Group Ride: Sunday on 16th

We organized a group ride for Sunday, November 1, without much of a plan in mind. The combination of Halloween and the daylight saving time change meant a lot of variables that could have resulted in some serious meltdowns. It ended up being a great, educational ride!

We met at the REI flagship store, then made a lap around City of Cuernavaca Park. A train passed by, which prompted us to head to the Millennium Bridge to get a closer look. After taking our bikes up the elevators ("We're allowed to put our bikes in there?!?!") we saw two trains going in opposite directions and resisted the urge to make up a word problem about one going to Chicago at 18 MPH and the other going to San Francisco...

On the Millennium Bridge

Two Trains pass under us; one empty, one full of coal

Waiting for the elevator with 16th Street in the background

My artsy shot from the bottom of the elevator. All other photos in this post taken by Kristina!

Then we hit 16th Street Mall. Monday-Friday, 16th Street is available to buses ONLY. On Saturdays and Sundays, however, cyclists can use it, too. The buses are infrequent, so we basically had an entire LoDo street to ourselves! Everyone got a kick out of seeing traffic lights with bicycle cutouts specifically for us.

We also discussed our Broadway pop-up lane ride. Our unofficial photojournalist, Kristina, mentioned that she had seen green cycling lanes elsewhere in town (on 14th Street, for example), and asked about implementation of the Broadway lanes. Bicycle lanes are city infrastructure, so government decides where, how, and when cycling infrastructure is implemented. There will be a Community Workshop on November 10 from 4-8 PM, during which constituents and stakeholders can voice their opinions on future changes to Broadway.

For lunch, we went to The Market on Larimer and got enough food for an army. It was all delicious. Then we headed back to REI and went our separate ways for the afternoon. The kids had some quiet time in the bakfiets with dad, and I cycled to rehearsal downtown. Thankfully I thought to bring my instrument in its ultralight case with me on our ride!

If you'd like to take part in our group rides, head over to our Facebook group page and request to be added. We have a lot of fun!

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?

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!