Last commute of 2012

I completely my last commute of 2012 this week w/ no problem (as usual).
Tuesday the high reached 80, yes it is December but this has been the trend for the past few years, so I figured that would be a good day to ride home this week. When I left work it was 78, thought I'd be too hot riding home in my CYSMNY jacket. CYSMNY = Can You See Me Now Yellow! But it wasn't, it is amazing to me how much heat the sun does produce. Riding at night you feel pockets of cold & warm air. I know the cold happens when you are near water or go to a lower elevation, but I still need to figure out what causes the warm pockets (a giant fart?)

Nothing exciting happened on the way home, except without even trying it only took me 42 mins. The cops at the trail of lights waved me through the barricades when I asked them if I could go that way to access the bike trail, "Of course, you are on a bike. Be careful."  I decided to take Exposition all the way to 38th, as I was approaching the bridge to 38th, I needed to get over to the left lane, I scanned (it looked clear) I signaled, then scanning back, there was a car there, oops, stayed in my lane, but then the car flashed its lights & let me move over. I try to do that for other cyclists cuz I figure I'm patient enough to drive slow behind them & 'protect' them. No clue who this person was but I appreciated being flashed.

The next morning I made my usual stop at MiV for 2 breakfast tacos and an eclair. I eat half the eclair at MiV and pack the other half w/ my tacos for once I get to work. Such an old lady thing to do. I got lost trying to get to Enfield & avoid a hill. I successfully avoided the hill, but added about 3/4 to a mile to my route. Looking back on the map, I see where I missed the turn, oh well, i got to practice scanning signaling & scanning to change lanes on Exposition. Then I took the entire lane on Enfield, so much fun.

I stopped off at the Austin Nature Center to get a volunteer application. going there I road up the handicap ramps saw the entrance so I looked for a bike rack (I'm finding them hard to find when I'm on the bike) finally decided I wouldn't be long so I just parked & locked it to the rail.  Got the application, while packing things back up I found myself shoving the lock on top of a brown bag. I wondered to myself what was in the bag, then after the second shove remembered it was half an eclair & my breakfast tacos! After an hour of riding and who knows how long since I left the house, I pulled up to my car at work at 9:53 and amazingly I was the first one in the 4 offices near mine to arrive.

I set out in 2012 to commute 50 one ways, I will end at 84 one ways for the year. Saying each trip is about 9 miles, I've commuted 756 miles this year, more than half the miles on the cross bike. 84 divide by 2 is 42 full days of commuting...8 work weeks, considering I work about 49 weeks a year, I commuted 16% of the time. Not bad. Maybe next years goal should be to get that to 20%. If only there weren't the hills the last 3.5 miles that really wipe me out for the rest of the day. 756 miles is also about 25 gallons of gas or close to $85 (I'm pretty sure I've spent more than $85 in tacos & eclairs but that $85 is going to a local company and not a gas company) Possible new rule, must bring a quiche to work & can only get an eclair & taco if it's my second day to bike in that week? I'm not sure I like that rule.


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Total miles for the month of December:  75.47
Total miles for 2012: 2942.98
Miles to go: -930.98  miles til 2012!! 57.02 til 3000, I better bundle up & ride!.(Hope the world doesn't end tonight so I can still hit my goal, but if it does, oh well)
One way commutes in December: 4
Total one way commutes: 84 (I've exceeded my goal of 50)
Odometer
Road: 13122
Cross:1481.7