Commute Loop – 2023.10.03

Since I rode in with arm warmers, does that mean that fall is officially here?

I tried to start a little earlier than the last time I attempted this route, but it still wasn’t quite early enough. I’m thinking I need to start at 6:00 straight up in order to leave me some headroom once I’m on campus.

The ride in was pretty uneventful. I did find two quarters in the bike lane along Southern Highlands Pkwy within a half mile of one another. A pleasant surprise and great way to start the day.

Somewhere along Hacienda I received a text message from one of my students stating they weren’t going to make their opening shift because they were sick. In the past I would have started smashing it to get to work and have the lab opened on time. Today, however, I just kept with my usual Z2 pace and got to work when I got to work. Once there I changed and walked over to the lab and opened it a whopping ten minutes late.

The ride home was relatively chill. Riding east along Flamingo I came upon a bus in the shared bike/bus lane. I shoulder checked and saw a few vehicles in the first traffic lane, signaled, and just slid by the bus without having to actually go into the lane. Interestingly, the lady in the first car behind me actually held back to give me as much space within the traffic lane as I wanted. I would eventually catch up to her at Pecos. She had her window rolled down and I said, “Hey thanks for giving me that extra space. I appreciate it.”

She replied, “Hey no problem!”

Again gang, if you experience a motorist doing it right try to, in some way, acknowledge it. Throw a thumbs up. Give a wave. Do something to show your appreciation. I know we’ve all had our share of experiences with bad drivers, but I maintain that, by and large, most are trying to do the right thing.

I was riding along Valle Verde and around Osborne I spotted a handful of coins in the road. I decided to bite the bullet and flip around to check it out. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but there was a decent amount of money scattered about the place. Some were in the bike lane, out in the roadway, and deep in the gutter. I felt so silly bending over and scooping up these loose coins. On the day I came home with a decent haul of $1.50! That new bike is right around the corner I’m telling you.

New bike fund: $29.40 (+$1.50)
536 vehicles @ 10.8 per mile, 3 per minute, Speeds: 37.0 mph (avg), 57.3 mph (max) — by MyBikeTraffic.com
Clear-Sunny, 61°F-77°F, Feels like 62°F-77°F, Humidity 46%-23%, Wind WNW 2mph-ENE 3mph — by Klimat.app
— myWindsock Report —
Weather Impact: 0.5%
Headwind: 43% @ 3.7-7.6mph
Longest Headwind: 09h 13m 41s
Air Speed: 17.3mph
Temp: 55.8-76.4°F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
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