Cycling Gets me Places that Seem Too Far to Drive . . . . . . . 10–11 Off to School: Me, You, and Our Longtail Too

Off to School: Me, You, and Our Longtail Too

Kaye Lowe, Board Member

In September 2017, the morning marine air is cool and prickly on my skin as I cycle my girls to school. I navigate off the shoulder onto the path by the University, the girls’ chatter becoming more distinct as we leave the traffic behind. They’re happy on this fifteen-minute ride to their elementary school; the back of my longtail offers an experience they can’t get in a car. They sit close together, my littlest in front with an oversize backpack on her chest, and my eldest with hers resting on the seat behind. Pedalling up front, I twist the throttle and the motor whirrs to life, pulling us up the hill. Nearing the school, I brace myself knowing we’ll enter the crowded roadway once again. Drivers are attempting to park everywhere as kids and parents spill out, rushing here and there. It’s mayhem! I guide us slowly through it all, cautiously turning left across the road. We glide to a stop on an asphalt ball court next to the school. Knots of parents gather to visit as kids line up for class in the bright morning sunshine. I straddle the bike while the kids jump off. We go through the brief routine of taking helmets off and adjusting packs as I reach to straighten dishevelled clothes and hair. I’m allowed a quick hug before they move to their places. I wave goodbye, noticing how this separation seems less jarring when I’m on the bike. They don’t argue at all on the journey either. I’ve a busy day ahead so I say a quick hello to a few parents as I walk the bike to the road, contemplating my route home. I enjoy these moments riding alone too, the gap between the drop off and return home, or to my office, leaves me time to think. Today, my children are older and get to school independently. Cycling still isn’t “cool” for them, but this way of life is very much a part of who they are. We’ve had our electric assist bike with a longtail extension since 2012 and it’s put in a lot of years hauling groceries, Christmas trees, boating gear, and, of course, my daughters. All these years later, it’s still going strong for me after a major refit and “docking” of the tail in 2021.

Cycling gets me places...

continued from p. 10 Bay and hopped on the small ferry that runs across the Saanich Inlet to Mill Bay. We climbed a few hills as we spun our way across the Cowichan Valley to the Crofton/Vesuvius ferry. On Saltspring Island, there was a delightful stop in an old friend’s garden. She and I had both been captured by the ability to do a few small things that made big changes in Africa. That day a group of about 20 women sipped homemade ginger beer and shared stories. With the reinforcement of friendship and food, the island’s hills were not impossibly steep, and a stream of colourful riders made me feel safer than riding those narrow roads alone. There is something magical about that combination of good food and camaraderie that makes cycling with the Grandmothers for Africa something I am immensely grateful for. Peggy Frank rode from Campbell River to Victoria in early September, along with 26 other women. The Victoria Grandmother’s group is part of the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.