I’ve really been missing getting around town by bike. Skyler is still too young to ride along (most recommend you wait until children are about one year old), so I’ve been in the car a lot more lately.
When we first moved here, we even tried to resist buying a second car—the plan being that I would bike commute around town with Hudson.
I don’t want to fall out of habit; beyond its benefits in terms of the environment and (potentially) my waistline, riding a bicycle on a warm summer night just makes me happy!
So we got a babysitter, packed a picnic, and had ourselves a bike date.
Our bikes haven’t been getting their due attention this past year (when was the last time we rode them?), so Hudson helped us give them a good wash.
By the way: I did a quick Internet search for some tips on “how to clean your bike” to be sure we had any special technical tools on hand. Turns out, a little diluted dish soap is just right for the job! We used Method Dish Soap—one of the products I’m trying as part of my commitment to shop from the Made to Matter, Handpicked by TargetTM collection. The other two top tips I gleaned: (1) use a diffuse setting on your hose (never use a high-pressure hose), and (2) use a lubricant where necessary (like the chain) after cleaning.
Once the bikes were all shiny and clean, we replaced the child seats with wine and cheese and hit the road! Just west of our house, there are rows of olive trees that you can ride through and stop under to look across corn and wheat fields, shining in the golden evening sun.
It’s the perfect place to start a picnic, and the perfect way to get back on the bike.
P.S. This is the fourth part of a series about giving the Made to Matter, Handpicked by TargetTM collection a try. See my interview with the founders of Method and my post on cleaning up and making over our laundry room with before and after photos.
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