wow! great tips guys! thanks for the input! i'm going to check out those sites when i get time today. in regards to crossing the bridge, i've been debating that one for a while and i think my best bet will be to make an early left and cross a pedestrian bridge. it used to be used for traffic but was then closed for an extended period of time and reopened a couple years ago as a ped bridge for getting across the river easily, therefore i know there's plenty of room to avoid disturbing pedestrians. we do have showers and stuff at work. i work in IT but i work at a manufacturing plant so we have a nice locker room and all that fun stuff. what kind of stuff should i carry with me to be prepared? i have a new fixed gear that i will be riding so it's pretty minimalist and all components are new (maybe not the best quality, but new anyway). oh and i have a jeep with a hard top i remove all summer long. i've been caught in some heavy storms multiple times. i'm pretty used to the soaking.