Commuting Adventures

Princeton Pike with No Cars, 29 August 2011

 
29 October 2011

Now that I finally work close to home, I can ride my bike into work.  Over the winter I fitted Gonzo with a rack, a pack, puncture-resistant tires, rain gear, and a handful of lights.   The goal was modest:  ride to work once or twice each week as long as the weather and daylight allowed it.

I started in April and went until a few weeks ago.  Most weeks I was able to ride to work twice.  The route is almost a straight line:  up Princeton Pike, past Princeton Battlefield, and onto the back roads through the Princeton Theological Seminary to Princeton University's campus.  It's 6.8 miles each way, mostly uphill going into work and mostly downhill coming back.

I brought a washcloth, a towel, some soap, deodorant, a comb, and a few other things to keep in my drawer at work.  The rest I took with me:  a change of clothes, my wallet, keys, phone, and lunch.  The pack already contained rain gear, a heavy cable lock that I've had since 1983, and the usual collection of tubes and tools that a cyclist carries.

I started off the year packing as little as possible.  I'd find the lightest clothes and buy lunch at work.  By mid-summer I'd said to hell with the weight and started packing a no-spill mug of coffee along with a bulky lunch and whatever clothes were on top in the drawer.  Semi-loaded, Gonzo was a tank already; what was another pound?

I figured out when to leave in the morning so that I'd miss most of the traffic.  Getting started at a traffic light was a bit of work, like starting an 18-wheeler, but once I was moving, I'd hammer.   Except for the climb up the battlefield hill, I'd stay in the big ring.  I'd leave work after rush hour so that I'd have the battlefield hill to myself.  Then I'd drop it into 53/11 and "let the horses run," as Mark "Mad Dog" says.

Stomping on the big gears with all the bike's weight, I think, made me stronger on weekends.   All I know is that I'd hop on Kermit or Miss Piggy and feel as if I were riding on air.

I learned pretty quickly how to maneuver in what passes for traffic around here.  There's a wide shoulder and a bike lane for almost the entire Princeton Pike trip, so I feel safe.  When traffic stacks up at Province Line, though, people like to veer into the bike lane to get a good look at what's ahead and to go around people making a left turn at Fackler Road.  I'm always very alert and looking ten cars ahead, so when some yobbo decides to cut into my space, I'm ready for it.  Twice I've stopped and politely told drivers that they were in the bike lane.  Once I wasn't so polite.  On the Stony Brook bridge, most drivers stay behind me, giving me a clear path all the way over.  Only twice have people passed me on the bridge, unable to wait the ten seconds for me to get over first.  I don't fancy taking a dip in the river on my way to work.  I don't pack shampoo.

On my second day of bike commuting, I played chicken with the weather and lost.  Cheryl had been emailing me all afternoon, insisting that she give me a ride home.  I finally gave in.  This was wise.

Later in the summer I decided that I should test my rain gear.  The rain was coming down so hard that I took the bike path across from the battlefield rather than take the road.  I stayed on the path until it ended at the bike lane.  I made it home safely, the rain gear having kept me clean.  But not dry:  I was soaked in my own sweat instead.  And, I forgot to remove my cycle computer, which drowned along the way.  I got caught in rain twice after that, neither as bad as the first.  My spare light, at least a decade old and hardly used, didn't survive the season.  My bright, expensive, rechargeable light did.  I'm going to get another one, even brighter, so that I'll have one to alert drivers and one to light the road.  My rear light, bright and blinky, outlasted the weather, as did the bar-end blinkers.

There aren't many of us on bikes on the Pike, but I did see a few regulars going in the opposite direction.  One was a woman who never seemed to notice me.  The others were men who would wave.  One looked to be a serious cyclist.  He'd always raise his hand in greeting, and I'd do the same.  On driving days I'd see him biking to work.  On rainy days he'd be out there.  I saw him just yesterday, riding with a headlight that would fit a motorcycle (that's what I need).  He puts me to shame.

When I get a light that big and bright I'll be able to see the road at dusk.  Then maybe I'll be brave enough to extend my commuting season.

Meanwhile, here are some pictures from my commute:

 I get a lot of vegetables from my half-share at Cherry Grove Organic Farm.  I started bringing the unwanted ones to work -- eggplants, mostly.  Sometimes I'd have extra basil...

...so I'd load it onto Gonzo.

In September we had a few foggy mornings.  I biked in on one of them, stopping on the battlefield hill for pictures of the Mercer Oak's progeny (the original having fallen, to much mourning from people who mourn these things, a handful of years ago).

Here's Gonzo in his parking space, in the breezeway of our building, that only serious commuters know about.  I used to lock Gonzo farther in, but there's an electrical manhole, just out of sight in this picture, that would send my new, wireless, cyclecomputer haywire all day long.  On this day my pack is as full as I'd ever had it.  Denim jeans take up a lot of space.  I probably had a container of roasted potatoes in there, too.

The pack comes off the rack.  Here it is, in the corner on my desk.  I'm lucky enough to have space to hang my washcloth and towel to dry.  Under my desk is a wire rack for hanging folders.  I use it for hanging clothes instead.  Readers of this blog will notice two things on the bulletin board that have been mentioned in these pages this summer (click to zoom in).

