Seldom do I need much excuse to ride my bike. Or to get something yummy to eat. Or to shop. (Should I ever have any hesitation about the latter, there’s always my dear friend Betsy the Enabler: “How about a quick run to Froyo and Nordie’s? Atticus and Auntie’s?”)

But how perfect is it to put it all together! Hence Bikespeditions: jaunts to selected destinations in and around Spokane (and elsewhere if I travel with my bike) in search of the perfect combination:

• Interesting shops, preferably one-of-a-kind local finds, and other destinations worth hanging out at (galleries, museums, libraries, people-watching)
• Tasty treats, again preferably not a chain but with the occasional exception
• Bike parking that feels reasonably secure
• A pleasant bike ride to and from the destination, which will always be dictated in part by your starting point but you know right now that nothing on North Division (where bikes are actually banned from the street) is going to fit this criterion
• Bonus points and a triple back flip with a half twist if any of the merchants give a discount to bike-riding customers (if you know a business that deserves a shout-out for rewarding biking, name-drop in the comments!)

Your Turn

I have several candidates in mind for the first outing. Where should we start? The poll below is multiple choice and lets you add your own destination ideas (remember the combo: biking + food + things to do/look at/admire/want/buy).

This is a Spokane-centric list for now, which I’d love to expand. Hello, Spokane Valley? Liberty Lake? Cheney? Coeur d’Alene? Post Falls?

Want to ride with me some sunny Saturday coming up soon? If you do, sign up to receive the blog feeds by email via the link in the right-hand column; I’ll do a quick post to set up the ride details.

Each Bikespedition will get a write-up here that covers the criteria. And who knows? Maybe there’s a “Best Bikespedition Reader/Rider Poll” come fall if enough of you come along.

Bikespeditions Explained