July 4 Parade By Bike

Planner Guy and I awoke via Milo, the canine alarm clock, at 7 a.m. when he decided we had enough sleep and he was ready for attention, fresh water and dog cookies. While I made coffee, Bob asked me if I wanted to go to the 4th of July Parade in downtown Flagstaff. But of course, I answered, and being that it is such a lovely day, can we ride our bikes?Because we had spent the day before doing yard work and were hardly able to crawl to bed, I added “Or not” to the end of my query.
“Well, if we’re going to pedal downtown we’d better start getting ready now; the parade begins at 9,” he replied.

Bob knew I really wanted to travel by bike on July 4. Going to an Independence Day parade only 5 miles down the road by car is just wrong and lacking in nostalgia. Isn’t nostalgia one of the things we all love on July 4 and so many other holidays?

Like all our previous July 4 parades in Flagstaff, we spent this one atop the balcony of the historic Weatherford Hotel on the corner or Aspen and Leroux. The Weatherford might be as old as Flagstaff. Bob and I stayed there for 4 nights when we traveled out for his job interview. We were disappointed that we did not run into any ghosts, as the old saloon and hotel is rumored to be haunted. We did experience the late night sound of the train horn as the Amtrak station is a mere half block down the street on Route 66 but were not bothered by the noise. As usual for July 4 (or just about any other time), the balcony was filled with people imbibing. And yes, despite it only being 9:15 a.m., Bob and I each enjoyed a refreshing ice-cold, vodka and lemonade. Hadn’t we just pedaled 5 miles in the mid summer heat?

Despite tradition, I soon realized that the balcony might not be the best place for me this year, as I wanted to take photos of the parade, and of course, the many people on the street who also chose to attend the parade by bicycle. The balcony proved to be the wrong place to take really good pictures of either the parade participants or parade gawkers on bikes. We were up to high to catch facial expressions and the only clear side of the balcony allowed us only a view of the parade as it headed away from us.

Those who chose to ride their bikes were easily able to view the parade from multiple locations as they could quickly skirt through alleys. I noticed entire families on bikes, including those with small children who road in baby haulers. Since Flagstaff allegedly suffers from a parking problem (as does any town or city where people want to be), commuting by bike to festivals, parades, and art fairs saves the traveler a great deal of headache from the time spent searching for a nearby (if that is your priority) parking place. Bike racks to which to lock one’s bicycle are a-plenty in downtown Flagstaff. Aside from being spared the worry of parking and paying for parking in private lots, bicycling to a parade is just more fun.

After two cool drinks each we decided to head down to the Art Fair in Wheeler Park. Along the way I gained better view of both the parade and other people on bikes.Planner Guy had originally been concerned about transporting art if we decided to purchase but I reminded him that we could either pack our purchase in our panniers or, if the item was too large, leave it in one of our offices to transport later by car. By the time we left, we had found two art pieces, a raku fired, ceramic wall hanging and an artful bird house, both perfect for our front porch. Combined the two were still easily carried home on our bikes.

Kimmberly Ioane created the ceramic wall hanging. She works out of Apache Junction, Arizona at Kimmberly Ioane Studios, specializing in raku fired work. She can be reached at kimmberlyioane@yahoo.com. Kimmberly combines clay, canvas and wood surfaces in her work, which she covers with female and animal imagery. This is the second time I have seen her at a Wheeler Park Art Fair. Bob and I like her work very much.

David W. Bruce is the artist who made the bird house. His studio, Weathered Wonders in located at 1126 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix, Arizona. David is a self-taught woodworker and artisan and he uses a variety of recycled materials to create one-of-a kind furniture, birdhouses (apparently very popular; his booth was packed) and wall hangings. He can be reached at weatheredwonders@hotmail.com . Bob and I have already selected just the location on the eves over our front porch to display it.

Exhausted and hungry from spending money, Bob and I headed to the Southside of the railroad tracks to a new bistro, Tinderbox Kitchen, 34 S. San Francisco Street. Since the Southside of Route 66 is also home to many student hangouts I anticipated seeing many bicyclists coming and going. Isn't it the youth who always lead to the next big thing?As we waited to cross to the Southside I caught sight of this lovely lady on her red bike. I like her tunic and legging conbination. We walked past Tinderbox a few nights before when looking for dinner but wished we were a bit more dressed up for an evening meal and opted for something more casual. However, the other lunch diners were all dressed for the weekend and a parade so we felt fine stopping in. Although, we could see that the day was headed toward rain, we decided there was plenty of sunshine remaining for alfresco dining on the rear patio, which was walled all the way around and decorated with potted flowering plants. The menu described the fare as “comfort food” but it definitely had its own twist. Bob ordered a pulled pork BBQ pasta dish with homemade bread on the side. A combination I never would have imagined but it was delicious. I ordered ham, fontina, and marmalade on panini. I loved the sweet and salty combination, as well as the buttery texture of the fontina. Bob declared it his new favorite restaurant of Flagstaff and we’ll definitely be back.

Our tummies satisfied, we decided nap time might shortly be approaching and collected our bikes for the trip home. The looks of the sky and the winds suggested a monsoon would soon be upon us so we pedaled with considerably energy. When heavy rains and strong winds threaten, it is time to abandon the slow bicycle movement in favor of a race training pace. We made it home just in time. The rest of our afternoon was spent appreciating our newly acquired art and newspapers on our front porch while listening to the romantic sounds of rain and distant thunder.

Coming Soon: SheRidesABike Visits Mountain Chic Favorite Teva and Decker Outdoor Corporation!