Walked out of my apartment at 5:50 this morning; pumped up my tires on the bike using my car and electric tire pump (see, cars are good for something ); hit the road at 6:00, my first commute from the apartment rather than a drive/bike combo and with my brand new bucket panniers. Weather was already warm, 82 degrees with 79% humidity (felt like 89), at 6:00am!!! Rode the new extended route without incident, than on C.T. Switzer, the light bracket of my rack broke off and dropped my tail light, again! Recovered light and continued. (I should get the reflective sheets for my bucket panniers this week.) I crossed the railroad tracks at Cowan and saw a train coming from the west (beat one train).

I was at the corner of 13th St. and 30th Ave., two left turn lanes; I'm in the right left turn lane, right over the left-side induction wire when a blue pick-up truck pulls up in the left left turn lane. 30th Ave. is a four lane road, so when the light turns green, we both go, the pick-up moves into the right lane (the same lane I'm taking), goes down one block, and pulls into the Exxon station to get gas. I just had to laugh.

I was on 11th St., getting ready to turn onto 38th Ave. then W. Railroad St. when I heard another train (west bound, this time), crossed the tracks before the lights and gates were activated; second train beat. Had a bright yellow Monte Carlo SS pass fairly close to me, but very slowly. Odd, but okay. In all, took me 70 minutes to ride 16 miles, averaging 13.7 MPH (counting stops). Oh, and the bucket panniers rocked. I'll post more about those later.