10 miles on the Yuba Mundo

I woke up determined to get a good ride in today. Bored with all the usual routes and tired from yesterday, I wasn't sure I had what it would take to get to to downtown Walla Walla, but it did sound like a fun trip. We made it (my longest solo ride without Kyle for company), and the promised thunder storms and rain left us alone, even yesterday's tremendous winds seemed to settle down.

We stopped for numerous breaks, at one point (after that dreaded hill I spoke of yesterday) I was sure I might keel over. It takes a good 2 minutes for my labored breathing to return to a point where it might be possible to mutter a few words between gasps, my heart pounds in my chest and I frantically sip water and cling to the bike to keep me upright.

Once we'd made it to downtown I dismounted and walked around for a few blocks, snapping pictures and letting Jack enjoy a little playtime at the park.

After our little walk around we took a short ride towards the Whitman College Campus, then looped back through downtown. We stopped and shared a hot chocolate at a coffee shop and Jack proceeded to greet every single person that walked by, never forgetting to bid them goodbye too. We certainly have raised a very friendly child, but I feel bad for him because quite a few people were stone faced and ignored him. I personally couldn't imagine ignoring a little child waving, smiling and saying a big "hello", but there you go- it takes all types I guess.

We rushed home in a hasty fashion to meet Kyle, and I noticed I'm getting to the point where my legs can move easier. I know that seems like an odd statement- but they literally seem to rotate the peddles in a more fluid motion and my hips rock less. It seems like the first 3 miles are always the roughest and that after that it requires less effort, the rotation takes on this monotonous quality and I find my attention moves from "oh I'm so sore" to "oh look at that pretty flower". We logged just under 10 miles today, which makes me very happy, that is good progress for me.

I recently got invited to write a little piece of "cargo bike advice" for a fellow blogger, Mary at My 3 Little Birds. She was looking for cargo cyclists to provide advice for an article about biking with your toddler, I turned in a little comment and was thrilled to find it published here at Babble's Toddler Times. Many thanks to Mary and Stacy for spreading the cargo bike love and for including us!

Adding Bicycle Bling to the Yuba Mundo, the Peanut Shell and the Trek 3500

Mother's Day started with an uninterrupted sleep that continued past 7am, followed by a large steamy mug of coffee upon raising and then a plate of bacon and eggs shortly afterwards. Rarely does a day start any better than that, but because they love me, my boys treated me to a shiny chrome mirror for my handlebars!

 I then had my brakes checked by my exceedingly handsome bicycle mechanic.

 

Yesterday we picked up this handy bottle for Jack and I attached it with a little stroller holder to the Peanut Shell. This should keep the little guy from getting dehydrated in the blazing hot weather we expect this Summer. 

We picked up some handle bar extenders for Kyle's Trek 3500, hoping it might make his ride a little more comfortable.  He has been suffering from wrist pain and actually has his wrist wrapped right now. He also traded out his stock saddle for the saddle that came on the Yuba, it certainly looks like it should be more comfy.

Jack is taking a nap, when he wakes up we're off to enjoy the day a little more with a ride, each of us hopefully enjoying our new bicycle comforts! I hope you are enjoying Mother's Day too!

Reaching for goals on Cinco De Mayo

I woke up in over-achiever mode today, loaded the bike with all manner of items of questionable necessity and set off to achieve my goal of cycling to the farmer's market for opening week. I anticipated the extra weight pulling me down in momentum, ended up overcompensating and got there in a record 40 minutes.

I wasn't feeling very well before we left, by the time we got there I felt positively sick and shaky. We waited in this shady spot for a friend to meet us, she made me laugh by telling me there is very little difference between the words motivation and vomitation...who knew huh? Gotta love a friend that can make you laugh through the pain.

We had some beautiful bicycle company today at the Walla Walla farmer's market. It was refreshing and inspiring to be surrounded by amazing arts and crafts.

Of course the fresh quality produce was beautiful too!

 

The live music and people watching was top notch! Jack had a great time chasing bubbles and decorating the ground with chalks. We got ready to leave when the little guy started showing signs of crankiness, I still wasn't feeling very well, but was determined to get a few more miles in. We headed for Whitman College, a stunning campus with sprawling grass areas and perfect bicycle pathways beside creeks and ponds.

