I live on NE Skidmore, a popular low-traffic bikeway. Every weekend my sweetie and I sit on our porch, eating breakfast or reading the paper, and watch a wide variety of people ride, walk and jog by.

With the weekend's incredible weather, the number of cyclists seemed to double, and the image is still seared on my retina on Monday morning.

Yesterday the Commuter Central editorial squad and family went bowling. Given the weight of our bowling balls, bicycling seemed a bit of a stretch. So we carpooled.

Perhaps you also had a shopping task this weekend - buying a couple units of compost, groceries for a family of four, or a screen door to let the fresh air come in - in which the payload's weight prevented you from bicycling.

Portland bike merchants offer a wide variety of cargo bicycles with the cargo vessel located on the front, middle or back which can allow such errands to be integrated into your bike rides.

Check out this cargo bike slideshow from TreeHugger to to stimulate your imagination.

Photo of Portland's Joe Bike courtesy of TreeHugger