biking

I'm so glad that Sparkle finally learned to ride her bike. She has been riding her bike to school and back. I've been riding my bike with her while I pull Glitter in the buggy.

So far biking with Sparkle isn't much faster than walking. This morning we passed by a neighbor's house as they were getting ready to walk to school, and even though we had a head start, we arrived at school only seconds before them. The bikers are also the last group of kids released from school, after all the buses are gone, which also means that we don't get home until late.

However, on the parts of the trip where it's just me pulling Glitter, we go faster. When I can go at my pace instead of Sparkle's, I can ride the path in a fraction of the time it takes to walk, especially since I ride across at the intersections instead of dismounting and walking across them. With more practice Sparkle will eventually be able to bike faster than walking. She is also learning biking safety skills.

All the cars that we've encountered have been really careful. For about one block Sparkle has to ride in the street instead of on the sidewalk, and the cars always move to the far lane and go slowly, giving us plenty of space.

Although biking has its disadvantages, overall it's been a good mode of transportation for us. I love biking. It provides exercise in a way I like. It saves wear and tear on the car by avoiding those super short trips which are hard on cars. It give Sparkle practice biking, which I would otherwise have a hard time fitting in.

I wish that we had a tandem bike so that we could bike to school together on one bike. I'd have Wander put the half-bike on it to turn it into a triple. Then Sparkle, Glitter, and I would all fit on the same bike. If the weather turned yucky in the middle of the day, I could pick Sparkle up in the car, and we wouldn't have to worry about getting her bike home.