I thought the garbageman was going to burst out into a song when he stopped us to ask about our bikes. The bus driver nearly kissed us goodbye when he dropped us off on the other side of 520. It was one of those spring days that makes Seattlelites a bit manic, and all the more so if you’re out riding your bike.

One of the coolest programs in the city is The Washington Bike Alliance’s Bike Buddy Program. It helps team up regular commuters with folks who want to try it out. This can be incredibly helpful, because while there are plenty of excellent trails in Seattle, they often don’t quite connect, folks find quieter roads with time, and if nothing else, you can say, “Yeah, watch this pothole here, or this bit always sucks, I’d take the lane!”

Vic heads to the Eastside soon for work. Undoubtedly once he gets set up in his bland office park building, he’ll meet other cyclists to help show him some new routes. Until then, I’m his acting Bike Buddy and we’re doing some practice runs so he gets used to some of the possibilities. Our route yesterday took us into Marymoor Park over in Redmond, before taking the trail around the northern bit of Lake Washington and into Seattle. I only did his commute twice in Boston. Though it is a bit longer, this is going to be much nicer.

Spring on the practice commute