16 Consecutive Bike Commute Days

Loving being able to bike to work everyday, been wanting that so much for so long! Pretty much have my "ideal" routes figured out, both when I am riding alone and when I am escorting Evan to and from school. I am looking forward to the changing seasons, changing light. I even find myself getting up before the alarm goes off - haven't been there for a while now.

For the statistically minded: For January, 13 days bike commuting, 176 miles; 8,599 calories burned (approximation); 171 pounds of CO2 saved. I have not used 5.87 commuting gas gallons (based on my 30mph Honda), so have saved about $23.00. A fill-up now lasts about 3 weeks, that includes our extended drive out to Boring a couple of times (50miles round trip). According to some formulae, I am running about 100 some mpg by cycling.

A bit foggy to get a really great night light shot of Portland. But, to see how the camera does, I took a couple of hand-held pictures near the Hawthorne Bridge. This was the best of the two. I'll keep an eye out for better weather conditions. This morning (about 6:30am), it was foggy and overcast.

If I find the right light, I'll use my mini tripod since the shutter speed is pretty slow at this light level. I do like the lights, just something about them.

The ride home was pleasant, a bit cooler (40ish) but dry. This was one of the bike routes along NE Tillamook as I headed to rendezvous with Evan. This was a moving shot.

As Portland progresses, I hope they can update more bike ways to be like the recent NE Going St. where they added speed bumps, turned all the stop signs and limited access to NE Going. It is pretty nice being able to just ride along, practically non-stop, rather than many streets where you are constantly stopping and going.

Sitting and waiting for Evan I took this picture of just branches against the sky. Just an experiment.

Tomorrow I'll be using a regular backpack for my commute. I'm trying different things to see which is most comfortable and efficient. My small Timbuk2 is a bit small if I am carrying shoes and extra gear like my rain jacket and pants. Plus with lock and cable,  it can be a bit heavy.

Will see how the backpack feels. I suspect that come the warmer days the backpack will be a bit warm on the back. But, I'm figure I'll need to carry less so weight should go down and I can go back to my messenger bag, which covers up less of my back.

I replaced Evan's full fenders with a pair of SKS Race Blades like I put on my road bike. They will allow him more tip up room when he is moving the bike around, rolling it on just the rear wheel. Plus, I am pretty impressed with how much splash is reduced on the bike for having just partial fenders.