# What's your commute destination?



## Sven (Feb 3, 2005)

This is my first post but I've been reading this forum for the past month or so. Over the past two years I've commuted a grand whopping total of 30-40 times, but am getting much more serious about it in 2005. Reading all of you posts has peaked my curiosity and is the source to this question: 

What's your commute destination, or rather, what type of job are you riding too? 

To answer my own question, I am a web application developer at a large credit union based in Beaverton, Oregon (a suburb on the west side of Portland). My commute is 4 miles each way, mostly via a bike lane.


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*Controller for a labor union.*

My base commute is 9 miles each way. I usually ride 12 to 15 miles on the way home and often 10 to 12 miles on the way in. Almost all of it is on the roads.


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## Arby (Apr 29, 2004)

*Inspector RB*



rusa1586 said:


> My base commute is 9 miles each way. I usually ride 12 to 15 miles on the way home and often 10 to 12 miles on the way in. Almost all of it is on the roads.


My commute is 5.14 miles one way. I am a Quality Control Inspector for an engineering firm which designs, outsources all materials, and manufactures Amtrak train car showers, bathroom modules, and general deluxe interiors internationally for Rail Transit. My job is to inspect parts to ensure they are dimensionally per our engineers' drawings, do in-process inspections of the units being built and also outbound inspections of units before they ship to our customers. There is a lot of standing over prints with micrometer or caliper in hand as I measure everything. I love my job.

RB


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## northcoast (Jul 11, 2003)

*Teacher*

About 14 miles each way through Los Angeles.


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## firefox (Jan 31, 2005)

I am a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University and freelance illustrator. 

Round trip is around 24 miles through the wild streets of Baltimore. 

(ff)


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## mtbnutty (Feb 13, 2003)

*Mechanical Contractor*

We service and maintain commercial HVAC systems for retail, office, hotels, manufacturing, medical and all other non residential applications.

20-22 miles one way depending on the route.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

*Lawyer*

I am a partner in a small firm. All of us at the firm are large firm alumni. One of the reasons that we banded together is that although each of us liked our practices and clients, we did not like the bureaucracy of the big firm. Thus, my appearing in lycra with my bike in the firm's reception area and my turning the file room into a bike storage and bike clothes airing area are tolerated here, which I assume that they would not be in most law firms (and I know that they would not have been tolerated at my old firm).

My commute is 14.5 to 15 miles (I take a slightly longer route in the morning). The first five miles is on two-lane semi-rural roads. Most of the rest is on suburban/residential urban streets. The last mile is through hardcore downtown traffic. The ride to work, with the exception of one ridge, largely is downhill. The ride home, however, has about 1200 feet of climbing.


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## wmango (Jan 25, 2005)

*Teachers*

My wife and I are both teachers- we commute to and from work on Hwy I in central California 12 miles (84-108 miles a week). We are early birds, so we leave home at 5:45 (ouch).


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## commutenow (Sep 26, 2004)

I am a High School art teacher at an interurban school. I commute 12 miles each way. Sometimes I change my route because of the gang violence. One of our students funerals is Friday that was killed in gang violence because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Life is short for some of these young people. It is so sad.


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## Steve-O (Jan 28, 2004)

*Daily Grind*

I work as a Tech support engineer for a firm that manufactures various sensors to measure liquid quality (pH, % Oxygen, Conductivity, etc. etc.). Lots of time on the phone lately means less time on RBR!

My commute is approximately 24 to 25 miles round trip through Reno, NV.


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## wooglin (Feb 22, 2002)

I'm an archaeologist at a University. If we're in the field I get alot sweatier, dirtier and stinkier than I ever do riding the 3 miles from my house. Don't get as many ticks commuting either.


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## vonteity (Feb 13, 2005)

firefox said:


> I am a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University and freelance illustrator.
> 
> Round trip is around 24 miles through the wild streets of Baltimore.
> 
> (ff)


I work at Hopkins and commute about 5.4 miles each way, but I'm a wuss and only do it during nice weather. I generally go by bike 2 days and by scooter 2 days. One day by car so I can hook up with a ride in Oregon Ridge, or if it rains, snows, or is generally cold.

