looked very fit. I’m not sure I’ve ever worn those Shebeest shorts before, but I discovered if I took out the padded liner, they fit! And the jersey is an old racing jersey of my husband’s. I have no idea why he had such a big one–he was much narrower than me in his heyday. The gloves are also his and too big and got caught in the gear shift a few times. I’ll invest in gloves before next year’s race because it’s either than or compete single speed and I’m not game for that. The BACON socks are from The Sock Monster in Wallingford and probably wouldn’t have been my first choice, but they were left on the loom a little too long and came out a couple inches longer than they should have–over-the-knee socks for the to-the-knee price! (Not that they stayed up over my knees as you can see from the picture.) I brought my SPD shoes along, but no pedals. The demo bike came sans pedals so Recycled Cycles put my Milano’s pedals on and I rode in my running shoes. I thought I’d be more comfortable this first time on flat pedals, but in retrospect, I think clipless is the way to go. My Bern helmet was a little awkward. The shape is great on my more upright Milano, but its extra low in the back–I’m sure to better protect one’s tasty Cerebellum–and kept bumping against my back and pushing the visor over my eyes.

Photo courtesy Anne-Marije Rook, The Riding Reporter

The beginners raced at the same time as the juniors (Jr Boys & Girls 10-12, Jr Boys & Girls 13-14, and Jr Boys & Girls 15-16) so I got lapped by little kids while making my way around the course. One tiny guy passed me and I thought I could follow him for a bit, but he just hung right in front of me for a while and I eventually passed him back. But otherwise, the only people I passed were crash casualties. The crowd was great. They ran out of safety pins so I didn’t wear my number and several people read my jersey and shouted “Allez Cafe de Columbia!” with flourishy accents as I slogged by.

When I finished the first lap I saw a sign that indicated two laps to go, but when I finished the second lap it was all over. I don’t think I’d drive an hour to find a race earlier in the season next year, but I’ll do this one again and be a lot bolder. Hopefully three laps bold. And I’ll either bring my mountain bike or arrange ahead of time to borrow a bike for the Cat 4 Women (the least experienced) heat.

The kiddie race was awesome! Unfortunately Mr. Family Ride had to catch a ride to the airport right before the start so we couldn’t follow the kids separately and we missed out on taking a video. Brandt rode with a friend, also on a balance bike, in the middle of the pack, while I led Rijder at the way back. What a difference four months makes! At July’s Recycled Cycles kiddie crit someone made eye contact with him so he froze and dropped his bike. But today he kept with it. He got sidetracked by enticing piles of leaves a couple times, but made it all the way around. The men taking advantage of the open course time caught up with him before the last corner and rode around him and even that didn’t phase him! I’m pretty sure he was the smallest racer and he was definitely the last.

Our adventure wasn’t over with the racing, though. With Mr. Family Ride gone, we had both my bike and the car to get home. I opted to drive the car home first and then bus back for the bike. We don’t take the bus often these days, but it’s always fun on the weekend with a very different crowd. We talked to a lot of delightful people on the short ride on the 44 (our favorite bus!). The racing was long over by the time we made it back, but we saw a couple stragglers leaving, one of whom recognized my bike and asked if we were at Yo Gabba Gabba yesterday. Much better than being recognized as the racer getting passed by all the ten-year olds.

Adequate bike parking is great, but inadequate bike parking can be an invitation to park right out front. The Paramount Theatre’s website doesn’t mention bike parking, but I didn’t have high hopes as we headed downtown for the Yo Gabba Gabba show. A twitter query about parking yielded a few “I locked up to a chain-link fence”s and The VeloBusDriver’s great suggestion to use the bike rack across the street in the Convention Place Station.

That was my plan, but we were running a little late and usually taking the bike means I don’t have to walk a block at two-year-old-leg speed. So instead I locked up to a trash can by the box office. The bulk of the foot traffic was around the corner at the entrance and there was ample room on the curb side of the bin that the pokey bike parts were shielded from kids walking by on the sidewalk. Win-win.

The bus station looks like a nice spot for future Paramount parking, but I don’t know if the rack is covered. That was the only problem with my trash can spot. The drizzle stopped by the time we arrived so I didn’t think to cover our seats and they were wet by the time we got out. I imagine I’ll forget all my rain lore every fall, but this year I’ll get very used to dealing with the rain again soon enough.

Another bonus of the front row Joe parking spot was that I got to talk family bikes with a couple moms waiting for the second show. However, had we not spent so long layering up in the lobby to prepare for the wet ride home, we would have been outside in time for Biz Markie to walk by us. Darn! As it is was, we merely saw him through the door as we were shoving our feet into boots and hands into gloves.

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit like a cargo bike poseur. Wikipedia defines cargo bikes as “human powered vehicles designed and constructed specifically for transporting large loads.” There are quite a few people riding around on true cargo bikes in Seattle. My Milano wasn’t built for hauling, but after taking a lengthy ride on my road bike last night I feel secure in my identity as an after-market cargo bike.

This morning half my cargo and I went looking for the plush fish I lost last night. It’s the same color as the plentiful fallen leaves so we didn’t have much luck. We even took Broad Street under Aurora to leave no stone unturned. It’s not so bad hopping the curb with just one passenger, but I’m glad to go back to my longer, wimpier route in future.

We explored the waterfront on our way back north, including the Elliott Bay Public Fishing Pier, conveniently ignorning the NO BIKES OR SKATES ALLOWED ON THIS PIER sign since there were no fish or fisherpeople to alarm.

