I love the feeling I get when I first catch a glimpse of a city skyline. To me, cities are exciting and full of energy, interesting people, shops and activities. I want to take everything in and see all the sights as I pass by, but have to remember to look down at the map to see where I’m going – cities are often tough to navigate! The frustrating thing about cycling through a city is having to stop frequently, pull off the road, find out where you are, and continuously look at maps and bike routes. And in Seattle, there was another factor to keep in mind – the terrain. Wow is that city hilly! And I’m not talking just hilly, I’m talking steep hills – at first glance, they look nearly vertical! I am super proud of all the cyclists that live in Seattle, they’ve sure got their work cut out for them.

Fortunately, when we arrived in Seattle via the Bainbridge Island ferry, we didn’t have to navigate far – our wonderful hosts were only a few miles from the terminal. We stayed with Brad and Claire and their two children, Thorvald and Astrid, who are almost the same age as Eden and Harper. Having a couple of playmates for a few days was great for the kids. They kept busy building train sets, playing instruments, reading, and of course biking. It was awesome to see the three oldest kids all on their small bicycles when we headed to the Children’s Museum for an afternoon.

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