How Was Your Commute Today?

[kfergos]

Moving to Seattle? Wow, how cool is that? do you have a place to move to already? Do you mean SEATTLE SEATTLE?

I am initially moving in with my parents in Kirkland, but I will be interning at the Bicycle Alliance of Washington in Seattle proper. I am so excited! No more winters of snow and ice! And I get to work at a bike advocacy group! More exclamation points for everybody!!

[tulip]

I am initially moving in with my parents in Kirkland, but I will be interning at the Bicycle Alliance of Washington in Seattle proper. I am so excited! No more winters of snow and ice! And I get to work at a bike advocacy group! More exclamation points for everybody!!

Um, you must have missed Seattle's last winter--right Mimi?!

Sounds like a dream job!

[kfergos]

Um, you must have missed Seattle's last winter--right Mimi?!

Sounds like a dream job!

I was there at Christmas last year and it was crazy! I'm just hoping it's not a permanent thing, and maybe they'll put something other than sand down on the roads if it does snow. ...I'm not getting rid of my studded tires yet, though.

[Cataboo]

I heard that the pacific northwest is gonna have a light snow season this year because of la nina or el nino or one of those wind patterns.

[Eden]

Last winter was *highly* unusual - like a once every 25 years occurrence. I've lived here for nearly 20 now. Last winter was only the second time I've seen considerable snow and the first its lasted for more than a day or so. Usually snow lasts a matter of hours at the most around here. This year is supposed to be warmer and I think perhaps dryer because of El Nino and some other factors (or is it La Nina... I can never remember which is which and what exactly they do....)

The year before last we had couple of weeks or so very cold mornings and intermittent ice - which IMHO was much, much worse than the snow. I could ride my cross bike in the snow, but the ice was treacherous.

[uforgot]

I heard that the pacific northwest is gonna have a light snow season this year because of la nina or el nino or one of those wind patterns.

I heard that we were going to have a mild winter also, because of the same reasons. (Notice that I'm not sure of the spelling either). Then I heard on the radio that the farmers almanac said it was going to be a BAD winter. Who do I believe?

[lph]

Commute today was cold! Just above freezing. Had to pull a a wool blanket over me to eat breakfast, we haven't put up any curtains or heaters yet. I debated going up to the icy attic and crawling around thunking my head on the beams to find my winter shoes, didn't sound too appealing so I went for shoe covers instead. Warm enough, but only just. Time to break out all the winter stuff now. The weather is glorious, which means warm (-ish, 10-12 deg C) rides home again, but also clear nights and cold, cold mornings. Will have to pay careful attention to the road some mornings in case the ice sneaks up on us.

Smell: I ride past a huge coffee storehouse down by the ocean every morning

[kfergos]

I smelled what I'd swear were freshly-baking waffle cones this morning. That warm, sugary bready smell... oh man. My other favorite smells I've encountered on-bike are bacon and chocolate chip cookies. The only disappointment is not getting to enjoy them.

Today was cool, in the mid 40s, but dry and we had my favorite kind of sunrise: Where there's a low layer of clouds so that when the sun rises, it lights up the bottom of the clouds like they're flames. Like this, but way nicer:



Also thanks for all the comments on my Xtracycle haul. It was definitely the exception rather than the rule, even with an cargo bike like that (), but it's neat to be able to use a bike like that. Re: the 10-lb bag of kitty litter -- you'd never even notice it on the Xtracycle. Seriously. It's already a heavy, slow beast, so tossing a bag like that back there would hardly make a difference.

[Deborajen]

Kfergos - Holy cow! What a load of cargo! Now I feel like a wimp for driving to the store because I didn't want to haul a 10-pound bag of kitty litter on my bike!

But your bike - it's looooong. My bike's rear tire is under and a little behind my seat. With all of your cargo I can't see the frame and maybe I'm just slow to wake up this morning, but how'd you do that?

[redrhodie]

Yesterday's commute was unusual in that it was the first time I ever felt really lousy on my bike. I woke up with a sinus headache, but figured I feel better once I got going. I was running late, so I didn't even have time for my morning cup a Joseph. Anyway. Every. Bump. Was. Like. A Hammer.

The evening ride was much better.

[Geonz]

Breezy ride in. Decided not to go the long way 'cause 10 miles into 20 mph winds would take too long. Went back home and tossed 200 aluminum cans into the rig and dropped 'em off at The Goat for 77 cents. (I could get twice that at teh "real" recycle place, but I'll let the store have a chunk.)
My Xtracycle (that's how we do that, Deborajen ) runs lots better with the new cassette it got last week. Last Monday night the chain wouldn't find a gear... right in front of the bike shop. Took me a good quarter mile and getting off the bike and talking to it... didn't change gears again for the ride home. Took it in for its tune up (I'd planned on waiting 'til October and the shop being less busy)... and the cassette fell off in Jeff's hand. Reckon I'm glad I didn't wait any longer...

[Biciclista]

Eden, in 30 years of residency in Seattle, we have never had a winter that even came CLOSE to what last year was. Kfergos! I am excited for you.

As i was riding to work this morning (it was 49 degrees) I was thinking about why riding is more fun than driving.
I can smell all kinds of smells - lawns, flowers, someone's bacon cooking, the sea (when the wind blows from the west), the occasional dead animal, the smell of spring, the smell of autumn; the pleasures of riding behind a garbage truck, and the sounds; dogs barking in the distance, various birds, the sound of someone's car idling in a driveway, the sounds of running over leaves, and ick, glass... in a car, you don't smell anything except yourself and your car, you don't hear anything except the loudest of noises.
i can see people's cats watching me from their front stoops, I can count eagles and crows (and can follow them from their sounds).

I had a nice commute this morning, and Kfergos, I will continue riding all winter, maybe less than i do in the summer, but there's no need to stop except for occasional bad weather.

[Mad Kate]

Today was my first commute to the new office; it is about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) one-way or 40 kilometres (25 miles) round trip. Most of the route is on a rural road with a speed limit of 80 km/h, with some rolling hills of about 3 to 6% gradients. Overall, it took me 1 hour, 6 minutes each way. Got caught in the rain without any rain clothes, which wasn’t very pleasant.

[tulip]

Mad Kate, that is the perfect commute distance in my opinion. When I commuted by bike, my commute was 14 miles each way and I could never get it under 1 hour 20 minutes, which was sometimes juuuuuust a little too long and I'd have to hurry hurry once i got to work.

So sorry you got caught in the rain, though.

[Cataboo]

I noticed this morning that the speed thing that they just installed in my neighborhood clocked my speed - I rolled past it at 13 mph.

I'm now going to have to ride past that thing over and over and see how fast I can get it to clock me at.

Madkate - I try to keep rain clothes at the office and then some in my panniers just in case.