I have a few tales from commutes that I emailed people about as soon as they happened.  Here they are, in chronological order.


8 June:  Best.  Commute.  Ever.

It was nearly 100 degrees today, so I decided to leave work late and avoid the heat.  By 7 pm the air didn't feel like an oven any more.

I was tired and taking my time on Princeton Pike north of Province Line when a black SUV slowed down beside me.  Theresa was hanging her head out of the passenger window, making sure I saw her.  Pretty cool, but it gets better.

After I crossed Franklin Corner, I saw two riders climbing the little hill.  They looked like serious riders, but they, too, were in no hurry.

I was in my big ring and planning to pass when I realized who it was I was about to go by.

"That isn't MATT!"

"Hellooooooo!"

"You gotta stop 'cause I gotta hug you!"

Yep, Matt, who last month was paralyzed for two days after his front wheel found a sinkhole, who had surgery on his cervical spine, is back on his bike, under Heike's supervision.

"I'm OKAY!" he declared, and,"I've got NINE people looking after me!" I suggested an ankle monitor.

Four weeks out of surgery, there's no visible scar, just the inability to move his neck to the right, for now.

Matt's back on his bike....  All's right with the world.


10 June:  Well, THAT Was Interesting

The heat wave broke last night, in a strong cold front that I beat home by seconds.  I could feel the temperature dropping as I turned off of Princeton Pike.  I had just enough time to take out the garbage and compost before the rain started.

A phone call at 6:17 a.m. woke me up.  A robotic voice said, "This. is. an. emergency. alert. from. Princeton. University.  Princeton. Pike. and Route. Two. Hundred. Six..."  You get the idea.  Here's part of what was in my email inbox:

"The Department of Public Safety is advising that the thunderstorms that traversed the Princeton area last night impacted road conditions in and around Princeton University.

 In response to these road closures the University is having a delayed opening for non critical, non essential staff members until 10am this morning. All critical and essential staff should report as usual.

Currently at 06:00 am the following roadways are closed, and blocked, due to power lines and trees down in the roadway:

                       Route 206 between Province Line Road and Lovers Lane

                       Route 206 between Herrontown road and Ewing Street

                       Mercer street/Princeton Pike between Province Line Road and Quaker road

                       Cherry Valley road is also closed in several areas.

There may be also several secondary roads in the area affected by downed trees and power lines. Estimating when the roads will open is difficult to determine.

Many area residents are still without power, including Millstone apartment residents. We have no estimate on the time it will take to restore power or to clear the roadways.

Travelling to campus will result in a slow commute. Washington road and Harrison street are open and accessible from route one. Alexander remains closed due to the current ongoing construction.

The dinky is operating but the gate control was damaged causing the train to stop completely before crossing faculty road and putting the gates up and down by hand. This will further impact traffic. NJ transit reports they must dispatch a computer technician to the unit to replace computer parts to put the gate back in operation. It is not known how long this will take to effect repairs."

I'd planned to bike in anyway, and I did.  I was passing traffic on Princeton Pike.  We all had to turn onto Province Line, where, for the eastern section, there is no shoulder.  I was part of the traffic jam there, one foot in the pedal, one foot on the ground, in the long line of cars, snaking past them on the right when there was enough space to move. 

Rosedale Road was no different.  I started to wonder if I'd have to walk up the hill between cars.  Fortunately the road gets wider on the hill, and I had more than enough room to haul Gonzo to the top before the shoulder disappeared and traffic jammed again.  I snaked into town on the back roads and made it to the lab in 48 minutes.  It usually takes 25-30, depending on traffic.  

I bet a lot of those drivers wished they had a bike!

23 June:  This Morning's Commute

I had an appointment with Dr. Levandowski this morning for a follow-up on my back.  He gives me an "adjustment," which, from what I can figure out, is a bunch of things in my spine that go "pop!" when he pulls on them.

Anyway, I was on my commuter bike (Gonzo), weighted down with my day's lunch, clothes, cable lock, and, of course, my mug of coffee.  As I was pulling out of the parking lot I saw another fully-loaded  bike commuter pass by, going my way.  By the time traffic cleared, he was already on top of the I-95 overpass.  I didn't figure I could catch him, but I wanted to.  He's the first one I've seen commuting my way; the two other regulars always wave to me from across Princeton Pike.

But, despite the fact that I'd be a sweatball by the time I got to work, I decided to catch him.  I hammered.  I thought I'd get him at the Province Line light, but it turned green for him.  I'd gained on him a little by this point, but it wasn't enough.  By the time I got to the Stony Brook bridge, he was just going over it.  Next was the Princeton Battlefield hill.  No way.  Not on this tank of a bike.

Then I started gaining on him.  By the time I was within talking distance, I recognized his bike as one of the handful that I see locked in the breezeway outside of my building.  Now I was feeling all fast and shit.  Not only did I catch this guy; I also caught him on a hill.  That's when I noticed his gearing.  I rode along side him and said, "Single speed up the hill!  Awesome!"  So much for my mad skillz.

We talked the rest of the way.  True to form, I've already forgotten his name.