I grew up biking to my elementary school and junior high and it’s full of the wonderful memories you’d expect. Friends meeting at my house. Riding together. Using the crossing guard across Acadia Drive. Freedom, independence.
I wish my kids were raised the same way but they’re not. Our house is far enough away that it’s just not convenient to bike to school and there’s a pretty major road to cross without adequate sidewalks on the other side.
Plus, we have a nice bus that picks them up.
Plus, the only other time we biked to school when the kids were much younger, it was a bit of a disaster when Hadley forgot her backpack, we needed to go back home, start over and the whole three-mile ride took us about a half hour. And I won’t mention the ride home up up up the big hill leading to our house.
When the kids excitedly told me about Bike to School day, I was game and told them I’d make a big breakfast. But as the consummate party planner, it can never end there. “What if I invited our neighbors the Kings, Scultzs and Rays over and we then biked together?” And so Bike to School Day turned into a big ‘ol neighborhood pancake breakfast.
Because apparently I’ll take any excuse to throw a party. And a special shout-out to Angella for cooking up the equivalent of a hog.
As as biked, we collected friends along the way. The kids raced at top speeds and I found myself trying to keep up while keeping an eye on my friends’ boys who were going a bit slower.
And who couuld blame them. We had to course-correct the kids twice and the second time, they took the wrong bridge so we slugged through the grass at Stenger Soccer Complex.
We arrived early at school, high-fiving Principal Martin. As we locked everything up, it was so much fun to see all the kids arriving on bikes. That is one of the things I love about Vanderhoof Elementary School and our community. When you plan an event, people show up in droves. 
The weather was so gorgeous, I couldn’t resist going on a two-hour ride of my own along the Ralston Creek Trail to Tucker Lake.
My love runs deep for this place we’ve been blessed to call home.
During breakfast, one of my neighbors raved, “This is so much fun! We need to make this a tradition!”
[Insert elephant in the room who is ruining everything by moving.]
Here’s for our best ever first (and last) annual Bike to School Day.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 