Racing Heart, Slow Bike

Jack took a later than usual nap today, so I decided to get him up and out for a bike ride as soon as he awoke.  We didn't have any particular plan other than to spend some time exploring the neighborhood and hopefully meander towards Kyle's work at around the same time he was leaving.

The whole ride became a series of ups and downs for me emotionally. I found myself out of breath and seemed to be moving at a painfully slow pace, the bike felt heavy and every road felt like an incline, with my heart seemingly pounding in my chest I felt really miserable. After a few blocks I decided to cut through the school grounds and found myself distracted from my worries and aches by the beautiful trees and manicured grounds.

About then it was time for us to head over to Kyle's work but that took no time at all and so we recited the alphabet and cycled around the parking lot a few dozen times. It was during one of these laps that a car pulled in and the driver called out "Are you Lindsay and Jack?", which was a little shocking! It turned out to be a member of a local bike group I had been chatting with via Facebook. It was very encouraging to meet another cyclist, especially a friendly one with a child.

Kyle emerged from work with his bicycle and as it was such a nice evening we decided to visit our new pizzeria and get a cold drink. I took some pictures, mainly because I wanted to show off Jack's splendid new cycling socks!

Today's whole trip amounted to just under 4 miles and was ridden at a crawl. I'm exhausted. I'm not really sure why, it has certainly been a rough week for sleep and I've been taking Benadryl all week so that's probably not helping.  If at some point I thought this was going to be an easy challenge then this very simple and short ride firmly removed that idea from my mind.

I love this picture so I had to include it in the blog even if the little guy has a dirty face. I've started preparing for his second birthday, stripping down his bicycle so I can turn it into a balance bike.  Also I've got to find some little knee pads and elbow pads so he doesn't get any major bruises when he's learning to ride.




Tomorrow is going to be a busy day as if all goes to plan we will be buying a moped for Kyle to jet about on. He will still ride the bike 3-4 days out of the work week and use the moped for the other 1-2 days.

As April approaches I find myself painted into yet another corner with my dedication to the 30 days of Biking. I'm hoping daily rides bring about better endurance, less pain and quicker progress.

Car-free for now & another bike in the kitchen!

So Kyle and I have our two bikes now and the little guy gets to pet them and tell them how much he loves them (yes he actually does both of those things daily), but honestly it seemed like something was possibly missing in his life...

 

Yep, another bike in the kitchen!

Jack couldn't be happier in this picture but as his precarious sitting position demanded constant supervision it wasn't long before I had to separate him from his beloved blue bike...that wasn't pretty.  We picked up this little bike from a local lady for free and I intend on attempting to convert it into a balance bike.  It also needs some repairs to the chain so that should be a good little project for me. I'm so happy for Jack, he's going to love venturing around the field opposite our house on his little bike.

It seems odd to me, but I do believe I forgot to mention that we have been car free for 2 weeks now.  Kyle's been commuting to work and even did all his local business calls on his bike.  The weather has been pretty miserable and I'm not convinced he's enjoying it, but he isn't complaining.  However, we can't remain completely vehicle free and are at this moment shopping for a moped for Kyle, as he needs to be able to get to all his businesses in the surrounding areas a few days a week.  Our last vehicle got about 10 miles to the gallon!  I think we should be able to blow that out of the water with a used moped.

10 mile ride on the Yuba Mundo

Today was a good day, a very good day. When I started this journey back in January, one of the goals I set for myself was to be able to cycle to the Farmer's Market in downtown Walla Walla by opening week in May. This picture below was taken today during our 10 mile ride (the longest to date) at the parking lot where they hold the market! I'm so very, very excited to have made such quick progress, it is really hard work and my whole body aches, but so very rewarding!

After a few celebratory laps of the Farmer's Market parking lot we decided that if we'd come this far we should probably suck it up and go the extra mile or so to visit my Mum, as another goal was to be able to go see her when I want to.  Before I gave up the gasoline I used to see her at minimum once a week and take her shopping so I really need to get to the point where I can visit her often. It's important to me that Jack gets to see his Nanny too as he loves her so much!

