Family Ride: Kid's Choice Picnic Dinner

Last week, before school, my son said, "After school? I wanna go for a long ride? And have a picnic!"

You got it, kid! The weather was lovely. I had a transportable dinner menu planned. We could take a not-TOO-long ride to a playground near daddy's work, so he would have more time with all of us before bedtime.

Daddy bikes to work, so he was able to ride home with us!

Of course, when I picked up my son from school, he didn't want to do it anymore. But I explained that I had made a plan at his request and daddy would be left at the playground with no dinner, wondering where we were. Fortunately this was amusing enough that he neglected to suggest I use my cell phone to alert daddy to our whereabouts. So, after picking my daughter up from day care, we set out in the box bike for the Downtown Children's Playground.

The playground sports a lot of great equipment and a really neat human-powered water feature. We've visited this playground before, but this was the first time the water feature was functional. The kids loved it!

Our menu included pan-fried chicken cilantro dumplings from Costco and spinach salad with carrot ribbons and yellow pepper spears, all garnished with soy sauce and sesame seeds. Crackers and cheese kept hunger at bay while we waited for daddy to arrive from work. I cooked the dumplings right before picking my daughter up from day care, and was pleasantly surprised that they held their heat so well in our indestructible Ortlieb pannier.

On the ride home, Daddy rode the box bike and coached our son in reading the street names posted over the Cherry Creek Path. Meanwhile, I was riding the commuter bike behind them, hearing both kids yell, "BANNOCK, MOMMY!! BAAAAAANOOOOCK!" More yelling of a new street name ensued at the next underpass. At this rate, our daughter will have a better sense of Denver's layout by her third birthday than I have now.

The kids melted down upon our arrival at home for bedtime. I couldn't really blame them. Who would want an evening like that to end?

#BikesOnBroadway

A fast-acting member of Jolon Clark's team makes way for an eager cyclist before the ribbon cutting!

I had a lot of fun at the kickoff of a great weekend of protected bike lanes on South Broadway! The pop-up lanes are a model of what could be the future of this bustling boulevard, currently on display between Bayaud and 1st Ave. If you have a chance this weekend, check 'em out by bike! Stop by Sweet Action Ice Cream, hit the sidewalk sales from 1-5 PM on Saturday, shop for Halloween costumes at thrift shops, and join our group ride from Washington Park to the pop-up lanes on Sunday afternoon! We're meeting at the Boat House at about 2:15 PM, and should get to Broadway in plenty of time to decorate bikes and take part in the closing parade!

Molly North of Bike Denver

One of my favorite parts of the protected bike lanes are the vertical dividers provided by Bike Denver. Metal planters with trees and tall grasses demonstrate how a buffer zone between bikes and motor vehicles not only improves safety, but can beautify the street as well.

Mayor Hancock, Councilor Clark, Crissy Fanganello, and Chris Nevitt

Mayor Hancock cuts the ribbon!

Broadway + bike lanes, with downtown Denver in the background

Recipe for a Fall Ride

1) Cycle to the grocery store to pick up a bunch of canned goods, a couple of bell peppers, and whatever else you need to make Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Chili (it isn't very spicy unless you add more than a dash of cayenne).

2) Check tire pressure and gear. Gather helmets. Decorate bike(s), if desired.

3) Rest overnight.

4) Throw everything in the crock pot and cook on low while you ride around for anywhere from 4-12 hours.

5) Skip the croutons described in the recipe and serve the chili with tortillas, cornbread, biscuits, etc. We aren't vegan, so I use real mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese as topping.

Enjoy!

From a Reader: What About the Fighting?

It's true. Riding with two kids in a bakfiets isn't always sunshine and rainbows. They are in very close proximity. They can easily hit one another, yell in each others' ears, and bonk helmets together, either on purpose or by accident.

The good news is, they are right in front of me, so I can nip most skirmishes in the bud. I can physically hold on to one helmet or the other if necessary, which usually cuts down on the helmet bonking specifically and behavior problems generally. It is also relatively easy for me to intervene with distractions that occupy their hands and mouths, such as snacks and water bottles. A couple of pinwheels are great distractions and take the cuteness level off the charts!

In the event that behavior is really out of hand, I move to the sidewalk, take the aggressor out, and walk for a block or two. That is usually all it takes for the child to realize the journey will be much more enjoyable in the bicycle.

If your destination is appealing to the kids, you can always threaten to turn around and go home. I used this strategy on our Beat the Heat ride to Union Station, before we were more than a couple of blocks from home. It was particularly effective because I said I would stay home with the child who was hitting, and the other could go with dad and have fun. I think it set the tone for the whole day: this outing is a privilege, and it is supposed to be fun for everyone.

Singing songs is another great way to get the siblings more focused on cooperating instead of fighting. YOU might be insane by the time they get to the fifteen billionth refrain of "Itsy Bitsy Spider," but it's still better than screaming, in my book. Personally, I like to adapt "The Wheels On the Bus" to "The Wheels On the Bike." Naturally, I accompany the verse about the bell on the bike with actual ringing of the bell.