Does that count? I mean, I do have to deal with the psychopaths on Walther.


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## Knale (Jan 22, 2005)

I commute 14 miles round trip. I am a Quality Inspector at a major Aerospace Manufacturing company in the San Diego area. I am currently working in a Spares Warehouse as an Outgoing Spares Inspector. I have worked at this company for 26 years. Started out as a machinist and did some assembly. I have been in Quality Assurance for 18 years. I am also certified Level 2 in two disciplines of Non Destructive Testing.

Knale


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## onrhodes (Feb 19, 2004)

*Accountant*

I work for the State of NH. My commute is 1.7 miles each way. I either ride or walk. I work downtown in Concord, NH and to park would cost $2.25 a day or I can park almost a half mile away for free on some side streets. But since I only live 1.7 miles away that doesn't make sense. My neighbor works on the same floor as me (different agency) and drives in every day. I just shake my head at that one.


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## jrm (Dec 23, 2001)

*State DOT Transportation Planner..*

As a friend i ride with said "ah a transportation planner that rides his bike to work..hum"


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## Andy M-S (Feb 3, 2004)

*Ride to work, work to ride...*

I live in SW Wisconsin and commute pretty much every day, 10 months out of the year (I skip part of December, generally all of January and part of February). My commute is 17 miles round trip, and I work as a programmer/analyst at a medium-sized software company with offices right on the Mississippi. A few of us are faithful bike commuters...


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## meat tooth paste (Oct 6, 2004)

Photographer & Visual Designer.

I ride to client meetings all around West Los Angeles and the Hollywood area. Unfortunately on shoot days, I have to drive my truck because I have to pack up all my gear and haul it on location.
Most of my commuting is for non work stuff though, like going to visit friends and grocery store runs.


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## Bertleman (Jan 6, 2005)

My commute varies from 10 miles to 42 miles round trip depending on if I take the train, and if I do, which stop I get off at.

I am the internet and fleet manager for an automotive dealership......I sell cars, but I commute to work on my bike. Hey, more room on the road for my customers!!!


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## Keiko5 (Sep 30, 2004)

I comute from North Eugene to Springfield City Hall, about 12 miles one way. Fortunately, about 8 miles are on off-street bike paths along the Willamette River, and all the surface streets I ride have dedicated bike lanes. Gotta love Oregon!

Kevin


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## jh_on_the_cape (Apr 14, 2004)

Graduate student in oceanography. Ride about 8 miles each way. first third on country roads with not too many cars. middle third on a road that has gravel trucks and cars drive about 40-50 mph with very little shoulder (dont like that part). then final third on bike path. 
Don't ride everyday, but at least one day a week year round. and about 4 days a week in the nicer weather months.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Computer consultant.

My commuting is inconsistent. I will commute to clients via bike on occasion, but I've been burned a few times by not having tools, network cable, etc. There are also times when I get to a client, realize that what seemed like a simple problem over the phone is actually going to require a reinstall of the system software, and don't have any options for backing up their data other than taking their computer back to my apartment. That happened to me once, and my client put the computer, my bike and me in his car and drove us home. I felt like an idiot.

So I typically use my commuter for running errands or socializing without my wife (who doesn't have a bike ........... yet).


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## Arby (Apr 29, 2004)

*I'm an A&P too...*



Knale said:


> I commute 14 miles round trip. I am a Quality Inspector at a major Aerospace Manufacturing company in the San Diego area. I am currently working in a Spares Warehouse as an Outgoing Spares Inspector. I have worked at this company for 26 years. Started out as a machinist and did some assembly. I have been in Quality Assurance for 18 years. I am also certified Level 2 in two disciplines of Non Destructive Testing.
> 
> Knale


 Pretty cool job Knale,
I'm in QA currently but used to be an A&P mechanic for USAirways at Logain International in Boston. I did some NDT in college, we learned about dye penetrant, magnetic particle and ultrasonic testing methods. Pretty cool stuff! 
RB


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## fastfullback (Feb 9, 2005)

*A desk, a keyboard, and a lot of stuff to read.*

I write for a marketing firm here in Seattle--technology products and services, mostly. A great job for me. I tend to vary my commute length depending on the clock and/or my mood. Most days it's 11 or 12 miles, but if I'm in a rush I have a more direct route that's about 7. 

