The best ride of the day was with my oldest daughter. She is 8 years old, and although she’s been riding her bike without training wheels for over a year now, we rarely get a chance for her to ride places that are safe. She’s still practicing balance and control, and unfortunately near our house, the Burke Gilman trail is too busy and often filled with speedy cyclists.
But the Seattle Parks department has a great program where they close down Lake Washington Blvd every other weekend during the summer, so that cyclist can use the street without any car traffic. This is great for kids, as this street is wide and flat, and more than 3 miles long. I’ve been wanting to take her down there for a while, and this week it worked out perfectly.
Once we unloaded our bikes from the car, she took off…. there was no stopping her, she just kept riding, confidently, and with no fear. She only stopped twice. Once because there was a car on the road (local access is allowed), and once because there was a lemonade stand that we’d agreed we’d stop at on the way back to the car.
Every chance I gave her to stop, turn around or go back, she simply said “Let’s keep riding Dad!” It was great.
When we got back to the car she said….
“Dad, I want to tell you what I’m feeling! I am feeling tired. I am feeling hot. I am feeling sweaty. I am feeling thirsty. And I am feeling proud!”
Yes indeed… so am I!
Logbook Activity
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 06/29/2008
- Time: 14:00:00
- Total Time: 1:00:00.00
- Distance: 6.2 miles
- Average Speed: 6.2 mph
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