Day 1 of 30 Days of Biking - Yeah, so we went for a ride and we were all like, "yeah look at us!" And the Dutch were all like "What is wrong with them?"

Day 1 of 30

The sun came out to play for the first time in what seems like ages and with it the cyclists, young and old to enjoy a day off from work and school.  Jack was very much ready to rock as he'd already spent the morning striding on his loopfiets in the living room.

The covered corral for bikes at our apartment building.

We headed for the park, no set destination but ducks and geese are always a hit when you have an almost 3 year old. We'd just arrived when I noticed my saddle mounting was really loose, upon further inspection it almost fell off, so Kyle went home for tools whilst Jack and I hung out with some sweet ducks and rather aggressive geese. It seems like geese rule the roost in parks here, they are everywhere, strutting about the neighbourhoods bringing pandemonium with them. They actually spot you from afar and go out of their way to cause havoc, it's pretty hilarious.

After the saddle was tightened we followed a path around the park and found an amazing petting zoo. This little farm is nestled in the centre of the park, and is a maze of small paddocks, hutches and homes for a variety of animals from chickens, sheep and goats to parakeets and guinea pigs. They also had a mass of children's scooters and tricycles, so we took the opportunity to get Jack on something with peddles. He picked out a trike and within about 5 minutes had the thing scooting right along. The whole petting zoo experience was lovely and the best part is it's all FREE for the community.


Ride Rating: 7
Based on incredibly cold wind, excessive whining from Jack because of incredibly cold wind and the unexpected issue with my saddle.

Beautiful day to visit some green-space.

Our bikes had some company at the bike rack...

More bikes awaited their owners by the gates...

...and another little cluster of everyday bikes hanging out.

A giant bunny, there was about 4 in there we think, some thought it was a good day to sleep it off after a bust weekend.

This pleasant little pig was a sweetheart, each animal had a companion so no one was stressed and lonely.

More ducks hanging out. The sheep and goats came to say hello too.

The view of the Petting Zoo from the park. The whole place was clean and well maintained, with healthy animals who all seemed relaxed and sociable. We are impressed!

Twas the night before 30 Days of Biking - A Poem

Twas the night before 30 Days of Biking, when all through the town
The snow was a falling, the drifts did abound.
The ponchos were hung by the door with care,
In hopes that no rain would find them there.

The cyclists were nestled in bed for the night
While dreaming that they would peddle with might.
My son's helmet's ready, and so is my cap,
Now, just settle our brains for some wintery crap.

When out on the bike path there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a magnificent group of cyclists of good cheer.

They gathered from everywhere, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment they must have commit.
To the 30 days of Biking in two thousand thirteen,
They whistled, and shouted, in support of me!

"Now Commuter! now, Mother! now, Child and Father!
On, Cruiser! On, Single Speed! on, Mamafiets and Road Racer!
from the top of the porch! to the top of the hill!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So throughout the 30 days they did glide,
With the joys of their freedom, on their bicycles ride.

They rode to the mountains, to work and to school,
They made a statement together,  they yelled one and all.
That whatever you do, and wherever you glide,
You will make a difference with the smallest bike ride !



Happy 30 days of biking everyone, I can't wait to share my journey here again this year, this time from The Netherlands. Thanks for joining us, supporting us and making a difference!

P.S. no actual snow drifts here, just taking artistic license.

30 Days Of Biking - I made the pledge.

In four short days the event of the year is set to begin, even now while you read this, people all over the globe are readying themselves with puncture repair kits and rain ponchos. The scene is set as thousands of cyclists both seasoned and novice have signed the pledge, the pledge to ride everyday in the month of April with the 30 Days of Biking challenge. I know, it's awfully exciting...but really it's just riding a bike.

The truth is every time I attempt to write about it I sound cheesy and slightly contrived, but I just love the 30 Days of Biking event! For me it was a life changer, I started the month as a person on a bike and ended as a cyclist, I felt a sense of community even when I was the lone cyclist on the road. Of course this year will be different, for a start I won't be the only cyclist on the road and I will be on a different bike, exploring different streets, but I know already I will reap rewards that will help me in the coming months.

April promises to be a high stress month for us, so initially it worried me to take on the added commitment of daily rides, but I realize it's just what I need to keep me focused and moving forward. Are you joining in on the fun this year? I hope so!

A blog about bicycles needs a bike.

