So I finally went out and settled on a Giant Escape 3. I hadn't ridden it more than 5 minutes before this morning when I rode it to work. I did learn a few things:

1. 17 miles is a looong way for me. I may just end up taking the train home depending on how I feel.
2. Riding at 5 in tha a.m. with no lights is really, really dark. Will definitely have to pick some up before I do this again.
3. My sitting parts are more sore than they've ever been. Is there a way to make this better? I tried sitting farther back on the seat, don't know if that helped or not.
4. Chasing down a nice 4 point mule deer on a bicycle is fun. I was hot on his heels until I remembered the antelope vs. cyclist video and dropped back.

Unfortunately due to scheduling between my wife and I, Tuesdays are the only days that I will be able to commute for now. I'll have to make time to ride other times in the week.

All in all it was a very enjoyable experience. Going to have to add lights, fenders, and maybe a rack and bags so as not to have to wear my backpack the whole time.

Congrats on your first ride! 17 miles is long for your first ride. My commute is 7.5 miles and I'm glad it's not any longer.

Definitely get lights if you'll be riding in the dark. If not to see where you're going, at least for others to see you.

You can get padded shorts or a padded seat cover. They should help with the soreness. You should also make sure your seat is flat.

congrats!

1. 17 miles is a long way for anyone unless you're Lance.
2. Yes, it can be quite dark. Personally, I would recommend a sub-20 dollar light set off of amazon until you're sure what you want (i wouldn't make huge investments initially ... you need to ride and see what you like first.
3. that's normal. it will get better after a week or so. you can go with padded shorts (but again i'd wait and commute for a few weeks before buying an cycle-specific clothing)
4.

Way to dive right in! Too many people here suffer paralysis from analysis. There is so much information available on BF that it is overwhelming to new commuters. I think it can lead them to feel they have to have everything just right before taking that first step. You did it the right way, IMO. Lean what doesn't work for you through experience, then come here to find solutions.

Congrats on getting up and DOING IT. Sometimes that is the hardest part.

1. Visibility is must. Get lights as you said (around here you can't ride on the streets after dark w/o lights). I use my lights when I am commuting both during day and at night. I use the "blinking" mode during the day. Catches motorists eyes better than steady light does from what I am told. You might also want to get a reflective safety vest to wear to add to your visibility profile. If I have to commute in the dark, I use one.

2. I suggest wearing cycling shorts of some type to aid with comfort. They make some padded liners that you can wear under normal shorts if you prefer not to wear cycling shorts for your commute.

Lights = good. Go over to the electronics forum and you will find plenty of inexpensive but effective options for lighting.

Re: saddle soreness, I would recommend riding for a while on your stock seat and wearing whatever you want to wear for a couple weeks. Your body needs a little time to get used to what you are doing and almost everyone experiences the discomfort you describe when starting out riding the distance you are tackling. If you are still having problems in a few weeks, maybe try cycling shorts. A 17-mile each way commute is definitely a candidate for cycling-specific clothing. If that doesn't help, you can go through the process of trying new saddles.

Nice job!

I agree with acidfast7 about waiting a little while before buy gear. I made the mistake of buying some expensive items only to find out later that some other gizmo would have been a better fit for me.

Sore seat: this happens to me every spring (I typically don't ride in the winter) and it only takes a few rides to toughen things up. After that, the saddle is very comfortable. Padded shorts do make a big difference too.

Thanks for all the support! Luckily about 14 miles of the ride is on a MUP. Funny that in the hour or so I was on it I only saw a couple jogging and two guys on bikes. One of the biggest benefits is that it was a break from the 95 degree weather we've been having. I swear it was about 60 degrees cruising down the path with trees above me and very quiet.

Congrats on jumping right in there. The only bit of advice I can add to the good stuff already mentioned is to wear underwear sans seams or stitching that you could sit on or can cut into your crotch area. I don't wear cycling shorts, just boxer-briefs and a pair of airy shorts on my Brooks saddles and even three hours straight without dismounting is not a problem.

Thanks, I usually wear those moisture wicking type longish underwear when I run, so I just used those, and they seemed to work pretty well. After only riding for a little over an hour today, I have no idea how you can ride for three hours straight, I would be in the fetal position crying. And I thought I would be good to go from running every day. Little did I know!

