Since I started commuting six or so years ago, I've had a busy four lane highway between me and everywhere I ride. Twice a day I've "enjoyed" the rush of traffic and in the evening crossing into the center left turn lane to turn onto my road. All that is now a thing of the past. After riding through a major construction zone for five years, the new lowered highway is open, the construction detours gone and the new bridges(3) for my road are completed.

I really should be happy about all this and I basically am. But all this new road work has seriously cut into my commuting miles. Last August the first section of a new freeway, that's the reason for all this construction, was completed. The good thing, it included a very nice bike trail. The bad news, using the trail cut about a mile off my commute, but added about 600 ft of climbing so I figured that was a fair trade. So now I'm losing another mile with my "new" street dumping me out about 200 ft. from the entrance to the trail.

It's only three miles from home to work. But I had worked out a 14 mile, then 13 mile, now 12 mile commute. Gosh I just hate losing another mile. I'm already wandering around the northside of town like the village idiot and I'm running out of options to make the ride longer.

The new route is nice. And at some point in the near(ish) future there will be a path to the new trail practially at my front door. Then the first five miles of my commute will be all on the trail. In the bigger picture this is a really great trail for the cycling community. When or if the new freeway is ever completed it will include a bike trail it's entire length and will hook into Spokane's Cenntenial Trail. I'll adjust, but I just had to whine a bit. bikerHen