At some point you have probably heard that Amsterdam has a lot of bikes, I too had heard this and I'd even perused videos and articles about Amsterdam and it's multitude of bikes, so I thought I had a good idea of what to expect. However, nothing had prepared me for just how many bikes there are, they are literally everywhere you look.

They swarm down the streets, they congregate on the bridges over canals, they have whole parking lots dedicated to them at every train and bus station, they come in all shapes and sizes but are mostly sprayed flat black, they get stolen often and if abandoned they slowly get stripped of their useful parts, they all have bells and most of them have a basket, pannier bags or a baby seat or two, some have all of the above.

If like me, you consider some bikes to be eye candy, then you will love Amsterdam because it's the land of stunning bikes. I have seen bikes that a few months ago would have had me running down the street for a photo opportunity, but now they are completely normal and everyday.

It has taken me about 10 days to stop commenting on each bike as it passes, a habit that couldn't die quick enough for Kyle. There was a point when we were walking down a street in Amsterdam when he turned to me and said "I know, I see them too, they are all lovely, you don't have to keep talking about it!" We had a bit of a chuckle, but I sensed he would have tossed himself in a canal if I hadn't of stopped. 

Of course as I have previously mentioned, we had to sell our bikes to move here. This was somewhat of a tragedy in my mind, especially as I had heard inexpensive bikes are easy to come by here, which they are not. We perused a few bike shops and I began to realize the reasons I loved my Yuba Bikes more and more, I mourned their absence.






About the 7th day of being here we acquired a traditional "Amsterdam" bike- it literally says Amsterdam on it. It had a front mounted bike seat that we squeezed Jack into so we could make it back to the station a little quicker. It's a back pedal brake bike, has a wheel lock like every other bike here and appears to be in decent shape. I like it, but feel like it's very cramped to ride, ultimately not a bike I would be inclined to ride daily.

A few days later I started a little side job to bring in some cash, ironing for an expat family who live in a stunning home facing a canal. I knew they had a nice man's bike for sale (with a toddler seat on the back), but it was out of our price range so I disregarded it, then they messaged me that we could have the bike for free! This experience continues our excellent luck in meeting warm and kind hearted people, even when our other experiences have been less than perfect.



When exploring the streets I had seen a particular bike that I was really drawn to, it looked very sturdy and seemed to more often than not have a few child seats attached to it. We were walking past a bike shop when I noticed a used one for sale, after three attempts at wheeling and dealing we were able to reach an agreement on the price. It's a little beaten up, pretty rusty (like every other bike here), but seems to be in fully functioning condition and will ultimately be a money saver. I got the sense that the shop we purchased it from would have looked at me oddly had I asked to test ride it, they seemed very busy, had happy customers and offered a 3 month warranty covering everything but flats so I just went with it. We bought it, then put Jack in the seat on the back (which they threw in to sweeten the deal), it was kind of bizarre to have my first ride be after the money had traded hands, something I would never have done back in the U.S. or the U.K. We found a street that was a little quieter than the others, I hesitantly mounted the bike, wobbled into the path of a more experienced rider with her two kids on board, apologized profusely whilst she muttered under her breath and then proceeded on for what would become an eye opening bike ride with a sea of other cyclists at rush hour to the Amsterdam central station. I had a few moments of awe, a few of fear, but mostly an overall sense of accomplishment that I was most certainly ticking off a bucket list item.

The bike above is a Batavus Delivery Bike- this is NOT my bike. My bike is green, has a lot of dings, dents and rust, has hand brakes and a child seat, plus a double kickstand. I also paid about 15% of what they go for new! The only changes I need to make- adjust the brakes, toss on some inexpensive panniers (you can buy them for about 10 euro here!) and get a cushy seat because my bum was complaining the whole ride. I also managed to buy the only bell-less bike in Amsterdam, so I will get one of those too. Not having a bike bell here is actually dangerous. What I really love about this bike is I got on it and immediately knew we would be friends, it simply felt like a perfect fit.

One of my first fist-air-pump moments in the Netherlands came when I realized I would have a bike for the 30 days of biking in April, last year it was literally in my top 5 highlights of the year, I absolutely loved it! In fact I'd go as far as to say it was the catalyst that made me realize I had what it took to move to Europe, to pursue so many dreams. I don't think the 30 Days of Biking will be popular in the Netherlands, it seems like they would wonder what all the fuss was about, why celebrate in one month what you do every month anyway? I imagine them reacting the same way the average British person would if there was a 30 Days of Tea event.

