You never forget, but sometimes you need a reminder

Bright sun in our eyes Saturday morning!

It's winter in Vancouver, and pretty much everywhere in the Northern hemisphere. It's cold, in my case, wet, and for a self professed "fair-weather bike rider", it's also the time of year when I spend very little time on two wheels. Weather combined with the fact that I was struck with the flu for the better part of a week meant that it had been a solid two weeks since I last rode, and I missed it!

Chris was kind enough to haul both kids to the game

Thankfully, we've had a break in the rain the last couple days, and we took full advantage. With tickets to the Vancouver Giants hockey game last night, we bundled the kids with a blanket into the trailer and headed off on our bikes from Commercial-Broadway to the Pacific Colosseum. It was a cold night, but the sky was littered with stars with the clouds having finally broken, and it was nice to ride alongside my husband and let go of the stresses of the week. It surprising how quickly I recall why it is I love to ride my bike. Riding through the quiet streets in our neighbourhood, it's almost like our own secret pathway, save the few local drivers on their way home for the weekend. I don't have to negotiate with crowded buses and streets, and can just enjoy the freedom of being my own means of transportation.

Just another action shot of Daddy

Saturday morning I woke up surprisingly sleepy, which I attribute to all the fresh air I got the night before. Of course, when you have a good thing going, in our case, a couple of days without rain, it's always best to just ride it out, literally! So once again, we hopped on our bikes and rode out to the kids' swimming lessons at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. We took our usual route, along the seawall, at a leisured pace so my daughter could keep up. Her and I even got to chat along the way, mainly about how her father was taking pictures of his bike again. Oh, Daddy!

Some nice Mother/Daughter time on the seawall

After swimming lessons, a ride back to East Van for birthday party for my son, and then another ride home, all in all it's been a full day on my bike. With rain in the forecast for next week, I'm happy to have been able to spend so much time on two-wheels. Deep down, I never really forget how much I love to ride around my city. During the winter months, though, I tend to opt for the "easier" option, whether it's walking to school in the morning, catching a lift to my office on really rainy days, or taking transit for our weekly trip to the pool. So days like yesterday and today are a good reminder of how wonderfully freeing it is to control your own path simply by hopping on a bike and pedalling away.