This morning I passed a woman on an old-fashioned cruiser bike. She was wearing a skirt (bare skin at just below 40 degrees!) with knee-high rainbow stripe socks, Converse, and a fleece top and hat. Where _she _ was commuting to is what I want to know...


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## Bertleman (Jan 6, 2005)

Keiko5 said:


> I comute from North Eugene to Springfield City Hall, about 12 miles one way. Fortunately, about 8 miles are on off-street bike paths along the Willamette River, and all the surface streets I ride have dedicated bike lanes. Gotta love Oregon!
> 
> Kevin


I went to Uof O and lived in springfield so I know the bike paths you are talking about, very beautiful indeed. Brings back memories of commuting on my Fat Chance and riding up in Hendricks park. Gotta love Oregon is right!


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I ride to work everyday. I live in the Ewa Beach area of Oahu and the traffic is gridlocked in the morning. Gas is $2.40 a gallon. When we moved here from the mainland, we only shipped one car so my bike is the second car. Because of the weather, I can ride year round although this is the rainy season. The lowest temperature that I have seen here is 60F. Before coming here, I was stationed in the Norfolk, Va area and commuted from VA Beach to the Norfolk Naval Base and Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The Base was a 42 mile round trip with some really scary sections. The Shipyard was a 28 mile round trip. The Norfolk area has only one bike lane that I know of. There are no shoulders. My commutes were fast out of survival. My commute here in Hawaii is about 14 miles each way using some roads with a long stretch on the Pearl Harbor bike path. I am now using my mountain bike with cyclocross tires to commute because of the condition of the path. I ride a Fisher 292 so I can use 700c tires. I have an old Nite Rider halogen headlight with the bottle battery. It is eight years old and I am waiting for it to quit. I have a trek disco inferno tail-light that I can see reflecting off of houses as I ride down the street in the morning. I use a large camelback since I brown bag my lunch and haul some stuff into work. Since I am in the military, I don't have to worry about what to wear each day and can stock my locker with uniforms, socks and underwear. We have showers in the building. I used to be a pretty good bike racer and this is the only way to balance my family life, my job and the desire to ride. As far as my job goes, I have been in the Navy for almost 20 years. I was a submariner for 15 years before becoming an officer and have spent the last four plus years going to sea on aircraft carriers. I was there for Afghanistan and Iraq. I am now on shore duty for the next three years.


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## fastfullback (Feb 9, 2005)

*As someone who is not in the military,*

but enjoys the freedoms you help to protect--thanks, bigbill. Year-round commuting is a bit different here in Seattle, but I'll think of your tropical bike path when it's 40 degrees in a driving rain. Perhaps I'll feel a bit warmer!


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I have done two tours of duty at Subase Bangor Washington. I have felt your pain. I have a large box of cold weather stuff including pants and a jacket. They are in storage. It was 67 degrees this morning. Brrrr


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## asterisk (Oct 21, 2003)

Word to all the fellow Oregonians! I knew there were more of us out there...

Anyway, I commute a few miles to Oregon State U in Corvallis where I'm a business undergrad student and work on campus in application developement (oddly enough.) I also have to make frequent trips to Albany (20 miles round trip) up a "highway" which isn't too bad, I do occasional web development stuff for a guy up there.

I love the Willamette Valley, it has got to be one of the best places to bike. Trips up to my parent's house in Salem (80 mile round trip) by bike are an absolute joy.


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## damon (Dec 24, 2001)

Sven said:


> What's your commute destination, or rather, what type of job are you riding too?


I have one of those office cubicle jobs - mechanical engineer. Not many of them up here in Vancouver. Fortunately, i've been able to find jobs that aren't so concerned about wrinkled clothing and the occasional helmet hair.

i think about 10miles one way (not 100% sure, though... never measured it).