Because I could apparently write forever today, I shall force myself to sign off and I ask that you celebrate with me that once again I can state this is a blog about bicycles and other stuff that is written by someone who actually owns a bike!

-L.

Day 7 & 8 of 31 - Bicycle Jewelry?

Yesterday's ride was a destination trip to my Doctor's office, today I will be cycling down to the R.S.P.C.A. charity shop to volunteer a few hours, both short trips, but they are still helping me get in the habit of daily riding which is awesome.

Kyle and I have been playing around with the idea of creating bicycle inspired jewellery, we can make these using silver, copper or gold coloured wire, with lovely semi-precious stones and each one would be a handmade original. I have some more to share too, but ran out of time today. Your thoughts?

Day 2 - A terrible ride

What a horrible ride! Only yesterday I was saying it's not possible to have a bike ride and not feel better for it, that apparently is not true, so here I am eating my words.

This morning I woke up after a restless night and realized it was Toddler Group today, so I hurried Jack out of bed, showered and generally rushed around to be there as soon as they opened. Jack has been missing his friends back in Washington and constantly talks about wanting to go to Toddler group, every single time we go he gets sick and has to miss the following week, so we only get to go once a fortnight and it is truly the highlight of his life. So with that in mind you can only imagine the joy and elation he felt at getting on the bike and riding to playgroup this morning!

Nothing stopped his enthusiasm, not even the misty sea rain that seems to soak you to the core in a matter of seconds, nor the slight downhill part that left me feeling even colder- no, he just yelled "weeeeeeee" all the way down the hill. So when we arrive and I notice there are no cars in the parking lot I have to optimistically hope that everyone decided to walk there today, but alas another lady waiting for an appointment tells me all the doors are locked. For Jack all this is still unknown, he's waiting for me to get him off the bike and when I turn to him and say "I'm sorry there is no one here" he erupts like a volcano into a screaming, shaking, flushed red terror of little fists pummelling my arm. It only took seconds for me to realize offering my condolences in the form of kisses and cuddles wasn't going to help at that moment, so I took off on the bike with him screaming bloody murder behind me. Passers-by looked on in wide eyed amazement at the sheer volume of his screams and a large dog barked nervously, probably wondering what exactly I had on the back of my bike- lets not forget Jack was wearing his Gruffalo fleece, complete with horns and ears!

Anyway we made it home and I snapped this picture before he dismounted, this was his attempt at smiling! We shuffled back in the house, had a snuggle on the sofa and switched on his favourite cartoon.

Day two is done.

The 31 days of January

One of my favourite parts of 2012 was the 30 day's of biking event in April. It was an amazing, empowering month for me and really made me feel like I was finally a "cyclist"and part of a community that I will always feel so appreciative towards.

This year promises to be full of change and challenge, I'm very excited about it. Kyle and I know it will have many rough spots, but it's hard to not be optimistic when we're starting it off in England finally, I can't express how much I love it here.

In an effort to get us off to a good start we have decided to commit to cycling everyday this month.  Yes, WE have decided- Kyle is joining me.  This might be a bit of a challenge as I have to go to London to pick up my Mum from Heathrow on the 16th, but I'm just going to take it one day at a time. I thought last April would be impossible and it turned out to be easy peasy! Of course we may encounter some less than perfect weather too, but so far this winter it has been very mild.

My favourite things

There really is no way to get off your bike and not be happier than when you got on it, I really don't believe it's possible. We went for a ride, it was slightly sunny, it was wonderful! Riding a bike is so much more than getting from A to B, its just so much fun exploring new paths and muddy corners of the neighbourhood, chatting with the locals and the occasional wandering cat.

Sitting here listening to Adele, drinking a cuppa tea, I am in awe of how far we have made it in this last year and find myself very optimistic that 2013 is going to be a great year, but that might just be the bike ride talking.

Sun shine! Sock-hands in absence of mittens.

Jack's Cycling Jersey and another 10 miles on the Yuba

Today we made it just over 10 miles, to downtown Walla Walla, where we met Kyle for lunch and also visited my Mum.

Jack is sick, poor little guy, he was a real trooper as always and happily rode despite the watery eyes and runny nose. I have had a sore throat for a few days now, but I seem to be keeping it at bay and feel fine otherwise. We still have to ride about 14 miles before the end of the month- yikes! Cutting it close for sure, I didn't anticipate getting sick right now so it's thrown me for a loop.
 