Today was certainly a triumph for sheer determination or possible just plain stubbornness, either way we logged 11 miles with a head on wind all the way home, which is usually where we get to take it easy. We didn't actually do much shopping, which means tomorrow we will be off cycling again to fulfill this weeks grocery needs. I won't however let Jack help me pack tomorrow, so I can lighten the load without the extra few balls, bat, teddy bear, bubbles and of course the stroller can stay home too.

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 24 of 30 days of biking - Building momentum on a slow ride

Day 24 of 30 and a short ride turned out a little longer than we expected, just under 5 miles. Nothing for so many people, but for me, it's slowly building in distance that makes me feel accomplished, and tonight I feel very accomplished. Knee pain is at an all time low, hills are getting a little easier and recovery time doesn't leave me feeling 100% drained of energy.

We enjoyed more magnificent weather today, warm breezes and clear skies. I haven't checked milage, but I think tonight may be our longest mid-week ride, and I sense it's becoming habitual for both Kyle and I at this point. I also sense it's going to be a really good year for all of us, we look forward to these rides together as the highlight of our days.

Considering the next part of my journey, I find myself drawn to the idea of riding first thing in the morning and then again in the evenings with Kyle. I think the more you ride, the more you realize the power of the bicycle...it can change you, change your family, change your community and really where does it end? When people see me they might not see these changes, I still don't look anything like what one imagines a cyclist to look like, but I can feel like I'm gaining momentum now, slowly.

Day 22 of 30 days of biking - and a short video of yesterday's ride

When I signed up for the 30 days of biking I thought it would help me to ride more, I anticipated I'd ride maybe 20 out of 30 days, I never expected to ride every single day. As we approach the end of the month, I now know for sure that I won't miss a day. It's getting to be just life, I get up, I eat, I change diapers, I shower (if I'm lucky) and I ride my bike. Just part of life and that's exactly what I'd hoped for.

The boy and I headed out towards the end of day, it had been a busy one and we'd done lots of yard work so energy was lagging.

We planted all of our spinach seedlings today and some giant sunflowers, which are one of my favorites. These are our raised bed boxes, they are recycled crates from the wind turbines, extremely well made from non treated wood.  Behind Kyle you can see our new compost box and to the left you can see the stake for our sugar snap peas, we planted them last week and they are doing great.

Okay, now back to tonight's ride...What can I say? It was lovely, of course! Jack and I rode solo, which wasn't as fun as a family ride, but Kyle still needed to fix his flat and was exhausted from digging a new veggie bed we're working on.

Jack literally chatted the entire ride, non-stop jibber jabbering; pointing out flowers, buckets, dogs, birds and saying "hello" to everyone we pass...he loves it!

 

A long shadow, courtesy of the setting sun and below, the same onion field I took a picture of last month, now with much taller Walla Walla Sweets.

It is hard to believe there are only 8 more days in this month. It's also hard to believe I was worried about this challenge, as I was painting myself into another corner. I'm so glad that cycling is becoming normal to me now.

Here's a short video we took yesterday on our way home from the races. I did a rough edit, but due to the nature of our unsteady camera, it's a little jumpy. This trail is beautiful, it cuts through a little wetland area that has been reserved. I hope you enjoy it!

Day 20 of 30 days of biking - 2/3 done and the best is yet to come

There is something so rejuvenating about family bike rides. They are fun, relaxing, great family time, great couples time and on nights like tonight they are made even lovelier by warm breezes and the fragrance of spring in the air.

We set off late tonight and as you can see Jack was super excited to be going out after dark on the bike. I fitted my new kickstand today- this Yuba Stand-Alone Kickstand is a brute! Easy to install and simple to use, I'm in love with it!  I can't think of even a slightly good reason for not having gotten one months ago!

I love how solid this makes my bike, even on the gravel area of our parking strip. I took Jack's sun shade off for the dusky ride, as I thought that white PVC would show up well. I have some reflective tape I have been meaning to use on it, so maybe I can get that done soon too.

 

 Tonight was really a stellar ride!

