Tag Archive | 30 Days of Biking

ALIVE film at Bumbershoot

Sep4

Today we started at the 1 Reel Film Festival for the tail end of the Films4Families Animation Showcase during which my son asked “When will we see the bike movie?” over and over until the ALIVE (A Low Impact Vehicle Exploration) shorts started. First up was the Rejuiced Bikes flick which profiled all the exciting bikes at the aLIVe booth. We learned that our beloved water bike is named H2O Flow and the recycling bike we rode yesterday is the Trashy Trike. And one of the bikes did the STP. The Undriving short was great, too, but I would have liked one more profile of a bike-riding undriver. There was a glimpse of the second undriver’s (primarily a bus rider) e-bike, but that was it.

Though there wasn’t a big line when we arrived today, I wanted to try the backside bike parking and entrance anyway. I couldn’t find the bike corral so I locked up to a bus stop and hoped for the best. Once through the gates I realized the idea was to bring the bike in and use the regular racks just inside so I reparked when I had a chance a couple hours later. Now that I’m looking at the map I can see that the bike parking icon is inside the festival boundary. I’m not sure what I’ll do tomorrow. It’s nice to have access to the bike without having to leave and re-enter in case I want to leave extra stuff in the baskets, but the location isn’t quite as convenient.

I stopped to grab a picture of the The Bicycle Doctor mobile bicycle repair, parked on Dexter near John, on the way home. I saw a quick post about it on TUBULOCITY, but this was my first sighting. He was parked there on our way in, too, so I’m not sure this was a long housecall or just a parking spot.

Usually I like an excuse to ride alone and not have to talk nonstop about trains, seaplanes, and puppies, but this evening I felt lonely. Not at first–several hilarious Bumbershoot-goers asked for rides as they were going in and I was riding out. Even though I spent the entire ride reminding myself “The kids aren’t with you–you don’t have to wave at the Ride the Ducks tours” I still waved at the last one I saw. Then I nearly had to walk up the steep block by home so I’m obviously suffering some odd side effects from being tired and dehydrated. Hopefully I can try the ride home solo again tomorrow after sufficient water intake.

Today’s miles: 10.8 miles
September cumulative: 42.8 miles

aLIVe at Bumbershoot

Sep3

Best thing at Bumbershoot day one: the aLIVe H2O bike (and the rest of the fleet) visiting from Portland. Not only do its good looks draw gawking kids and adults over from near and far, it doesn’t just sit passively when parked–it collects rain water into its three tanks.

The water bike couldn’t accommodate two littles so we took our test ride on the recycle bike, with the kids sitting in the recycling bay. It only takes two pedalers so I rode pedicab-style while Nat and a ten-year old ferried us around. I kept catching the kid shirking his pedaling duty, but he didn’t want to stop and give me a turn. Not complaining, it’s nice to let someone else do the work, but I wasn’t sure how long my recyclites would last back there and I wanted a go, too.

There’s a collection of short films called ALIVE (A Low Impact Vehicle Exploration) tomorrow I’m hoping we can check out. In the meantime, here’s my video of the funny fleet. Apologies for the musical accompaniment (two-year old clanging stick on metal fence).

Otherwise, Bumbershoot doesn’t seem as bikey this year. The special treatment last year was nice, with the free bag check at the bike corral (although this year there is free bag check for everyone at the State Farm booth) and passes to a Very Important Biker booth with free bike-blender-made smoothies. This year things started out on a low note when I discovered the bike corral was a swampy mess. The map shows a second bike parking area on Mercer steet so I’ll give that a try tomorrow. Plus, the Mercer Street entrance should be much faster. And hopefully its exit will have a ramp for the stroller.

Parking swamp 11:20am

Parking swamp 7:00pm

The kids were also intrigued by the Medic One bikes by the first aid station. I’ve never seen them before, but the paramedic said they’re also used at sporting events.