We couldn't possibly cycle to downtown without checking out the thrift stores but Jack decided to take a nap so I waited outside while Kyle had a browse.  Kipper the little dog kept us company but he was pretty focused on his missing parent. Last time Jack fell asleep in his Peanut Shell his head was wobbling around quite a bit, so today I bought a scarf to loosely support his little neck, it worked pretty good.

This magnificent creature passed on the street whilst we were waiting for Kyle.  I'm generally opposed to those emaciated carriage horses in big cities, but this handsome boy is very well cared for and loved. 

After visiting Mum and the thrift store we headed down Main Street to grab a coffee.  I've never been a fan of cycling behind the parked cars on Main St so we stuck to the super wide and empty sidewalks.

Once we got to the center of downtown Jack got out of the Peanut Shell to stretch his legs, get a diaper change and nibble some snacks.  I don't mind him drinking behind me but I worry about snacking on the go as he might choke, he's still at the stage of stuffing his mouth to capacity until he can't even close it!

Overall it was a really great day and I feel so accomplished.  My awesome family have been really supportive, both Kyle and my Mum made a point of telling me they were proud of me today, which I thought was really nice. When I first got home I was so sore I just sat on the sofa instantly and Jack gave me a huge cuddle which gave me another opportunity to marvel over how much I love him and to realize again that every little ache is so worth it.

A Lovely Day

Friday was a really beautiful day here in S.W. Washington.  The perfect day for a bike ride, but alas I still had the flat tire from Sunday's ride so I really didn't think I was going to get to enjoy it from the Yuba.  Luckily I have good friends and one of them was nice enough to haul my bike to the local bike shop and wait while we got it fixed. I decided to get slime tubes and liners for both wheels which my bike shop offers for $59 with the guarantee of free flat repair for the next year should you get a puncture.  They were also nice enough to let me pay my bill later in the month, having a one income household this was really helpful!

My local buses have bike racks but they won't fit the Yuba so having a friend with a huge truck saved the day, but this by no means fits the "self-sufficient" lifestyle I was hoping for.  Many comments have insisted that I should learn to fix a flat, which I can do already with no issue- it's that rear wheel that gets me! The mundo is so heavy and over-sized that I'm not ready to take on that challenge on my own, I prefer the security of knowing it's done right especially as it carries the most precious of cargo! I still need to pick up a pump and repair kit but even that is out of the budget for a few weeks yet so I shall visit the gas station to get tires aired every few trips.

Later in the day Kyle and I were both sprawled on a sofa whilst discussing that we really should go for a ride when I checked the weather forecast and noticed that rain was in the immediate future, so that settled the matter.

It really was superior weather so we went a rural route and then wound back through the quiet neighborhoods making our total trip just over 7 miles! I was amazed at how easy the 7 miles were and as this wasn't a destination trip we really didn't stop the entire time, except to chat with a few friends and to get a sip of water from the Go-Getters.

Jack loved the trip out though the fields where we saw all the farm animals he's learning about including sheep, cows, goats, horses and lots of geese. He also let out a few squeals of delight when we hit a bit of washboard road, which made me a very happy mum.  I just love the fact that when my legs are tired my source of inspiration is literally right there behind me, encouraging me the whole time. I wholeheartedly encourage any parent to opt for the cargo bike over the trailer as being able to chat and point out little things along the way is what makes it so much more enjoyable and so much less like exercise.

Jack's sunshade came in handy!

Kyle snapped a few pics but then, in his own words, "got too caught up in enjoying the ride".

Rear Flat on the Mundo

On Sunday we decided to hitch the trailer to Kyle's bike, pack some water and snacks and head off to the grocery store which would make a 6.7 mile trip on what was one of the loveliest day's we've seen yet this year.  With the exception of about 5 blocks our whole trip there was on a cycle path with gently rolling hills which made it really nice.  We stopped halfway for a rest and Jack got to play and run for a bit, it really seems unfair that the person with all the energy is the one that gets to just sit there.

When we were about 2 blocks from our destination I noticed the bike was incredibly hard to cycle, at first I thought I was just really tired and therefore it felt harder to cycle; alas I had a rear flat tire.  A rear flat is notoriously hard to repair on the Mundo and has been one of my greatest fears since purchasing the bike. We walked to a gas station to put some air in tire on the off chance it was a very slow leak, but it had deflated before I'd cycled a block.  So we walked back to the store, got some groceries and a can of fix a flat and decided if it got us home then it was totally worth destroying the tube for. Well it didn't make it back, it made it about two-thirds of the way home, so we had to walk a few miles.  I've always thought the Yuba is not easy to push, but it was especially awkward and heavy with a sleeping baby and a completely flat tire. 

