On 5/24/07, Neil Cherry wrote: > While I can't get bus service between where I live and where I work > I can ride to work (it's only 20 miles). I may miss the reading time > but I get in the workout I need and the stress relief I need. My new > problem is that they're changing the design of the roadways. Who > ever was the design engineer was a lousy one! Two lanes into 1 > 250 ft after a light. There is no shoulder and a drainage ditch > to the right. Add to that 50 mph speed limit and 3 large > home developments and this road way is a nightmare in a car. Add > me and my bike (I take the lane) and it's a mixture for death. > My choices for alternate routes is limited (add several miles > and other heavy road patterns). Ouch! I'm pretty lucky in that respect - there are some hairy spots, but Washtenaw County does put some effort into adding bike lanes whenever they re-do a road, and many roads (those without curbs) have nice wide paved shoulders. If I were inclined, all the buses have bike racks on the front and I could do that as well, but the schedule is fairly limiting for me, and on the short route it's only 10.5 miles anyway. It takes less time to travel by bike than by bus, and only 10-15 minutes more than by car. I prefer a lightly longer 13 mile route - better traffic, better roads, and I consistently travel faster (and extra 1mph faster, on average) - probably because I enjoy it more. But I don't commute by bicycle very often. > Sorry for the rant, I'm a bit wound up. And before anyone complains > that a few miles shouldn't be a big deal it's also the traffic > patterns. Mileage doesn't phase me, I have one route where I ride > home 50 miles. It's very scenic and I enjoy doing that every once > in a while. > > And as a side note. Gatorade costs $4 a gallon (or there abouts). > Unless I water it down (which I do) gas is still cheaper (just > kidding ;-) I used to joke that since milk cost more than gas, I generally fed my kids gas. Not so any longer. At least we don't pay tax on milk here - we do pay nearly 60 cents per gallon just in taxes (36 cents per gallon, then 6% sales tax). Have you tried gatorade powdered mixes? Very inexpensive, comparatively. -Adam -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Moving in southeast Michigan? Buy my house: http://ubasics.com/house/ Interested in electronics? Check out the projects at http://ubasics.com Building your own house? Check out http://ubasics.com/home/ -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist