How Was Your Commute Today?

[Melalvai]

Yesterday I took the car in for an oil change & tune up. It ended up needing a new oil pump switch too.

When it was done I drove home and switched to my bike, and biked over to my mechanic's house for new cables.

Car maintenance: $277.
Bike maintenance: $36.

I love biking.

[redrhodie]

Like riding through clam chowder. Ick.

[ZenBiker]

On the way home tonight:
was waiting at a stop light behind a pick up with two dogs in the back. One dog barked at me the whole time. Apparently the guy on the motorcycle behind me thought that was pretty funny, because when the light changed he pulled up beside me, slowed down, barked several times, then pulled away laughing. ??

[Biciclista]

On the way home tonight:
was waiting at a stop light behind a pick up with two dogs in the back. One dog barked at me the whole time. Apparently the guy on the motorcycle behind me thought that was pretty funny, because when the light changed he pulled up beside me, slowed down, barked several times, then pulled away laughing. ??

that's hilarious!
I got rained on all the way home but it was warm enough that i didn't care.

[Melalvai]

My daughter's play is this weekend so the rehearsals have been going pretty late at night. She doesn't like to bike in the dark by herself so I go meet her at the park when they're done. When I ride past people out walking or just standing around, I hear them say things like "Cool lights!" and "Whoa!" to each other. Monkey lights are impressive!

This picture is from the Monkey Electric website:

[7rider]

I think I missed the memo or something that today was Everybody Get Outside Day.
Granted, it was pleasantly cool, with less humidity than we've seen in recent days. It was, indeed, a glorious morning to be outside. And folks were. By the truckload.
Normally, I can count on one hand the number of other cyclists I see on my ride in, and only slightly more joggers along the MUT that parallels the road I ride. This morning, I must have seen 50 joggers and 20 people on bikes (including one woman, riding in a pair of mini short-shorts, wearing her helmet strap across her lower lip, a la the Queen's Guard, who ran the light at Colesville Road - a 6 lane highway where cars routinely come flying down the hill - from either direction, and it's risky to cross WITH the light for fear of red light runners. To run the light at crossing is near suicide.
Ah, well.

[ZenBiker]

arrghh - they're chip-sealing the roads in my neighborhood. This means laying down a layer of tar, then a layer of small diameter gravel, compacting it a bit, and then more tar/oil to seal it. Generally the gravel goes on and then some days pass before the top seal is applied. Wouldn't be so bad to ride on the gravel if it were even, but at random intervals there will be a "drift" of 1-2" deep, loose material across the road

So every evening is a new adventure in finding alternate routes home, depending on what the road crew got done during the day. At least the flag men on the project are sympathetic, commenting on how they've created a bumpy ride for me!

[Tri Girl]

because when the light changed he pulled up beside me, slowed down, barked several times, then pulled away laughing. ??

that is TOO funny!!!

[HillSlugger]

Bike commuted yesterday for the first time in 2 months and only the 4th time this year I've let my triathlon training take priority

[7rider]

So, I was leaving this afternoon - heading to the elevator to go to the gym to dress for my ride home tonight.
My boss is by the elevators. "By the way," he said. "That was me yesterday."
Huh??
"In the van. On Fairview. In the van. I beeped at you. I saw you on your bike."
"Oh. I don't remember any van beeping at me."

I suppose if they're not screamin', yellin', honkin' threateningly, or being illogical moronic jerks, I just tune them out.

[ZenBiker]

<sigh> the chip-seal project has now put gravel on every road within a mile of my house. It's a dusty, bumpy ride to and from work - but still better than driving!

[Melalvai]

So, I was leaving this afternoon - heading to the elevator to go to the gym to dress for my ride home tonight.
My boss is by the elevators. "By the way," he said. "That was me yesterday."
Huh??
"In the van. On Fairview. In the van. I beeped at you. I saw you on your bike."
"Oh. I don't remember any van beeping at me."

I suppose if they're not screamin', yellin', honkin' threateningly, or being illogical moronic jerks, I just tune them out.

The woman who cuts my hair said she sees me on my bike all the time. I asked where because I don't remember seeing her ever. I guess I'm not looking inside the SUVs.

Today's ride was brutal. I had a couple errands, and I didn't want to wait all the way until next week after this heat advisory theoretically will be over, to get them done. So I just went in the heat. 16 miles by the end of the day. The longest single trip was 5 miles, and every time I stopped I refilled my water bottle and sat in the air conditioning for a while.

It occurred to me, much much later, that I guess I could have taken the car. No one else was using it today.