I was impressed by how much stuff they hold…though I will point out that the stickers the paramedic gave us came from the ambulance, not the bike. I can appreciate trying to keep the load light. Speaking of a light load, the only thing we missed today was a picnic blanket. I didn’t end up using the Ergo, but I’m glad I had it along and will bring it tomorrow, too. The kids mostly walked, but I used the little stroller to carry our bag of snacks and kid swim stuff so happy to have had it along. Yes: swim stuff. Most of our Bumbershoot was spent in the Youngershoot Kids’ Zone playing with the Children’s Museum Legos and swimming in DuPen Fountain. Kids don’t seem to appreciate the fact that they can do that stuff any old day and should let their mom hang out and watch music at Bumbershoot.

Today’s miles: 10.1 miles
September cumulative: 32.0 miles

Deja zoo

Sep2

OK, we didn’t actually go to the zoo today, but we did ride up to Phinney Ridge twice. It’s a climb to get there, but I like it because it’s all downhill to come back home. We met a friend at the new Phinney Market and Pub which could only be awesomer if it had a bike rack directly in front of it…but the one next door does the trick. Then we popped over to the playground a block away that we love, but have only been to twice because it’s not often we come to Phinney without spending all our time at the zoo.

We swung by Trader Joe’s on our way home, where I usually feel like I’m infiltrating a club for hipster bikes when I take a parking spot on the rail of kewlness out front. We had hoped to see Geoff, friend of Seattle Bike Blog‘s Tom, working today to talk to him about his hand-built bamboo bike. Not because we’re especially into hand-built bikes (although they are very cool), but because the boys love bamboo. Gnawing on it, that is. He wasn’t there this time, but soon he’ll be subjected to two small pandas shouting “Um um, bamboo! Um um, bamboo!” at him.

After an hour’s rest at home (not enough!), we headed back uphill to the Phinney Farmers Market for the highlight of our day: MoZo. They’re so cute! We listened to their “folk-pop and blues meets rock ‘n roll” while eating our Half Pint ice cream and it took me a while to notice their bikes behind them. They bike everywhere! They live in Ballard, but play all over the place. Hopefully they’ll play another daytime gig within my range soon.

And then just one final stop at Hagrid’s Chair outside Not a Number Cards & Gifts. They have them for sale now, for anyone in need of an enormous beach chair with six cup holders. I could possibly fold one up and bungee it to the bike, but we’ll stick with a picnic blanket for our outdoor seating needs.

Today’s miles: 12.9 miles
September cumulative: 21.9 miles

30 Days of Biking Round 4 Day 1: Do paddle boats count?

Sep1

It’s that time again! September is a mellower 30 Days of Biking round, but it should still be a blast. And this is your seven-month warning to be ready to join me on the bike every day in April. I dressed up for the occasion because nothing says bike like lipstick and skirt:

Today’s first big adventure was paddle boating. I don’t know if it really counts for 30 Days of Biking, but 2 Wheels 6 Feet and I did a ton of pedaling on Green Lake today. I’m quite proud of myself because the last time I was on a paddle boat was when I was 12 or so in Amsterdam and my mother let me steer for a minute. I steered us right into a houseboat and a very angry Dutch woman ran out and yelled at us while we fled at a snail’s place. I did the steering today, too, and it was still hard to go in a straight line, but I didn’t crash us into anything. I successfully guided us around Duck Island and then back to the dock as quickly as possible because the two littlest kids weren’t feeling particularly nautical. Paddle boats are hard, especially with a toddler on one’s lap most of the time. I think we won’t go out again until the kids’ legs are long enough to reach the pedals and do the work while we kick back and relax.

The paddle boat was nothing compared to our evening trip to David Rodgers Park. It’s just six blocks from the preschool the four-year old is going to attend this year, but those six blocks are the difference between Lower Queen Anne and Upper Queen Anne. I’m glad I didn’t realize this ahead of time because I would have considered leaving the lake early to get home and drive with Mr. Familyride (remember, broken shoulder = no biking for him for a few more weeks).

Speaking of driving with Mr. Familyride, the kids caught a ride home from Rodgers Park in the car and I biked home alone. They caught up to me as I was bombing down N 34th St in Fremont; the boys shouted “Hi, Mama!” out the windows and my husband shouted, “Hon, I can totally see up your skirt!” For the record, I didn’t have any issues earlier in the day when I was traveling slowly and mostly uphill. Apparently downhill requires some skirt tucking, even with a heavy fabric like denim. Live and learn. And I don’t think anyone else noticed in the dim evening light.

