Commuting: Day 1 Recap . . .

I've already got a lot of homework to do (first day of the spring semester), but here's a quick follow-up on how the first ride into school went for me . . . 

My morning got a little delayed because Skyler's bus never showed, and I had to drive her to school.  Luckily, that still left me with plenty of time.  

I opted for the Fate - my 29er hardtail mountain bike.  The front fork is blown out, but I can still lock it out, so it's perfect for commuting (or so I thought).  Somehow, I managed to fit all of my necessities into my backpack.  It was stuffed, and it was heavy. 

I've decided a partial commute is all that's going to work for me right now.  I can't justify spending 4 hours of my day riding my bike to and from school/work.  That's absurd.  But 2 hours?  1 out and 1 back?  That's good stuff.

The ride to school was the stuff that good dreams are made of.  The airline trail was mostly hard from the overnight freeze, and surprisingly drier than I've seen it in the middle of the summer.  Also, I should probably note here: the ride towards Willimantic from Hampton is ever-so-slightly downhill.  It was a fast and glorious ride to school.  

I found a conspicuous location for my bike, locked it, and hung my clothes (and food) on it.  Then I left a note that read, "To whom it may concern, If there is a problem with me leaving my things here, please call..."  Nobody called.  

Since it's the first week of school, we don't have any labs. So I mostly hung around all afternoon waiting for my 7pm class... then I found out that was cancelled too.  

I left school around 3:30-3:45, and set out for the airline trail.  But before I made it, I had a close encounter with a handicapped driver.  Fortunately, I sensed a car slowing down alongside of me before the #*@% made a righthand turn directly in front of me.  She missed me by inches.  I yelled. 

When I finally made it to the airline trail, I was eager to get into a groove and relax.  Yeah well, it got warm out today, so what was wonderful this morning was soft and miserable this afternoon.  My backpack felt like it weighed more than earlier as it threatened to bury me in my tracks.  Plus, the return meant that I was going up a very slight incline.  I suffered in the worst way.  

FYI - the weight of a backpack is not just a problem for the back; it's also a problem for the buttocks. Imagine weighing an extra 20lbs. Now imagine spending some time in the saddle.  

Anyhow, it was a pleasure to meet my friend, Liz just as I went through the underpass of route 6 - having someone to follow was nice.  (Thanks for that). 

So, day 1 is done.  Now to figure out the next day that this will be feasible.

I'm definitely going to need panniers.  And I've been given some tips on how to make my own Bar Mitts, so I'm going to try that soon.  Also, I'm going to have to take my cross bike off the trainer and use that, but fortunately, Donnie D ( "CEO" of Danielson Adventure Sports) has offered to let me use his steel road bike on my trainer.  

Until next time . . .