Lately, I’ve not been the most organized guy. Between work, the new apartment, and catching up with friends I’ve not seen in a couple years, there are plenty of things I’d likely be out doing that have just been dropping through the cracks.
I completely forgot about The Ride of Silence on Wednesday, and if I wasn’t already biking to work, I would have also missed “Bike to Work” day. Though the food was gone by the time I ambled to work at 9 am, I snagged a new water bottle and a fellow admired my new long shorts with a multitude of commuter sensible pockets.
It’s a five mile ride from Phinney Ridge to the Cascade neighborhood. From the top of the ridge, there are views of both the Cascades and the Olympics. Cyclists from all over the north city funnel into Fremont to cross the drawbridge. During peak commute, it’s difficult to count up all the bikes. This bike jam continues up Dexter and then glides into downtown past the Space Needle. While most everyone continues downtown, I veer left into a maze of condo construction.
In my long shorts, I keep my access key. It’s one thing I need to keep handy. I’m working part time in an new office across the street from REI’s flagship store. It’s been open just over 2 months, and the bike cage is already full and ready for an expansion. I wonder if the apartment dwellers will also be parking their bikes with us corporate day travelers?
I horrifically discovered it is possible to lock yourself in the bike cage.
Here is a picture of my ground floor locker at work. No more draping my bike gear all around my office! The swell thing about this set up, is that opposite the lockers are two showers, again controlled by access keys. Having showers at work eliminate one of the most common reasons not to commute and if it were up to me, every office would have them. It is humane.
The hills on the ride home are longer. I am crying as I head up Fremont Ave. For a few more weeks, I’ll be biking nightly across the Fremont bridge, which is fine with me because I love this view of Lake Union. I’ve stopped worry about big training rides at the moment, because life is a bit busy, but getting out commuting again has been great.
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- Bike to Work Day
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- Yep! Locked In! D’oh!
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- Humane
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- Crossing Fremont Bridge
4 Comments
Nice! Here in Boston, I couldn’t make the Ride of Silence because of scheduling. It’s too bad; Todd said it was sparsely attended.
I’m envious of the lockers you have at work. Once I come back from the shower at the work gym, I have to lay out my sweaty bike clothes flat in my office so they’ll dry out for my evening commute. Of course, I could do what a co-worker does: bring a fresh set of evening-commute lycra. That seems like too much, though. Too much laundry, I mean!
The Ride of Silence here had only about 15 or 20 people. I think it was partly due to the strange place it started. I mean, Arlington Heights could only be convenient to someone who lives there. Not being exactly sure where it started, I just hung around at Trader Joe’s until someone came by and said “we’re over there”, up the street, around the corner and down into the park, invisible to even the most dedicated searcher. So there may well have been more, but I doubt it.
I horrifically discovered it is possible to lock yourself in the bike cage.
Oh my, I think I may have peed a little.
As for the showers at work, I wholeheartedly agree. I think it should be required of any job which has more than a certain number of employees. When I ride my bike to work, I have to lock it to a fence, then hoof it a half mile to the job proper. I work on a bridge, so I then have to climb perilous stairs in bike shoes and sit at work all day feeling smelly and icky. Luckily, I work alone.
Oh, also, have you ever used the Bike Station? I hear there’s one in Seattle, and they’re talking about putting something similar in Portland. It’d be nice to hear perspective from someone who has actually been there.