WHAT has wheels, and takes kids to school, BUT is not a car? WHAT bus can your kids ride to school, BUT is not a city bus?  Give up? Well one has been going strong in EcoMetro city Portland since September 2008. The answer is a "bike bus". A bike bus is a group of people who bike to a location, picking up new "passengers" along the way. And just like a city bus, a bike bus has set stops and a schedule. Here's how to create your own.

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As an adult who has chosen to commute by bike, I can make the decision without much complaint or discussion. However, it is a bit different for kids who are often pulled into commuting by bike. After all, they are kids, and as such, I need to appeal to kid logic. When I pick up my kids from school, I have an after school snack with me so they can munch during the bike ride home. Additionally, we play games. One such game is an alphabet game. Aside from the educational benefits (sorry, I teach middle school), it usually lasts the whole ride home. More...

“There is no way you are taking my kid home for a play date on your bike,” said the mother, as a humorous aside when we were talking about organizing some play dates.

Her comment was followed by a tense quiet that lasted too long for the both of us.

The bike to which she was referring is my family’s Bakfiets (box bike).

She noticed the silence and my lack of response. Thinking back to that moment, I probably had an incredulous look on my face. Frankly, I was stunned. I did not know what my next course of action would be. So I stood frozen, dad-in-headlights. Her comment was said playfully, as if to make the sting less, but it stayed with me.

A few weeks later, I shared this situation with a parent who has biked kids for many years, and she responded with just the bit of urban fact that I needed. More...

It was last week. I was making my way to teach my night class, my legs pumping strong and powerful, cruising over the pavement. I felt the crisp fall day coming to a close as the sun set. I heard the familiar Zzzzzhhhh of my tires on the road.  However, I did not see the cafeteria tray-sized pothole in the road.

The front tire went in, klunk-pop, and due to my speed, the back tire followed right in, kerchunk-pop! Two flat tires. And quite jarring to boot. I hit the pothole hard.

Every biker is bound to encounter a flat. Here's how to be prepared, cope, report the pothole, and continue on. More...

My son, Sam, discovered the joys of eating dirt, picking up pine cones, and rolling in the grass this week. During each of these discoveries, I was so moved by Sam’s utter delight and fascination with things I take completely for granted that I put my hurry aside to let him explore his ever-expanding world.

I should’ve expected this day to come. We took Sam for his first “fresh-air walk” two days after bringing him home from the hospital. We’ve walked nearly every day ever since. More accurately, I’ve walked while pushing him along in his stroller. Until he started saying “Walka. Walka. Walka.” (always three times) and pointing out the door. There is a big world waiting for him out there and he’s ready. More...

Bringing in the new year often means reusing some of the objects from the old year, a constant cycle. This is a good thing. In my travels through the streets, I have seen a number of great reCYCLES. Here are my favorite reCYCLES for the 2009 year . . . . 

#1 ANYTHING WITH DENIM Denim is versatile, strong, and is easily found. Pictured are my Carry-alls, made from a repurposed pair of my son’s overalls. Carry-alls work like a glove box, holding anything you need while still riding. I can easily store my gloves and scarf partway through the ride, or have snacks on hand for the kids. My cell phone sits within reach in the top, center pocket. In the back of the Carry-alls is a strap to affix it to the handlebar tube. Another denim creation is a cellphone/iPod carrying case for my backpack strap made from a pants pocket. What is my next flight-of-fancy? I am thinking pants-panniers. Make a pannier out of the top part of a pair of pants and you have a flexible, washable, and easy to store pannier. More...

Riding a bike during the night takes some planning and forethought. Not much, but the time I spend preparing for evening rides is time I have spent keeping my family and me safe. Night riding is different than tooling around the neighborhood with kids. During the winter, you have several variables working against you. You have earlier nights, so what you used to ride in daylight, may now be shrouded in black. You have less amicable weather—cold, windy, rain, and then some more rain. You have people that are more tired as they drive or bike around the city.