What would you consider a reasonable bicycle ride to work?
I have been contemplating riding my bicycle to work.
But I am concerned about the route which is 11 miles.
Here are the details:
Leave home on bicycle at about 5:45 a.m.
1. 1st half-mile in nice subdivision with streets and sidewalks.
After that will need bright headlamp on the morning trip.
2. Next 50 yards cross under easement of High Transmission
Line via a dirt bridge thru a swampy area.
( easy, but with 2 large muddy wet puddles )
( will need to carry or maybe push bicycle )
3. 200 yards of a narrow trail down
a abandoned logging road thru unfenced property.
( will require a mountain-bike )
4. Hop a barbed-wire fence that is poorly maintained, but used to
keep in cattle. No signs posted. Land appears to be used
only for grazing cattle, but is mostly hardwood swampy abandoned
forest.
5. Continue down deteriorating logging road for another 300 yards.
( Will require good mountain-bike. )
6. Cross an old bridge made of rotten railroad ties spaced about
6 inches apart. Creek is 50 feet wide and deep and full of gators.
and cypress stumps, and not navigable due to fallen tree branches.
( Will require a back-up light and hiking shoes to cross in the dark
and carefully carrying the bicycle so that it doesn't fall
in the creek. )
7. Logging road further deteriorates, and will require carrying bicycle
for about 300 yards, and wearing snake protection gear on feet,
and a good headlamp, as it will be very dark in the morning.
8. Enter cattle grazing area with 100 head of cattle. At least one bull
with big horns. Still no trespassing signs. Enter thru open gate.
9. Bicycle dirt ranch road for 1/2 mile to its entrance gate which
is locked.
Watch out for the bull. Hop the low gate across cattle-guard.
10. Bicycle a gravel road for 100 yards passed 2 trashy looking
mobile homes that are
in a secluded area. Scariest part of journey.
11. Cross vacant lot and enter into a very fancy subdivision full of
millionaires. ( very easy )
( Shouldn't need bright headlamp after that point )
12. Bicycle thru subdivision for 2.5 miles ( easy, but no sidewalks )
13. Bicycle along shoulder of a farm and market road for 1 mile.
( Traffic going 60 mph. )
14. No shoulder for next mile. Bicycle along edge of road.
( maybe safer to walk and push bike for a mile. )
15. Bicycle 4.5 miles of paved county road with almost zero traffic
to arrive at work.
Arrive at work at 7:15 a.m., get cleaned up and be at my desk by 7:30
refreshed and ready to work.
Does that sound feasible?
On the return trip there are 2 big "NO Trespassing" signs on the route
before the trashy mobile homes.
The other concerns is there is not a shower at work, so I will have to get
cleaned up with just a wet towel.
Then there is the mosquitos, the frequent unexpected rain we get here,
and having to carry my office clothes in my backpack along with my
lunch. And the ranchers appear to check on the herd daily. They
might shoot me if they see me.
As the bird flys, I am only a few miles from work. I wish I had a Jet-pack.
The route thru the ranch and the forest can be walked in 32 minutes. I am
going to try to bicycle just that part of the route in a few days.
My subdivision plans to build a nice road along this route in about 7
years. However, the area isn't growing in that direction, so I am
not optimistic that it will ever help me get to work.
David Locklear
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Give this to a friend: [email protected]
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]
For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