Today’s miles: 9.0 miles
September cumulative: 9.0 miles

30 Days of Biking day 30: Grand finale with Kidical Mass

Apr30

Holy cow, I cycled 261.3 miles this month…assuming my math was right, which it probably wasn’t. But that figure has got to be close to the real total.

This morning started with a great discovery–I now have two speeds when I bike: normal/slow and eek-I’m-late. I left the house ten minutes later than intended this morning, but picked up my pace and actually passed people on the Burke-Gilman Trail. Real people. On bikes. It was pretty cool. I got to Ballard with time to stop by Dutch Bike Co for a coffee on the way to the Kidical Mass meeting point. I love that I can just wheel the bike in, kids and all, and stand in line for coffee. I used the BioLogic Vacuum Flask I gifted to my husband–I shoved it in the back of my basket and it didn’t drip. I’d still like to affix some some cup holders to the bike for all three of us if I can find room.

Lots of families came out for the Kidical Mass ride: two Madsens, an Xtracycle, a trail-a-bike, a FollowMe Tandem (WANT!), front kid seats, rear kid seats, trailers, and solo-rider kids. There was even another Bianchi Milano, but the fancier variety with internal hub. The owner had a drink cage attached. I should do the same. She also had a Dutch bike lock. I think seeing it on a Milano was just the kick in the butt I need to go get one. Her other mods were: wrap-around handlebars, Bobike Mini on the front, basket in front of the Bobike, and pannier on the back.

We rode to Lake Union Park and I even got to lead the ride for a couple blocks, to show everyone our secret train tracks below Westlake Ave. We snacked and played on the model boat pond and another Bianchi Milano showed up. This one sported an iBert and a trail-a-bike. Talk about a bunch of work horses. I still want an Xtracycle soon, though. The Xtracycle on the ride today had the FollowMe Tandem on the back, an extra kids bike in the FreeLoader bag as well as tons of other stuff.

The other Milano

The other other Milano

Next up we rode to the Fremont Brewing Urban Beer Garden which is awesome! There were toys and tons of space and we were the last to leave the party. I rode up Woodland Park to Bridge and then up Stone so I didn’t have to walk the bike at all. Super end to a perfect day to close out a great month!

Daily distance: 12.9 miles
Cumulative: 261.3 miles

30 Days of Biking day 29: Koninginnedag shopping

Apr29

Tomorrow is Queen’s Day so we did a quick shopping trip for orange stuff this afternoon. I thought about trying to make it to the Crown Hill Value Village thrift store, but decided I was too lazy so we just went to Sock Monster for new orange socks for me and Kids on 45th for used orange clothing for the littles. One of these days I’ll give Crown Hill a go.

Daily distance: 1.2 miles
Cumulative: 248.4 miles

30 Days of Biking day 28: Family Biking Slideshow

Apr28

We attended Totcycle’s wonderful Family Biking Slideshow at Miro Tea this evening. I hadn’t planned to go out tonight, plus I wasn’t sure how we were going to squeeze in any biking with my non-biking dad visiting, but as luck would have it, the four-year old took an unexpected nap so a 7pm engagement wasn’t out of the question. The event was a big success, with five families in attendance. I’d also like to point out per Totcycle’s announcement: “Bonus points for bringing your family biking rig to show off afterwards” so bonus points to me! We parked next to Totcycle’s Madsen, but I think that was it for kid-toting bikes.

My dad met us there with his car so I had him drive the heavier kid home and had a nice ride home with just the little one. I wasn’t sure which route to take: longer more gradual Densmore hill or short and steep 4th Ave/2nd Ave. I ended up opting for short and steep since long and gradual isn’t a picnic either.

Daily distance: 8.7 miles
Cumulative: 247.2 miles

30 Days of Biking day 27: Miserable rainy coffee run

Apr27

Nothing too exciting today. We didn’t make it out on the bike until the late afternoon and the drizzle was going strong. My husband seems to have hidden his rain jacket so I had to wear my own non-waterproof jacket. It held up to the drizzle, but it wasn’t as nice. I contemplated shortening our ride and just hitting the coffee shop/play area a block from home, but the boys made me stick to the plan of hitting the grocery store to replenish our Senseo coffee pods.