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## Knale (Jan 22, 2005)

Arby said:


> Pretty cool job Knale,
> I'm in QA currently but used to be an A&P mechanic for USAirways at Logain International in Boston. I did some NDT in college, we learned about dye penetrant, magnetic particle and ultrasonic testing methods. Pretty cool stuff!
> RB


Wasn't sure if anyone would know what I was talking about if I mentioned magnetic particle or dye penetrant.Those are the two I am certified in. I originally worked the production line doing parts in the manufacturing process. Now I mainly do outcalls in the repair station at our plant. This is usually assemblies that have been in service and have some sort of damage to them, or they are just old and need to be rebuilt. I have also dabbled in some ultrasonic and X-ray.

Since you have had the exposure... Ever consider getting NDT certifications? It is not easy to get certified, but they can be applied to many fields and are a great thing to have under your belt.

Also... Judging by your photos posted... Photography would be a great second job for you  

Knale


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I think about LEAN and Theory of Constraints everyday on my way to work. I am so pathetic. I used to be kind of cool and thought that if you threw enough people and money at a problem, it would be solved. Thank goodness for commuting.


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

Medical technologist in a 500+ bed hospital in Harrisburg, PA. 5.6 miles 1 way.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

I work at a motion picture studio in Burbank CA. I live a flat, easy, partially shaded, mostly residential eight miles west of the studio. The only things remotely arduous regarding my commute are the perpetual road work along the routes I'm inclined to take, and the more than occasional 100 degree Fahrenheit temperatures on the ride home.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

il sogno said:


> I work at a motion picture studio in Burbank CA. I live a flat, easy, partially shaded, mostly residential eight miles west of the studio. The only things remotely arduous regarding my commute are the perpetual road work along the routes I'm inclined to take, and the more than occasional 100 degree Fahrenheit temperatures on the ride home.


Warner Bros. or Disney?

Commuting in the valley in summer; heat, humidity, smog, traffic, ugly valley-ness. Man, these east-coast winter dudes don't know how nice they got it.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

*Hopkins Medical Campus or Homewood?*

This morning I had some tests scheduled at the Outpaitent Building, which had a Caroline Street address. Since, I couldn't visualize where the building was and I had to be there at 7:15 a.m., I rode my bike over to the Medical Campus on Saturday from my downtown office. A funny thing happened on the way back downtown that if you commute to the Medical Campus you will enjoy: It was about 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. I was going west on Madison Street and stopped at a red light in the area where there are projects on the right just before you get to the prison complex. A large middle aged woman, well dressed and wearing a fancy hat (what a friend of mine calls a "church lady") in a ancient boat of a car, pulled up alongside me, put down her window and yelled: 'Do YOU know where you ARE." It is hard to get the tone and inflection down in print, but my translation: "Do YOU (crazy white guy on an expensive bike wearing lycra) know that you are riding in a place where you are likely to be robbed, killed, etc." I just laughed and said: "I sure do." She just shook her head.


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## firefox (Jan 31, 2005)

That is pretty crazy! In my five or so years of commuting to the East Campus, I have only ever had one incident, that being a big car with a bunch of gangster-looking thugs (drinking beer) that told me to get the f* off the road. They looked quite threatening, and all I could think of in that split second was to play dumb and act like I was giving directions. I simply replied, " No, no, I think that liquor store is the second left." I imagine that threw them for a loop after the second cycle (get off the road>>No, no) as they eventually took off. Nothing has happened since (three years later). I actually find much more aggression and risk riding the last stretch to Towson. I have had vehicles try to bump me, people flipping me off, people squeal their tires to get around me, etc. etc. In fact, I was hit up in Roland Park of all places. This area has nice big shoulders and big houses with bigger SUV's! I just don't know where to fear my commute most. The one thing I do know is that I don't like to sit in traffic in a car... or is it that I love to ride my bike... I forget. 

(ff)


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

*She was trying to be helpful*

The church lady I saw on Saturday was trying to be helpful (I think). The reason that I found her warning to me to be funny is that she was engaging in the same stereotype of the dangerousness of the neighborhood that most subsrbanites have. 

