Day 21 of 30 days of biking - Bicycle races and cargo bikes

We had such a massively wonderful day, almost too much to write down at 9:30pm- but this is my first opportunity.  This morning we rode to downtown Walla Walla (just under 9 miles!) We went to meet a fellow cargo biker that found us through the blog and who lives in Tri-Cities, he had driven over for the day to enjoy the bicycle races being held downtown.

It was pretty hot and just a beautiful day, we used the sun shade with the additional sun block so Jack's arms didn't get scorched. We made good time and the ride, although a challenge, was far easier than last time. I can't tell you how accomplished that made me feel! 

This is Jack's reaction to seeing all the bicycles whiz by like a swarm of bees the first time! I had never seen bicycle racing up close before and was amazed at the hum all the bikes made and the gust of air that hit us as they passed.

In the picture above Jack is watching the scene in the picture to the right >  his face is pretty hilarious!
I think he was amazed by the cycling in one place, all the bikes and tons of people. He soon got into the action, yelling "go, go, go" as the racers flew by.

 

We called our visiting cargo bike friend, Ian and he met us a short time later, for a cold drink and a chocolate muffin to fuel the ride home. Ian was super cool and we were really happy to meet him. It was thoroughly refreshing to meet another cargo cyclist, and our group of bikes got lots of glances amid the sea of carbon-fiber frames and skinny tires. Whilst we were sitting there we got to meet Luke, another cargo-cyclist whom I had yet to meet in person. Unfortunately Jack was getting close to nap time and not very patient, but we did manage to take some time to kick tires and admire our bicycles.

Above is Ian's chilled ride- a Rans, Crank Forward design bike with an Xtracyle. This bike looked so chilled and relaxed. I asked Ian why he kept his bike computer back towards the rear of the bike, he said it was so he stopped paying attention to how slow he was riding and just enjoyed the ride; I thought that was clever advice for many of us! Below we see Luke's bike, it's a Kona Ute, and obviously a very beautiful bike too. It was great to meet some fellow cargo cyclist's today, I felt really uplifted by them- thanks guys!

We cycled home with a very tired boy, he feel asleep halfway home, so we decided to take the scenic route through the wetlands bike trail. The ride home is always so much easier as it's a slow down hill all the way home.  The sun was blazing and we hadn't brought any sunblock with us, I was glad Jack was pretty well shaded under his canopy. We were less than a mile from home when Kyle got a flat tire, we had taken the pump, but it needed to be repaired, so Kyle walked home. I rode on ahead with the sleeping child, I had just him tucked in bed as Kyle walked through the front door.

Here's a picture of downtown- lots of bikes today. And a few more of the races:

Overall- another awesome day, courtesy of the bicycle!