Playing on the beach is on the agenda.
Tomorrow we are headed north to the Pacific Northwest. And by “we” I mean me and the kids, because my husband is going to China again (something to look forward to: even more bicycles in Beijing!) Whenever I can manage it, I like to visit my mom while he is away, because it keeps the adult: child ratio at 1:1, and because the kids always have a blast at her place. You’re the best, mom!
We had such a good time visiting Family Ride last time we were at my mom’s that we planned a stop in Seattle. Luckily for us, she was already planning a Cargo Bike Roll Call for August 11th, and so now we can attend—our first ever.
Although this is impressive, it is actually the kind of thing we’re trying to avoid.
And from there, we are going down to Portland to meet Matt after he flies back from China. When I was advised to stop using the Breezer as a kid-hauler, we had a bit of a mental kerfuffle about how to find a new cargo bike. We eventually decided that when Matt returned from China, we would all meet up in Portland, which has not one, not two, but THREE family bike shops that allow the kind of hard-core test riding that we want to do before making a decision. What’s more, after I went to Portland last spring and came back bouncing off the ceiling Matt decided he wanted to visit too. It’s arguably a waste of his frequent flyer miles, which could take us somewhere more exotic, but not changing time zones will be a relief.
The Brompton + IT Chair is a great short-hauler with an almost 2nd grader (but longer trips are a bit much).
Portland in August does not lack for cargo biking adventure. There will be a Portland Cargo Bike Roll Call when we’re in town on August 16th, and a Kidical Mass ride on August 18th. We’ll have just enough time to squeeze both in before heading home for the start of the new school year. We’ve packed our helmets and made our rental reservations. Excitement among the small is at explosive levels.
Updates here are likely to be sporadic at best over the next two weeks. But on our return, I will write up our impressions of the half-dozen or so cargo bikes we plan to ride. See you on the other side!
Hum of the city 
So excited for your visit! So excited that you’ll be here when it’s not pouring rain! It’ll be SOMUCHBETTER.
I would recommend Joe Bike, Sellwood Bike Repair and Splendid Cycles for cargo bike testing in Portland. They each have different brands, so you can try them all.
Thank you for those tips! I knew about Joe Bike and Splendid Cycles but had not heard of Sellwood. We will add that to our list–so glad we didn’t hear about it too late. Much appreciated!
Have a terrific time! Can’t wait to hear about what you discover– and I’m hoping for lots of pictures from Kidical Mass! That sounds awesome!