Out of town trips last week, great to be back on the bike since last Wednesday. Pleasant 47F, would be more pleasant if not for the driver who argued with me to in front of her at a crossing. What is with these people - no means no!

I had a very nice commute into work this morning. This was the first time in a while I rode in. Yesterday, I rode the Tour de Staten Island, a very large group ride around New York City's eternally forgotten borough. I rode with my friends Andy (@ascherer) and Weiben (@wilfried) and Andy's cow-orker Andre. We did the 50 mile route. I did the ride with insufficient sleep, and I was underdressed, so when I got home, I was chilled and fatigued. Still sore and tired, I pushed myself to ride in today, and so far, it feels like I made a good choice.

This morning, I took this shot under the George Washington Bridge. There is a children's book called The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, and it's a semi-fictional story about these two things. It's a picturesque spot, and if you zoom in, you can see two people sitting on a bench in front of the lighthouse. The lighthouse is truly small for a lighthouse, but it performed its duty for years before it was built in 1931.

44F and drizzle. I got off to a late start while wrestling with the urge to drive (justification beyond ever-increasing lateness and drizzle was to drop a kitchen sink at a scrapyard to recycle it). Nevertheless I persisted, and rode in the rain. And then remembered I need to go grocery shopping for a big bag of potatoes. Will see if I divert on a my ride home to a store for potatoes, or get home, change, and then go out again... at least, with the rain, I do have the bike w/ rack and panniers so should be able to find room for 10# of spuds, unlike Friday which was a roadbike/backpack day.


ps-> nice to see the little red lighthouse! We have a watercolor of that in the hall among our bedrooms, from the inlaws, a gift for our son. They sail around it from Long Island a time or 3 per year.

Great weather here, and I had a new problem today - the main zipper on my favorite backpack failed. Fortunately nothing was lost and I got 22 years worth of use out of it.

The lighthouse performed its duty before the lighthouse was built? hmmmm... or did you mean when the bridge was built??

Oops. Of course that's what I meant.

Hello, this is my first post on the “How was your Commute” forum!! Totally psyched.

So, commuting to my bus driving job in north Seattle (technically, Shoreline, WA) has its ups and downs. Hilly, winding roads, aggressive motorists, and everybody and their brother is flocking here for who knows why, but it’s making things get a little gummed up traffic wise.

It’s been two years next month since I’ve commuted by bike. May 2015 was not the greatest month, endo-ing the bike and separating my clavicle due to a poorly and carelessly attached ancient Jandd pannier. The pavement really wanted to meet my left shoulder that day... my helmeted head didn't even graze, skid, or otherwise touch the cement, so there's that to be thankful for.

Breezed to work last Friday with just a hint of trepidation at a repeat shoulder-pop episode. The chances of that are slim to nil, but there’s the lingering flashbacks and occasional regret that keep me focused on ultra safety.

Considering spending a mint on a Rivendell saddlebag if I can keep consistent. That’ll be incentive for sticking to it! Or maybe spending two mints on a Magic Pie.

Nice to read everyone’s posts!

Welcome back! I'm interested in hearing how the pannier caused a crash. I had a similar situation happen a year ago with a front fender stay that got loose, strayed, and got caught in the knobby tire side treads, seizing the bike's momentum completely and sending me over the bar. Similar injury to yours.

More rain yesterday from about 10am to midnight or later. My wife rescued me from work so I didn't have to ride home in it. But back on this morning with still wet roads. I left early and hit the weights at the gym for a little bit. Still some chances of rain today, but the rest of the week looks sunny with highs in the 80s.

Welcome! 53F, totally boring, normal commute this morning... boring is good!

Upper 50's this morning.. shorts weather! Looking forward to carrying less clothes! Going to start ramping up mileage.

It's getting time of year when the rising sun in the east is a hazard for drivers (and me). There's one section of my commute where I am going straight into the sun. I worry that drivers will have a hard time seeing. It's only about a three week window where this happens. After that the sun moves further north and earlier.

Each season has it's own issues.

You're braver than me - I refuse to do that. I'll get on the sidewalk, or change my schedule, but not ride straight into the low sun.

I should have ridden to work today. The weather was threatening, but now I see I would have been just fine.

there has been an explosion of gnat-like insects on the northside of chicago over the weekend. the little bastards are all over the place.

i don't normally ride with glasses, but the fact that i've taken a gnat to the eye on each of my last 3 commuting legs has me reconsidering.

45F, clammy. Variable thickness in the cloudcover so still pretty bright.

Skipped today - have to make it a short day at work due to a daycare issue, which means I'm probably taking the jogging stroller out with the whole brood at home. I'll get my exercise somehow.

Low 40s, rain and wind was forcasted for most of the day, so I rode the rain bike with fenders.

This morning I fought the wind to a client's office, but it was less than 4 miles so it wasn't too bad. The rain hadn't yet started.

At 11:00 I rode 8 miles across town to our company's office. I had the wind at my back for a good chunk of the ride. About 2 miles in it started to rain, but wasn't coming down heavy yet.

Now that I'm at our office it's pouring pretty good. Wind is supposed to get even stronger. Looks like I'm going to have a cold, wet ride and fight the wind a good portion of the way home.

Still better than driving.

Are there periods in the fall when the setting sun in the west is a hazard?

Strangely, no. The sun is much further south at that time of the year to be a bother.

Really? No glasses? My eyes dry out real fast without them. I can go without - and occasionally have to - if it is really foggy. Then there is enough moisture in the air to keep my eyes from drying.

Nice non-rainy morning today. I thought the 56F would be cool enough to need a jacket, but I had to stop and shed it half way through. I stopped on a bridge by a creek that was running quite high after the 4 or so inches of rain we have had since Saturday night.

Consecutive commute number 284:

My absolute least favorite weather for a commute: 35 degrees, fierce headwind and rain.

The temp and the wind I was expecting. However the rain wasn't in the forecast; it was just supposed to be cloudy today. I took the road bike without fenders and just wore my work clothes. About a mile and a half from home the rain started. Wasn't torrential, but was enough that I was wishing I'd ridden my fendered bike and wore different clothes.

Oh well. I made it to work and survived.

i dunno, i've been a daily bike commuter for 9 years now without wearing glasses and haven't had any issues until this biblical plague of gnats currently taking place in chicago.

i took another two gnats in the eye on my ride home last night and ride in this morning (and have inadvertantly swallowed countless more). that's now a total of 5 gnats in the eye in the past 5 commuting legs. what the f@<$ is going on with all of these damn swarms of gnats all over the place? i've never experienced anything quite like this in my 4 decades of living in chicago.

i guess i really need to start riding with glasses (even though i really don't like to).

It was kinda wet on Monday, and wetter on Tuesday, but oh, man! Today was really wet.

Here too but it's been almost 2 weeks now with swarms of them. I do wear glasses but that doesn't help when they fly in my mouth.

Each morning it's been a few degrees warmer - 61F today. That all changes tomorrow with rain