Well, my commuting life has changed, with a new position. I now have about a 9-mile ride that ends with an 800' climb. Going home is sure fun. I have a feeling that I won't be able to do it every day, however, with scheduling and needing to drop off kidsin the morning, etc. But if I ride on the days I don't carpool, I should still be able to ride every other day and get nearly as many miles.

Today's ride was OK. I now can get some bird watching in every morning along the LA River. Today it was Night Herons, three of them, hanging out on the river bank. Egrets, coots, ducks, geese. Very pleasant, even if it was an hour earlier and colder. Still beats driving.