We couldn’t visit Ballard without a stop at Dutch Bike Co for a snack, but we eventually made it to the ballot box in front of the Ballard library.

And I finally got back to heavy hauling with a stop at Trader Joes where we overdid things–one kid held a bag of veggie chips and the other a bushel of bananas. So I say I am a cargo bike…just not a very efficient one.

I was able to sneak out for a bit tonight and attended my first Menstrual Monday ride:

Menstrual Monday is the first Monday of every month rain or shine. Ladies of all bike types and skill levels welcome! Meet up at Seattle Center Fountain at 6:30. Depart at 7pm.

This evening’s ride was harvest themed with a bonfire, pie, and cider at the end.

I finally installed my BikeGlow Safety Light to combat the dark. I snagged it for 50% off from Mamasource a couple months ago, and have seen the deal come up once more since then. The idea is to wrap it around the frame, but yesterday I noticed a bike at the Ballard farmers market with it strung in a line and it looked pretty cool. The black thing on my seat post is the two-AA battery pack. It makes a whining sound when the light is on (solid, slow blink, or fast blink), but I couldn’t hear it once I was riding.

This is what the light looked like in the dark:

The ride was great! I thought it was fast and hard, but one rider was on a beach cruiser so it must have been mellower than I realized. The route seemed very similar to the last cargo bike ride, but it was SO DARK it was hard to tell. It was nice to ride on paths without cars, but that also meant paths without lights.

I knew I’d have to leave early, but luckily the ride ended up near home so I didn’t have to leave too early. I was worried the ride would head for West Seattle and I’d have to leave before reaching the end and find my way home all alone. But we rode to a part of Ravenna Park I’m familiar with and I even had time to ride with the group to Boulevard Grocery for snacks and beer before the bonfire.

The only bad part of the evening was losing Nothing the Salmon (formerly known as Sammy the Salmon), our new 99-cent yellow perch stuffed animal from two days ago. The boys wanted him to come along on the ride since they couldn’t. Turns out, water bottle cages aren’t good for storing stuffed animals. I noticed his absence across the street from the Seattle Center, but didn’t want to retrace my steps and look for him in the dark. He’s wearing two reflective ankle bands so maybe I can track him down tomorrow.

Earlier in the day we biked to the Arboretum with Brad and the Yes on Prop 1-mobile. We communed with nature for quite a while, but eventually got too cold and wet and took refuge in Montlake Bicycle Shop. There are a lot of bikes there! The kids had a blast careening through the aisle on the shop’s balance bikes while Brad checked out a tandem bike and I browsed accessories. I bought a reflective ankle band (not one of the ones lost with the fish) and now it’s my only one left.

After preschool pickup we raced to Dutch Bike Co to buy a basket (yes, another new basket) I fell in love with yesterday and deliver it to Seattle Powder Coat just in time to get painted with my new bike frame. Phew. Accessorizing is hard work.

Lots of riding today and tonight. My seat is sore.

Not family-biking-related, but while the rest of the family was jumping in fall leaves at the Arboretum, I rode my beach cruiser to Ballard for a hair appointment and an impulse bike basket purchase. I had stopped in at Dutch Bike Co for a coffee and found myself browsing the baskets. There was only one white one, the Wald quick-release basket. I was smitten.

The Wald basket is a lot nicer than the rusty and bent basket previously on the cruiser–removed three-and-a-half years ago when we tried to attach the baby seat and never put back on. I’m not sure how often I’ll remove the basket from the bike, but it’s a nice feature. And it looks more attractive without the legs attaching it to the hub. It’s a little wobbly over bumps, so not the best basket for rugged riding, but beach cruisers shouldn’t have to deal with bumps. David faux-secured the basket with a removable zip tie (I had no idea they came in removable!) so I could give the illusion of being theft-proof. I just love leaving DBC with a zip tie to show for my visit!

It was nice to put my messenger bag in the basket, but the party only lasted a few blocks because I stopped at Fred Meyer and filled the basket with fruit and coffee. This was the first time the beach cruiser had transported anything other than beer. She’s growing up.

We took our first bike trip to the Crown Hill Value Village today. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to make the 4.5-mile trip; I’ve biked slightly farther on a couple occasions. Even more exciting than the thrift store was happening upon JRA Bike Shop. A friend told me yesterday that they have a few longtails–Xtracycle, Yuba Mundo, and Sun Atlas Cargo–but I discovered they also have a Christiania. Nice fleet! They’re also very nice and quickly provided a paper towel for the toddler’s snotty nose and offered us donuts.

Value Village was a big success. We got a kiddie skateboard for $3, our first bag of real Legos, and a plush fish we think is a salmon for 99 cents. And long pants for me, which was the main purpose of the trip. I keep assuming all this biking will help me fit in my old clothes, but it’s not doing the trick so now I’ve got four pairs of cheap bigger pants. Sigh.

While I was loading up the bike, two people asked if it was motorized. I love when that happens, although sometimes I think it’s because the internal hub looks like a motor and not because the questioners are impressed with my hill climbing.

When we overshop at the grocery store, the kids have to hold bulky items in their laps. I thought that might be the case today, but I was able to cram everything in the baskets. This left room for the kids to holds snacks (and Sammy the Salmon) on their laps and I discovered what a great snack holder a toddler makes. The front kid held a bowl of cashews and we didn’t lose a one: uphill, downhill, over bumps. Secured directly to the bike, all the cashews would have quickly bounced out.