A bit of description of your route profile.
I have a few routes. The full route from home - 45 miles RT; drive 'n park half-route - 23 miles RT; wife drop-off near her office - 14 miles RT.

Full route is half gravel MUP, half suburban roads. Half-route cuts out the MUP portion. Both are fairly flat with a couple hundred feet of climbing over a few rollers. The MUP is a long, gradual incline on the way to work that sometimes kills me slowly.

What kind of bike you ride. (photos would be cool)
I used to ride a Gary Fisher Marlin with semi-slicks and a rack that I just sold (last night!). Wasted no time ordering a Surly Cross Check frame today.



How you carry your gear and what or how much (volume) stuff you bring on the ride.
Right now I really like the topeak MTX stuff that snaps together with the integrated panniers. It makes getting the bike off the car and setup really quick. I will eventually upgrade to Ortlieb panniers and possibly a tubus rack.

Distance & time (average speed if you care to share)
Full route is about 2 hours, half-route ~45-50 minutes, shorty route is a solid 30 minutes (one-way for all). I tend to average about 14-16.

How long you've been doing this and any thoughts you have toward the future of your commuting.
I started commuting last year and I love it. I am working my way toward becoming an all-weather, year-round commuter, utilizing the full route as much as possible. Right now I commute roughly 3 times a week depending on training rides and other scheduled outings.