On the way home we stopped at the coffee shop because the weather was that miserable; I couldn’t handle the last block home. We dried out and snacked and played on the train table until we were ready to face that last block of drizzle.

Daily distance: 1.2 miles
Cumulative: 238.5 miles

30 Days of Biking day 26: Geeking out on bike racks

Apr26

I’m having so much fun keeping track of miles biked this month that I decided to sign up for next month’s Group Health Commute Challenge. Yeah, yeah, I don’t have a real job, but the FAQ says unemployed and work-from-home people are eligible. If I happen to take any non-kid-schlepping rides, I won’t count those as part of my commute. I’ve created a team called One Less Minivan (I can’t take credit for the name, it’s from Cafe Mama in Portland). I plan to order some bumper stickers from her for my team…but I have to decide where to stick mine. Probably on the back of my rear seat so I don’t mar my pretty celeste green paint. Lemme know down in the comments if you’d like to join the team.

We headed to the Cascade Bicycle Club office to pick up my team captain packet (long-sleeved green shirt for me, reflective leg bands for all), but first the boys did a bit of balance biking. The little one (21 months old) isn’t very speedy on his Kinderbike Mini yet, but assuming things warm up we’ll do more riding soon. I wish I’d gotten the show on the road sooner so we could have played at Magnuson Park while we were all the way over there, but as it was, we just picked up our stuff and headed back.

We stopped at the Sand Point Metropolitan Market for snacks and I was quite taken by the Madrax bike racks. Met Market just had the bollards variety, but wow, their website is fun. If I ever own a bike shop (which will be called B.I.L.F.: Bikes I’d like to fix), I’m ordering a custom Madrax bike rack of some sort.

Back to today’s ride: I made it home with no walking thanks to leaving the Burke-Gilman Trail a bit early and heading up Brooklyn. On this easterly trip, it only added half a mile to the trip, but coming from the west, like most my trips, Brooklyn would add a mile and a half so I probably won’t bother. It wasn’t the lovliest ride and I stuck to the sidewalks the whole time, but it was great to get a one-day reprieve from walking the bike.

Daily distance: 10.9 miles
Cumulative: 237.3 miles

30 Days of Biking day 25: Proper rain gear

Apr25

Today was disgustingly rainy and windy, but I purloined my husband’s rain jacket and waterproof gloves and discovered it’s not half bad when properly dressed. However, I’ve decided no matter the attire, I hate the Broad Street tunnel for crossing Aurora. I’ll find a new less-direct route for next time we hit the Seattle Center. In addition to the narrow sidewalk and missing curb ramp, I’m unfairly disillusioned today because I thought a speeding-around-the-corner truck didn’t see me (he totally saw me) and stopped and turned too quickly and dropped the bike. Again! Poor kids. No scratches, but I don’t want to see that embarrassing intersection again. A couple guys were on a smoke break nearby and ran over and helped me lift the bike back up.

I brought my rain covers (Ikea shopping bags), but figured the place was deserted enough that I could lock up to a covered fence instead of the exposed bike racks. And despite being dry under our rain-proof layers, I was in no hurry to face the elements again so we agreed to stay indoors until it stopped raining. Here’s a bike sign we discovered in the Japan section of the Children’s Museum Global Village exhibit:

The only bad part about staying inside so long is that we got to the rock store (formally known as The Frontier Gallery, informally known as “the store with the jackalope in the window”) five minutes after it closed. Darn! Trains are still number one, but rocks are becoming a close second. But the sun was out!

As usual, I had to walk a block on the way home, but I had a brilliant idea that might work next time: I’m going to have the big kid dismount and run alongside the bike as I pedal slowly uphill. He seemed OK with the idea, however declared he was too hungry to do it this time. I can’t really take credit for the idea because after voicing it, I remembered a friend in Queen Anne (super hilly) told me she used to have her toddler get off her Xtracycle as she walked it up hills. Can’t wait to give it a try!

Daily distance: 9.5 miles
Cumulative: 226.4 miles