Last night we got a package in the mail and look what it contained-
Jack's adorable bicycle jersey, it even has pockets for bottles on the back! He wore it today and seemed pretty comfortable all day. It's a little big for him, but he grows fast!

He is not feeling very well in these pictures, poor little guy!

We only stopped once on the way to downtown today and made it in really good time. I took plenty of little snacks; a few energy bars, a couple of apples and some almonds. It really made a difference, I didn't feel shaky or weak at any point.

The Yuba got lots of comments and about 3 couples with small children stopped to really take a look at it- hopefully they too will get the cargo bike bug! We revisited our new favorite park, I always hope we will run into other little kids as Jack is a very sociable little guy, but today he got to play on his own.

I'm a little concerned about tomorrow and how we will ride if either of us is sicker. I'm going to drink lots of tea and keep the little guy hydrated and see what happens. If he's just the same as today we will still ride because he seemed to enjoy himself, he'd be sneezing and snotty regardless of where we are and he still seems to have plenty of spunk in him!

Bike To Work Day - Celebrating in a stay-at-home mum kinda way!

For bike to work day we celebrated with a ride to the local coffee shop and bakery, and then rode on to Kyle's work to deliver him and his coworkers some donuts. It's an absolutely stunning day, warm and sunny with a nice breeze, and certainly a great day to celebrate the bicycle in all it's wonders, even if you don't necessarily ride to work!

There's no doubt that it's hard to afford to be a one income household these days, we do however make what some might call sacrifices, for me they include; having a cell phone that just makes phone calls (odd concept, I know), not getting my hair cut every 6 weeks, shopping at thrift stores for clothing and other household items, being thrifty with name brand grocery products and using my bike as transportation. With the exception of bike riding, I did all those things before Jack came along. Now they are necessary and I'm happy to keep it up, the time spent caring for Jack is priceless and I firmly believe in these critical developmental years it is a priority, far above fancy clothes and vacations.

Speaking of fancy clothes, I picked out Jack's cycling jersey that we won courtesy of the  30 days of biking and Bike2Power- we got to pick out our choice from Kanu Bike and decided on this one HERE. We will look forward to seeing Jack sport it on in a few hundred photos sure to come soon!

I shall be smiling for days...

Jack waving his thank you! I took this picture yesterday on our grocery shopping trip.

I just had to make a quick post to heartily thank the people of 30 day's of Biking and Bike to Power! Visit their blog post to see why I'm smiling;) Click here!  I feel so privileged to be on this journey, thank you friends!

Day 30 of 30 days - Success!

That's it, I did it- I rode every single day in April. To be honest I'm amazed at my own will power and capacity for following through on a challenge. This marks the first time in my life I've ever actually succeeded at something like this and yes, I'm shocked...and pretty proud of myself too!

We took a left out of the driveway today, which is only the second time we've ever done so. Because the first hill wasn't punishing enough, we decided to cycle around the cemetery, which is on a hillside. In this picture (above) I'm recovering from the torture and having one of those "why the hell am I doing this again?" moments...short lived of course.

Tonight as we were climbing our last hill, my gears suddenly came to a grinding halt and then released again, causing my leg to slam down with full force on my ankle in a rather awkward angle. It wasn't too bad at the time so I just kept going, but as the ride continued it started to really hurt. I must have been overcompensating with my other leg, which in turn made that knee hurt. I was very relieved to get home and had a few moments of doubt in my ability to do so, but I had no options. Walking my bike is not a pleasant or easy experience, especially with a sore ankle and tibia. As Kyle pointed out, it really couldn't have happened on a better day.

I still thoroughly enjoyed this ride, the last of 30 days of biking. I feel a little sentimental about this month, it was special, it took me from a person who rides a bike, to a bicyclist. It gave me a passion that was not there before, it gave me support and community, it gave back so much for every ounce of effort I pushed into it. Most of all, this month has given me a solid foundation for the journey ahead of me, something to build on and move forward with. Thank you all for joining me, I have such a long journey ahead of me. I honestly couldn't do it without everyone that contributes here, the cycling community rocks!

Day 29 of 30 days of biking - All good things must come to an end

With the end of the 30 days of biking staring me in my face, I'm fully aware of how much I'm going to miss this experience. Of course there is nothing to stop me from riding daily regardless of challenges, personal or otherwise, but the 30 days of biking brought some excellent support people into my life and provided me with a perfect introduction into daily riding. Sure, I'd been riding for a few months by the time April rolled around, but nothing prior to this had cemented my new life quite like this challenge has done.