It is interesting that you mention Roland Park. In four years of commuting 2 or 3 times per week, I have had only two incidents that I would classify as being scary. The first was at Maryland Avenue and Lanvale Streets about 8:00 p.m. (dusk), when a pretty tough looking, large, late teenage-early 20something guy riding on a bike way too small (probably stolen), pulled alongside me at a redlight. I was riding my Trek 5200. He got within inches of me and asked how much I paid for my bike. When I hesitated, he said $xxxx, which was within $50 of what I paid. I think that he was about to take my bike when the light changed and I sprinted as if I were Mario Cippolini or Allesandro Petacchi. The second was on Falls Road just north of Northern Parkway. Again it was dusk and I was wearing my Team Telekom jersey ("magenta" as Telekom calls it or "hot pink" as my daughters call it). Three or four well dressed, suburban looking kids, probably Roland Park residents, jumped out in front of the bike, one grabbed my handlebars and another let forth with a stream on profanity in which every other word was "[email protected]". Again, I summoned the few fast twitch muscles that I have and got the hell of out there. 

I grew up in East Baltimore (Highlandtown), commuted through the East Baltimore ghetto on my way to high school in the suburbs and lived near the site of the Old Memorial Stadium during my late 20s and early 30s. Although I know that a lot of bad things go on in the Baltimore neighborhoods near the Hopkins medical campus, I also know the neighborhood well and am not afraid of it. Maybe I should be more afraid than I am. But my experience, even in the most dangerous neighborhoods of Baltimore, is that if you mind your business (like don't stare at what you think is a street corner drug deal going down before your eyes) and keep moving, you will be OK.


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## firefox (Jan 31, 2005)

Absolutely! So... the bumpy roads to the prison never dissuaded you from road riding? 

(ff)


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

*Correction*



firefox said:


> Absolutely! So... the bumpy roads to the prison never dissuaded you from road riding?
> 
> (ff)


My commuting to high school through the 'hood was by bus and car, not on a bike. When I was a teenager, I only was supposed to ride my bike in Patterson Park because the streets were too dangerous. I did venture somewhat beyond the Park, but I never made it as far as the prison. The one time I was doored was not too far from Hopkins.

I know what you mean about the bumpy roads by the prison complex -- it was a pretty rough ride on Saturday. But, before I got there, I did something even more adventurous -- I rode down Broadway in front of the Hospital on the cobblestones. I regularly ride on the cobblestones around the Washington Monument (Mt. Vernon Place) and find them to be fairly easy to navigate. The ones on Broadway are something else -- they are worthy of Paris Roubaix.


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## Major Kong (May 14, 2003)

I restore and refinish ornamental woodwork. I do most of my work in the South End and Back Bay sections of Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline. Some days I have to drive my truck to transport tools and materials, but my commute, one-way, is between 6 and 10 miles (some days I take the T if its really crappy). The other contractors think I'm nuts or ask if I had my drivers license taken away. 

Andrew


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

*A quiet commute ruined by a clicking noise*

I had the Pearl Harbor bike path all to my self this morning. I should have had time to collect my thoughts, plan my day/week and mentally work through any leftover issues from Friday. Instead, I had a clicking noise from the bottom bracket area. I have had the bb out and greased (gigapipe), changed pedals, changed shoes, and checked all of the suspension pivots. Maybe I should ride in traffic so the car noise will drown out the clicking. I ordered a Surly Pacer and will build it up with some parts in the garage, maybe a road bike will take some time off of the commute. The only time that I get to ride my good road bike is on the weekend. Took the training wheels off of the five year olds bike last night. 30 minutes later he was jumping stuff, good genes.


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## TypeOne (Dec 28, 2001)

*Great job*

I commute to work in downtown Seattle, where I toil away in the bureaucracy of local government. My route is about 7 miles directly if I take a bike path along the water, but I like 10 or 12-mile variations that add some more hills.

I was riding down 2nd Avenue last week when a BMW raced past me, then cut me off to turn into a parking garage. At the next light a cyclist pulled up behind me. Since he had seen the whole thing I commented, "That guy must have been in a real hurry, huh?" The other cyclist smiled and replied, "I wanted to follow him to see where he worked. He was in such a hurry it must be a really great job!"