I think we will be doing more of these dusk rides, it was so enjoyable, I really can't say enough how lovely it was. It made me realize summer is just around the corner and we will be enjoying every second of it with our bicycles. 

 

 It's hard to believe, but Kyle has only ridden my bike once, and that was on the test drive before we bought it. Tonight I stopped and said jump on, take it! He took it for a little ride and was immediately impressed by how "chilled" it was to ride. And also, that it was way easier to ride than he'd expected. Jack seemed to think it was fun having Dad drive him around. Overall today was very nice and tonight I'm going to go out with a girlfriend for a drink, so it's not even over yet!

Day 17 of 30 days of biking - a video too!

This morning there was glorious sunny weather but I couldn't get organized enough to get out of the house before Jack had his nap.  Of course, by the time he woke up the clouds had rolled in and rain looked certain. I was in such a hurry that I didn't check my departure shot and it came out blurry...

So here we have a picture of me when I was absolutely feeling at my worst. My whole body seemed to be hurting and I was totally wishing I was at home. I thought I'd take a picture, so I could remember how horrible I felt and then maybe it would remind me that these times do pass.


I decided to "just see if I could go a bit further" and then a little "further"...what I thought was going to be my shortest ride of the month, turned into just under 4 miles, which isn't much at all, but better than what I expected.

I'm not sure if we're all fighting off a bug, energy is at an all time low in the entire household. Even Jack has been pretty sedate, not that I'm complaining about that.

He enjoyed the ride, we took the little trail through the wetlands and saw some ducklings.

I cut back to the main road via the alleys behind the cookie cutter houses. I was a little blown away by the garages, they had a kind of Pleasant-ville feeling about them, and I wondered how their owners knew them apart.

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This was certainly one of those trips that turned out better than I had anticipated. We didn't get rained on either!

Kyle made this video for me late last night, it's from Saturday's ride and we had a lovely time, enjoy!

I signed up for the National Bike Challenge!  There is a link for it at the top right of the blog- check it out!

Day 13 of 30 days of biking - the good and the bad

Today was one of those, start running and don't stop till you drop, kind of days.  Tension is high around the house. I'm upset that I can't be there for my Mum right now, but I'm also upset that circumstances have pretty much ruled out anything but the purchase of another car. I had a very emotional conversation with my mum, that resulted in me bawling my eyes out, mainly because I really feel guilty that I haven't been there more for her. Sure we cycled to her house once, but I could hardly walk for a few days afterwards and with my knee pain, I just don't think it would be smart for me to push myself to that extent again. I have a young child and no health insurance- what happens if I can't walk? I know for sure that slow and steady wins this race, even if it doesn't allow for visits to Nannie's House.

Kyle had today off work, because he had some stuff to work on during office hours, the day wore on and my stress level was building. I found myself slumped on the sofa, in the least likely mood to ride. Kyle made the mistake of asking me what was wrong and I ended up bawling (AGAIN!) "I don't want to go ride my bike..." It's almost laughable now as I look back, because of course, we had a really good time!

There is something very wrong with today's departure shot and I bet you'll notice it. But apparently Kyle and I were very distracted, because we didn't- not throughout the entire ride! Today we were very bad parents...but you know, he lived and so have a thousand other toddlers whose parent's forgot to strap them in their bike seat!

I think he had a really good time because as you can see, he made full use of all that extra freedom!

We took a whole bunch of video too and we still didn't notice! We had a really fun time, which goes to show, that those times when you least feel like going for a ride, are the times when you really, really should. The video is full of fun stuff, we went out towards the more rural side of town and met horses and goats along the way, so I can't wait to share it.  I added a video viewer to the right side of the blog- we've been having fun with our silly little films. Hopefully we will get it posted on here tomorrow.

I feel like I should write a list of things, emotions, thoughts and ideas that would be beneficial to someone taking this journey. I think of them throughout the day and should really jot them down, because surely someone, somewhere, will do this too and maybe they could benefit from my journey. One of those thoughts would be to write, keep writing and be honest with yourself and those willing to listen. You need to write when you are feeling down, just as much as you need to write about feeling good, because sometimes the line is really thin and you find yourself crossing it without even realizing. Of course this can go both ways, but I can honestly say I've never felt worse from taking a ride on my bike.