It’s the middle of the afternoon on a recent, bitter-cold winter day. Schools have been cancelled in our area due to the extreme weather. What does Bluey want to do this afternoon?
“Let’s go for a bike ride!”
Our young rider doesn’t let snowy landscapes and subzero temps keep him off his bike. And why should he? We see people riding all winter in our town, so he knows it can be done. And we spend our springs, summers, and falls biking all over- so he knows how much fun biking can be.
He has heard our winter mantra many times (borrowed from the Norwegians): There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.
So we saddle up. Bluey dons his snowsuit, finds his best mittens and a hat. He wraps a scarf around his neck while I loosen his bike helmet straps enough to fit over his hooded, hatted head.
We grab the dog and we’re off.
The trip doesn’t last long- after all it is pretty chilly out. But Bluey gets a chance to ride and to explore his neighborhood some more on a day when few people are out and about.
There are some icy patches to remind us that there’s more to winter biking than dressing right—some sections of the sidewalk are a bit treacherous. But we have a fun jaunt around the neighborhood, and head home for hot cocoa.
Polar vortex, arctic blast- no matter. We’re going on a bike ride.