The bike shop is clear the other side of town so my riding days may be numbered until I can get a ride from someone to have slimed tubes put in and some of those thorn proof liners and possibly upgrade the tires.  I really would like to have a good grumble about the costs and annoyance factor of not being able to ride- but I'm trying to remain positive. Interestingly enough the bike community in general seems to not carry repair kits, pumps or smiles in this area, we found very few friendly faces and even when we were obviously having mechanical issues no one glanced in our direction which was a bit of a let down. I know as drivers there was no way we'd pass up helping a family (especially with a small child) who we're in a fix.

 So to end positively- look at that lovely weather we enjoyed, it was gorgeous and Jack had a lovely nap on the walking part of the trip. We made it home relatively easily and enjoyed a cheesy pizza and an ice cold beer as a reward for our troubles!

Yuba Mundo at the park

My busiest cycling day so far- two trips by bike! Early in the day I went to the little community market to grab a loaf of bread (2.7 miles) and was amazed as I managed to take a few little hills despite the fact that it was really windy today.  At one point I thought it was going to stop me in my tracks!

When I got home I thought it was too nice of a day to let slip by and decided to take Jack to the park (he had napped at home during my earlier trip).  During this trip the sun had finally broken out and we had a lovely time at the park (2.2 miles).

 

The Yuba got plenty of looks at the park and I overheard a few "check out that bike" comments.  Jack met a little friend who kept him busy with his football.  I was happy he kept his cycling hat on (took the helmet off) to keep his ears warm because the wind didn't abate all day.  On the way home I had the sun in my eyes and the wind in my face which made for a uncomfortable ride.  Jack didn't want to leave the park and was fussy most of the way home, but I managed to distract him by pointing out cats and dogs, luckily I was going so slow with the wind in my face that he had plenty of time to spot the animals!

Today my trip total was just under 5 miles combined, which is a record breaker for me! The Walla Walla Farmer's Market is about an 8 mile round trip, one of my goals for the year is to be able to bicycle there by opening week in May.  So today was a good start towards that goal and I feel really pleased with the progress. Tomorrow I plan to get out again at least once and hopefully if Kyle is feeling better he can join in the fun.  This month is our car free month so I think a grocery haul is in the present future.

The Cargo Bike Documentary and more

Many of you may already have heard about the Cargo Bike Documentary that Liz Canning is creating, but for those of you who haven't please check out her wonderful site HERE, be prepared for inspiration! I have watched the trailer for her crowd sourced documentary so many times I've lost count and every single time I find myself rejuvenated; not only by the thought of bicycles as a means of transportation in general, but also by the idea of the quality of life gained by using them for the rider, their offspring and even the community.

Another project that I just had to get involved with is the 30 Days of Biking, follow the link HERE to join in a global commitment to ride every day in April! I'm super nervous about this, but hopefully longer days will bring about more opportunity to ride!

So far, my way of dealing with the hardships of my ill prepared adventure has been avoiding the days when the weather has been awful, add to that the many colds and lingering bugs that we have picked up this spring and the short days and you end up with very few trips by bike. Groceries have been restocked by me hitching rides with friends on their trips to the store and getting the odd delivery dinner here and there- but that was hardly the idea of this commitment. The idea was to improve my activity level not turn me into a hermit, as someone with social anxiety the last thing I need is another reason to be a recluse! So that being said, I'm very happy to have joined the 30 Days of Biking!  Kyle looked worried when I mentioned cycling every single day for a month, but as I explained to him; if I managed to meet the challenge by only 75% that would still be more cycling than I've done in the last 5 years- always helps to add some prospective.

This morning I have a sick husband (the flu! oh glee!) and a toddler with a slight fever.  I have a pain in the neck...well I have a few, but this one is literal. I have a hot compress on it because it will not keep me from my bike today, I fully intend on having at a minimum 2 bicycle rides this weekend.  Now the baby weather protection pod is in place I do believe my obstacle well has finally dried up and it's simply time to bicycle!