Chariot of fire

Zoom and i took our inaugural ride on the chariot, and in his own words, "wowie!".
we knew as soon as we were prego that we would want some sort of bike carrier for the little one in order to stay active and teach him about adventuring in a very everyday way. the burley seems to be the most common, but then we heard from our friends in alaska about the chariot. one step up, but a really nice option for those of us who might spend months snowbound. the chariot has a ski attachment that along with a harness allows you to pull your babe behind while cross country skiing or skating or snowshoeing! we were sold, except for the price.
well, over the holidays while we were in seattle over christmas, a friend spotted one at the REI garage sale. we snatched it up for a fraction of the regular price.
i used to ride my bike a lot before zoom. when i lived in seattle i would commute to the coffee shop nearly every day for work. the twin cities excellent network of trails was certainly a bonus to moving to minneapolis, and i rode until my belly was too big. since his birth i have not ridden my bike - in part because we didn't' have a trailer. so when zoom didn't take a nap today, i knew this would be our first ride. bundled up in a few layers and surrounded by thick blankets, zoom just said, "brumm, brumm" (let's go mom). we rode from our house along the greenway to the lakes, around lake of the isles, to uptown to see if gma and papa were around, and back home. it was brilliant!
i love the feel of the wind in my face. i love the tingle of my muscles finally remembering what it feels like to be challenged. it was extra fun to hear zoom's giggles and mysterious jabbering as we rode along. he had a difficult time keeping warm, and fussed a little until he figured out he really had to keep his mittens on his hands. he loves a rough ride, and would ask (in a way only i probably understood) to ride off the trail and get bumpy. somewhere between papa's and home he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
the gardens along the greenway are really beautiful. there are a couple homes in uptown with yards that shine all winter long. clearly these are gardeners, ones that consider what they will look at during the winter half of the year. they inspire me to be more creative in this climate that limits my seattle pallete. the community gardens near lyndale are refreshing too, and i think i might want to participate in one next year.
i was surprised more people were not out on this beautiful, albeat cold, afternoon. i mean, this is minnesota, aren't people used to the cold? we did pass a couple commuters, and a very fast walker. maybe they were all at lake calhoon.
rides like that make me feel like i could ride forever.