Cardio wise you are prolly fine. But you are using different muscles and putting wear on different body parts.
17 miles is very long commute for the best of folks. For just starting out it's HUGE!!! You sir are a beast. Your one-way distance is just about what I do round trip.

As hubcap said you are to be commended for not over thinking this thing. Too often I am guilty of waiting until every planet aligns before I think I can do whatever it is I am wanting to do. An old timer once told me--on a different subject--"Give 'em hell with whatever you got." (A lesson I have yet to learn.)

jesus 17 miles on your first ride?

I'm still working on perfecting the 3 mile ride I've been doing for the past year and a half!

Saddle time. Then there's saddle time not to mention saddle time and... wait for it... Brooks saddles!

I took up running this last year. Even though I have decades of experience/conditioning as a rider, it really didn't help with running. IMHO there's very little in common between the two.

1. 17 miles is a long way. I had to build to my commute (20 miles one way) and now I'm working on reducing the elapsed times of that commute. Good for you for jumping right in.

2. Get lights.

3. Yeah - a sore rear end is one of the problems you'll have early on. It doesn't take long to toughen up there. It can be an ongoing problem if you're not properly kitted. I wound up w/ a giant boil on my butt. I learned the hard way. Now I wear some cycling undershorts (lycra w/ a chamois where my rear contacts the seat). There are those that don't and never have a problem. I had a problem and decided I'd not like to repeat the problem. I have not had a saddle sore since starting to wear the undershorts.

4. When I'm riding after dark I'm not about to chase anything. It's easy to miss the pothole until you run your front wheel into it.

It sounds like you have a great commute! I'd love to have an early morning run down a MUP before anyone else is out on it. My commute is mostly city streets/residential areas. It's OK, but there's not much wildlife to see, unless you count dead possums and raccoons that didn't get out of a car's way quickly enough the night before.

OTOH, I have learned that it doesn't take a dog long to decompose, that scavengers will drag a relatively heavy carcass all over the place, and that mosquitoes don't taste bad (In fact, they have no flavor at all). Well, I think they were mosquitoes.

EDIT: Oh, yeah - ditch the backpack and get the rack & pannier(s). You'll be glad you did. Get a rack that will help you avoid striking the panniers w/ your heels when you ride. Any old rack might be fine for you (don't know about your shoe size or the chain stay length of your bike). I've heard good things about these. It's on my list of things to buy (my rack is sits too far forward).

I swear by the Giant Escape. I only commute 15 miles a day but I often times put 40 on it on the weekends and I have road bikes.
Check my sig for one way to properly outfit an Escape for commuting.

Frustrating update. I went out to ride home yesterday and front tire was flat. Luckily I work close to mass transit and took that home. I was able to pump it up and lasted the last little bit to home. Haven’t tried to find out what the problem was, but reading this thread has given me great ideas.

You can learn anything and everything about flats and flat resistance on this forum. These are the masters.
I went from 2 flats a week to not having one in the last 8 months.

Does your mass transit allow bicycles? I use mass transit for half of my 60 mile a day commute. I could take it all the way if necessary. I started off riding to a close by bus stop and getting off the bus close to work for a total of 4 miles of biking a day. I found ways to ride farther and farther and gradually worked up to my present 30 miles daily. I still use it when weather is extreme enough to spoil biking. I do not care for high winds, driving rain and lightning, falling branches, etc but don't balk at rain, wind or temperature that is not too bad. If you can combine biking and mass transit, I recommend you do so and work up to the full trip.
Flats will happen, so be prepared. It is somewhat satisfying to experience and overcome this adversity without too much delay. Carry the tube and tools to keep rolling and practice at home under controlled conditions before doing it in the field.
Lights are essential. I use flashing front and rear lights night and day and a bright helmet mounted light for dark. Do not shine the helmet mounted light into motorists' eyes no matter how tempting. Blinding them is not what you want. It doesn't hurt to briefly flash them to get their attention away from their GPS's and texting.
I hope you can find a way to make the commute a daily one. I don't quite understand what your wife has to do with your biking to work unless she gets the bike the other 4 days. In that case, get another bike.
Anyway, good luck and have fun!