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*DC natch.....*

We live in the slums just outside of Georgetown. I work downtown a couple blocks from the White House, Miss M works on the hill. We each have a variety of commuting routes available to us depending on weather, mood, time available and traffic. We usually meet afterwork down by the monuments and cross the Potomac a couple of times on our way home.

Friday and Saturday afternoons I work in a bike shop in Georgetown to keep us in discount bike stuff.

We have 4 bikes each and a tandem that we share as well as car that sits 300+ days a year.

Here is a nice wall sculpture from work


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## Gripped (Nov 27, 2002)

Sven said:


> What's your commute destination, or rather, what type of job are you riding too?


My commute is about 13 miles round-trip. When it's not winter, I will go for a longer ride in the morning (15-30 miles). I'm a fimware engineer (write software that makes the motors go whir) for a big company that makes (among other things) printers. I work in their Vancouver (not BC), Washington (not DC) location which is just across the Columbia River from Portland, OR. In fact, sometimes I'll take the I-205 across the river, ride along Marine Dr. and then return to WA over the I-5 bridge and then head on to work.

Today, I took a nice 20 mile lunch time ride around the rural hills near work. The Columbia Gorge winds were blowing (the ones the windsurfers love) but it was almost 60 and sunny. It was a great ride.


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## rePhil (Jun 20, 2002)

*Retired photographer, now teacher*

20 boring, flat RT road miles, no paths, mut's, hills, etc. I retired from advertising photography and now work at a school fror Special Needs kids. The commute on the bike is relaxing.
I have become so regular I had a couple of women yell out to me today that I was early. And during the last cold snap (40 degrees) I had a mom with a young child in the back seat roll down her window at a light and offer me heat. The kids and other teachers are amazed I ride THAT FAR.


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## Ohm_S.Ohm (Aug 21, 2004)

*Librarian<>Commute=4 miles*

My addiction to the joys of riding in the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles has become more acute in the recent years. I have 'fixed' my second road bike to be a trainer/commuter. Since the beginning of this year, I now work only two miles from my home. It is absolutely wonderful to not have to get into a car to get somewhere. <p> I am looking forward to being a commuter in 2005!


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## pedalmedic (Mar 16, 2004)

I have a 12.0 mile commute one way. From one end of East baton Rouge Parish to the other. I work for Baton Rouge Emergency Medical services as a supervisor. 4 weeks of 12 hour nights then 4 weeks of 12 hour days. The night shift commute going home in the morning at 0700 is peaceful. Lets me unwind.


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## wayneanneli (Jul 8, 2004)

I work from home, so most of my commuting is to town and back running errands and going to my part-time job at a local outdoor store - distance to town one way is around 
3 or 4 kms, about a 20 minute ride. We live in a part of Sweden where bicycle paths rule. You will rarely come in direct contact with traffic, since most paths have their own lanes far from vehicle traffic. Our city's paths also have their own network of under and overpasses to avoid traffic even more. It's really a pleasure to ride here - no looking over your left shoulder to see what's coming up behind you like when I used to ride in Montreal.


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## M.J. (Jan 28, 2004)

*16 miles round trip*



Sven said:


> This is my first post but I've been reading this forum for the past month or so. Over the past two years I've commuted a grand whopping total of 30-40 times, but am getting much more serious about it in 2005. Reading all of you posts has peaked my curiosity and is the source to this question:
> 
> What's your commute destination, or rather, what type of job are you riding too?
> 
> To answer my own question, I am a web application developer at a large credit union based in Beaverton, Oregon (a suburb on the west side of Portland). My commute is 4 miles each way, mostly via a bike lane.


with a few hills thrown in along the way

commute to work - I'm a lawyer at a large commercial law firm in the City of London - depending on the route - half my ride can be offroad - not bad in a city like London!


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## fastfullback (Feb 9, 2005)

*Forget what I said earlier*

Pedalmedic's peaceful 7am ride home got me thinking. I guess my job isn't really where I'm going. My home and my girls at the end of the day is a better answer. But truth be told, I often go well out of the most direct route in both directions because it ain't about the destination.

Yes, I'm a dork for saying it.


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