How Was Your Commute Today?

[colorisnt]

See, my hair never gets THAT wet on my head but my ponytail gets soaked.

The BF told me when I told him what happened that I should ride a Huffy so I can be a Hussy on a Huffy.

[Giulianna23]

I sold my lovely schwinn Traveler about 2 months ago to a college girl that was sooo excited about the bike. I felt so happy that she loved it. So I went ahead and converted one of my road bikes into a commuter. First commute of the year today finally. Last year I had to be covering all over the place at work and never knew until last minute where I was going to work so couldn't commute but 3 or 4 times. It finally looks like we have a full staff so no need for me to be moving around. Hoping to be able to commute everyday or at least 4 days a week for the whole season.

[Crankin]

My commute was fine, but at around 3:30. I had a voice mail from the receptionist that they were visited by the hospital security and were told that "whoever is locking that bike to the stairwell, has to move it, it's a fire hazard." So, the building I work in is a community agency building attached to the local hospital. We are not part of the hospital, but the hospital is in charge of the grounds/building. I leave my bike in an inside hallway where the Concord Carlisle Community Chest stores stuff in big closets and frankly, there's crap thrown everywhere. No one else has access to this area, it's beyond doors that say "for staff use only." The stairs go up directly to our offices. I've been putting my bike in the corner, in front of a closet and locking it to the end of the railing. Depending on how it's leaning, maybe a bit of the handlebar is inside the hand rail.
This is crap. This hospital is preaching healthy living and no one's way is being blocked. I unlocked the bike and just leaned it against a wall, wrapping the lock through all the parts. I am not really worried it will get taken, because no one goes in this area except my colleagues, but I am pissed. It's bike to work week for God's sake. Things like this are barriers.
I will bring it upstairs and leave it in our meeting room, if I have to, as I can wheel it out the front door when it's time to leave. Carrying it up the stairs is no issue, but I think going down would be. I have to talk to the clinic director, though.

[Crankin]

Yesterday was 82 when I rode home. This morning and evening it was 50, cloudy, and kind of threatening looking. Crazy. A guy caught me near the alternate street i take behind the Old North Bridge, to avoid a traffic situation. Of course, he wanted to talk when we were going up a hill, and I was working hard with that damn pannier on the bike! He had a really nice Soma bike with a retro looking front bag. And, he was wearing a wool bike sweater. At the top of the hill, he took off, but I went the other way, anyway.
I just left my bike in the private hallway, unlocked. Haven't had a chance to talk to the director about bringing it into the office, but my clinical supervisor says others have done that, but they weren't riding on a regular basis.

[Crankin]

I left work at 6:15, even though my last client, at 5 cancelled. The traffic is just so bad between 5 and 6 I don't want to deal with it. I did work for about half the time, called a friend, and then changed. I swear, there seems to be more traffic than when I started commuting in March. I am not sure what is going on. The private schools in the area are out, and traffic from 2 of them impact my commute. Maybe people are more aggressive because it's nice out and they want to get home. I was turning left in Concord center (stopped and waiting in the lane), when I saw another cyclist going straight. I looked at him because I heard him yell (scream) "Watch it!" He couldn't have been yelling at me, no cars were close to me and I wasn't doing anything wrong. Then I realized he was saying it to the car that sort of passed between us. He must have been very close to the other guy because he was trying to avoid me. Then, a dumb sh!t old guy tried to go at a 4 way stop, when it was my turn. I made him stop when I yelled, "Are you a dumb f***?" Of course, he would have done this if I was in a car, and I have given up on Massachusetts people ever understanding what to do at a 4 way stop.
It was really beautiful out on the way home, 75, with a breeze.

[azfiddle]

Trying to get in more consistent commuting while the days are long and I'm not feeling so exhausted from teaching. I rode to work 3 times last week, (the week before our district's unusually early start date to the school year, in mid-July). The summer monsoon storms have left my usual route a complete mess, with mud and debris in a section about one mile long, near the air force base. The road is actually below the level of the surroundings, and it flooded last weekend.

To avoid the mess, this week, I tried the only other route available, which is a mile longer. The eleven mile route has some "normal" roads with an average surface/bike lanes, but also includes about 4 miles of multi-use path and about 4 miles of a newly completed road with very smooth pavement and a wide bike lane. Going in was great on both days I tried it, but I've had some pretty unexpected events coming home. Thursday, 2 motorcycles and a 3 wheel ORV came roaring up the bike path although motor vehicles are strictly prohibited. Shortly afterward, I came upon them as they were moving their vehicles down into the dry riverbed. I don't know if they could really hear what I was saying ("It's illegal to ride on the bike path" and "little kids are on this path", but they nodded under their helmets and one guy gave me a thumbs up. Friday, I had to contend with a van that stopped directly in front of me on the main road, but in an area where 2 lanes are starting to narrow to just one, so I had to stop and figure out what they were doing as the driver clearly paid no attention to my presence. Then a police car was parked partly in the bike lane further up on the same road. Finally when I got onto the bike path, 3 teen age boys were standing in the shade of an underpass on the bike path, smoking cigarettes and oblivious to the potential for cyclists to crash into them as they stood blocking the path. "Watch out!" seemed better than "On the left" - one of the kids still stepped backwards and almost directly into my way.

Maybe I should stick with the hazards of the mud, tree branches and rough road from before...

[azfiddle]

I rode in this morning and it was over 84 degrees (before 7:15!). It's going to be between 103 and 107 when I'm done at work (depends on how long I stay and enter grades and watch the Tour de France with the projector and screen ) Or, my husband (who borrowed the car for appointments today) could pick me up. Should I ride home? There are 3 or 4 convenience stores with ice/water along the 11 mile route (around miles, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 and 10). Decisions, decisions...