Delivering a fleet of bikes makes kids smile

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It's that time of year again... Every Friday morning I get up earlier than usual and blearily ride to the office to meet our trusty trailer driver Dave, where we get in the van and hit the road for another exciting day of bike deliveries.

These days are spent picking up and dropping off bikes at elementary schools around the Seattle, Lake Washington, and Highline school districts. There they are used for Cascade's Basics of Bicycling program, a bike safety and basic riding skills course taught as part of the physical education curriculum sponsored by Group Health.

After delivering all of last fall, the routine has worked itself into my bones -- pick up bikes at one school, inventory supplies and helmets, fix any basic maintenance problems (those loose chains are killer!), load them into the 20-foot bike trailer, and take them to the next school where we drop them off. We visit four schools in one day, fixing all the bikes on the road so they're ready to ride right away. It's pretty awesome to see how thrilled the kids are when the trailer pulls up -- probably the closest I'll ever get to being a celebrity!