Is Seattle the best bike city in America? “Yes!” says John enthusiastically.

As part of our RV travels, bikes play a big role. When we’re parked and camping, cycling becomes our main way to get around, and we’ve biked in storied two-wheel meccas such as San Francisco, Tucson and Portland. Now that we’re home-based in Seattle once again, John is happy to say the Emerald City beats them all.

Here’s John’s take on Seattle’s biking charms.

I hate driving in Seattle, but I love riding. If you visit Seattle this summer in a car, you’ll likely find horrible traffic and expensive parking. It’s no fun -- but just hop on a bike and it’s a dream. Recreation paths and bike lanes are woven through the city. Since moving back, I’ve spent most of my days out of the car, accessing the city only by bike.

Downtown is easy to access. Both Second and Fourth avenues each offer two-way, separated bike paths, making it fast and safe to ride through the downtown core. That means you can easily use a bike to reach attractions like T-Mobile Park, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, Seattle Art Museum, the newly revamped waterfront, Seattle Center and Olympic Sculpture Park.

Parking is free: I loathe finding parking in Seattle. The streets are often choked with traffic and it’s expensive. On a bike, however, you can ride to your destination and lock up nearby. I’ve never had anything stolen from my bike -- I just make sure to use a good lock.

Ballard and beyond: Seatown offers some beautiful landscape to explore. One of my favorite rides travels past Olympic Sculpture Park along Elliott Bay through the Magnolia Neighborhood to Ballard via the Hyram M. Chittenden Locks. The route takes riders over a “secret” wooden bridge above a busy rail route, dropping down into a magical seaside world of ship traffic and wildlife, in the form of seagulls, sea lions and salmon.

Bigger rides: The quintessential Seattle ride is circumnavigation of Lake Washington at about 60 miles, which I’ve accomplished a few times. Another favorite ride goes to West Seattle south through Fauntleroy, past the ferry to Vashon Island. And don’t forget about the Burke-Gilman Trail, traveling from Ballard to the top of Lake Washington in Bothell.

Don’t have a bike? You don’t absolutely need one in Seattle, where Lime offers an e-bike and scooter share service. Scooters are OK to use in the bike lanes of the city.

What about all those hills? I have to admit -- Seattle’s hills are tough. I don’t have an e-bike, and it's definitely a workout climbing up Queen Anne Hill, for instance. But I embrace a challenge -- and anyone with an e-bike will find Seattle’s hilly landscape easy to navigate.

So long, Lopez

At the start of June, we were staying on Lopez Island at Spencer Spit State Park, volunteering as camp hosts. Unfortunately, we hit a snag -- Leslie had health problems that we needed to address. In the middle of the month, she had gallbladder surgery in Seattle, and she’s recovering nicely. We miss Lopez, and we hope to get back ASAP.

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