Today for our ride we visited the local grocery store and picked up a little picnic of pre-made sandwiches, veggie chips and a few oranges. I also picked up some probiotics and natural thyroid support supplement that I had wanted to try. We then cycled on to the park where we planned to find a shady bench and enjoy our lunch. I'm glad we took plenty of water because it was pretty hot out and I had to keep stopping for sips along the way.

We cycled just barely under 6 miles today and although it had some tough spots (on small hills), it was a superior ride. Our sandwiches were surprisingly delicious, it was very relaxing and we made a little diversion through the wetlands trail on the way home.

I added a new sign to the back of my bicycle this morning, it's subtle but hopefully people get the message.

Tonight the weather still remains warm, we're going to light a fire in our new pit and have a BBQ. Tomorrow we're hoping the weather stays nice and we can ride to the bike shop so the Yuba can get it's first tuneup, it would be the longest ride we've done, so hopefully its not as windy and rainy as is predicted.  

Day 28 of 30 days of biking - Jack's Birthday Party

I took this picture at about 9 am this morning, of the yard AFTER we had spent a few hours mowing, sweeping, raking and generally cleaning...all in preparation for Jack's Birthday Party (actually Kyle's too!). I mention the time, because as I write this, I am literally sitting down and relaxing for the first time all day.

Our little boy had an amazing day, he played and laughed, he ran and squealed, he ate a huge slice of sugary cake! Luckily Kyle remembered to buy a candle and the little guy even blew it out on his own!

I've always thought Birthdays were also a celebration for Mothers, and I too had a lovely day, surrounded by great people and wonderful children. Jack got the best gifts, the kind of things Kyle and I would have picked out ourselves, like buckets, yard tools, bubbles, baseballs, bats and books!

Our bike ride after the party was pretty short, but we we're tired and ready to put our feet up, so I'm happy we got a quick 2 miles in before retiring for the night.

I am so happy that I am working towards a goal for a better lifestyle and healthier future for Jack and I. For sometime now I have stressed about him turning 2, it was a deadline I'd set for myself last summer, that by this day I would be working towards getting healthier- it felt good to be on the journey already.

A short blog post tonight, but it's time to rest up for a good ride tomorrow!

Day 27 of 30 days of biking - another victorious day

Another victorious day has come to a close and as challenges that might bore the more advanced rider still delight me, today's ride with a little off road adventure felt amazing. We thought we'd better get a ride in before dusk fell and as neither of us actually felt like riding, we left the house rather begrudgingly. As generally happens, once out on the road with the warm sun and crisp air we woke up and felt energized.

This picture above really captures the essence of the rural side of Walla Walla, big skies and beautiful sunsets. The cement square in the foreground is an access point for the irrigation that runs under the ground, you can hear the water rushing through. They are all covered with random pallets or pieces of wire and the whole thing doesn't seem very safe to me, but I assume no small children fall down them on a regular basis.

This little Quail sung us a beautiful song as we sat and watched him, we also saw a dear little Warbler in the wetlands that was more than happy to sing his little heart out, I'm sure the females of the species were their desired audience, but we enjoyed it!

You may remember I mentioned finding a little dirt trail a few days ago, we headed back there today and attempted to ride it. I was determinedly riding until I came across this little wooden bridge, and thought I'd just walk over it and the next little bridge because I wasn't in the mood for an unexpected swim.

There were a lot of Curly and Weeping Willows all around this area and Kyle saw some wild strawberries.

The ground was so soggy that we sunk into it, remember yesterday we had lake sized puddles! I was really working to cycle through this part and actually made it all the way without stopping. It's not a very long trail at all, but still a lovely little escape and sanctuary for wildlife.

Another overly wide road and sidewalk, I wish we had been here when a huge Dodge Truck decided to blast by us within an arms reach, they had aftermarket exhaust (very loud) and raced by us at about twice the legal speed limit, scaring and angering us.

I think we will find ourselves revisiting this beautiful area, it was so incredibly peaceful! I'd like to go looking for frogs and tadpoles, and explore a little. I'm sure Jack would love to get off the bike and poke around, although water scares me with speedy little toddlers, so I'll probably take his harness with me. Overall another beautiful addition to the 30 days of biking!