One of the nice things about commuting across central Colorado Springs to the "new" job of three years is the variety of options and path variations. Yesterday I took and old route that took me down a sidewalk through the heart of Colorado College. I think I've only ridden that one a couple times in the last year. And on the penultimate mile riding home I chose a street I haven't ridden in over two years.

The San Miguel to Tejon Street route through the CC campus adds almost half a mile to my 6 mile commute. It was my main route for 26 years to the old job 9 miles away. It took me a minute or two to remember why I chose this route over a more direct route all those years ago. It was because it was the flattest route with the least amount of cross traffic...at the time. With the growth of bike lanes in town, upgraded, connected trails and shifting traffic patterns, it is no longer the best route, but nostalgia and variety call me to it every now and again.

The alternate street I chose home, Uintah, was busier than I remembered, and without a bike lane, but I remembered it being wide enough...well, I remembered wrong. I kept expecting the road to widen but it didn't. Why, then did I ride it and when? I now remember it was a flatter alternative after returning to daily commuting after my neck injury and year off 15 years ago. It took me an extra few months to get the strength back to pedal non-stop up the big two block hill at San Miguel and Union. I think about that every single time I ride up it. And yesterday I did it on my 43lb RockHopper albeit in the granny gear.