One final note: Usually getting in the bike and on the road is the hardest part. Once we're rolling, there is so much to look at and talk about.... the rides really are mostly sunshine and rainbows!

Family Ride: Beat the Heat

The weather continues to be hot in Denver, so last weekend we undertook a ride we've been meaning to try all summer. We took the Cherry Creek (aka Colorado Front Range) Trail to Union Station and played in the fountains! The kids LOVED it! We bought some lunch at historic Union Station before heading home for nap time.

Union Station is easily accessible from the Cherry Creek Trail! Take the ramp exit from the path on Wynkoop (added bonus: there is a playground right there), cross over the bridge, and continue straight for a few blocks. Union Station and the splash pad will be on your left!

I was glad we brought water shoes for everyone; the wet stone tiles can be very slippery!

From a Reader: Describe Your Cycling Area

A reader asks: How bike friendly is your area? Are you on main roads with or without a bike lane? Are there bike paths that you take for part of your journey from point a to point b?

All great questions! While Denver came out on top of REI's inaugural "Cycling Town Showdown" in 2014, I think our placement at twelfth in the U.S. by Cycling Magazine in 2010 is probably a closer estimation.

I would describe most of our riding areas as "urban neighborhood," meaning that we use residential roads in the city, which intersect with multi-use paths. We live near Washington Park, which has dedicated paved roads for pedestrians and cyclists. The Cherry Creek path is famous as an urban multi-use path, which goes through the city along a small river, set low beneath the bustle of Speer Boulevard. We use the Platte River trail to get to Costco, and have to navigate one scary intersection at Iowa and Santa Fe Boulevard to get there.

While we use paths frequently, I would say we use bike routes and quiet residential streets just as frequently. We aren't big fans of traditional bike lanes, because of the door zone, high density of urban parking, and a tendency for many of these lanes to end abruptly. That said, sometimes they are the best option and can be a straightforward way to navigate an unfamiliar area.

When planning a cycling route, it helps to completely dissociate from what you would do in a car. If you're much more used to driving, it is tempting to try to cycle the same way you would go in a car. Instead, start from scratch by looking at a bicycle map or Google maps with the cycling option for mode of transport. Bike shops frequently carry bicycle maps which highlight cycling infrastructure. Printable maps may be available online for your area. Google maps should be taken with a grain of salt, but we've had good luck with it.

While these tools are great, they are no substitute for the knowledge and advice of local cyclists. They can tell you from first-hand experience which routes work well and which are best avoided. This is just one of the many reasons I set up this blog and our Facebook group!

If you find yourself without any tools to navigate an area that you know by car, imagine where you would drive if your normal route were closed for construction. Those small, residential streets that are near main roads but don't experience high traffic flow (think "detour" or "alternate route") are often great for cycling!

What Do "Sharrows" Mean, Really?

I admit it. I'm confused by shared lane markings, aka sharrows. These pictures of bicycles with chevrons pointing in the direction of traffic flow make me feel like I, as a cyclist, am more welcome on the pavement where they are painted.

In reality, it means that there should be a dedicated bicycle lane, but there is no space for it. It means that instead of sharing the lane with motor vehicles, I should actually take a full lane for my bicycle and expect motor vehicles to pass safely around me. It means that cyclists should obey laws exactly as though they were driving a motor vehicle. (See pg. 19 of the Denver Moves "Making Bicycle and Pedestrian Connections" report.)

In short, it means that a street marked with sharrows is exactly like every non-freeway street with zero bicycle markings. The one possible difference is that a driver might see a sharrow and think, "Oh, right! Bicyclists exist. I should operate my vehicle accordingly."

Today NPR published this story which ends with the conclusion, "But at the end of the day, reducing cycling accidents may boil down to something simpler [than creating bicycle infrastructure]: Making sure that bikers know the rules of the road — and that drivers know how to deal with bikers." Unfortunately, this isn't so simple. Sharrows are possibly the most prominent example of how confusing "the rules of the road" can be, for both cyclists and motorists. They probably aren't going anywhere, though; sharrows are a cheap and easy way for governments to boast investment in bicycle infrastructure without undertaking the efforts that help the most: bike boulevards, buffered or protected bike lanes, and regional paths.

It is also important to note that one of the studies linked in today's NPR story only includes data involving motor vehicles. These injuries and fatalities most likely have nothing to do with increased frailty due to age, contrary to what the story suggests. If you're plowed over by a two ton motor vehicle, it probably won't make much difference whether you are 14 or 41. The study compares recent data with data from 40 years ago. Think about that for a minute. You know what nobody was doing 40 years ago while driving? Using a phone. Just ask Christopher Weber and Matt Boeve, who bravely speak about this issue.

NPR, I love ya, but the conclusions of today's story are WAY off.