Week 5 (Dec 22-26) & Week 6 (Dec 29 - Jan 2)

I'll be on vacation this entire time so will have no actual commutes to record. Hopefully I'm able to log some miles running errands, but that will depend on the snow/ice situation, and whether or not I'm able to get some studded tires on the bike.

Week 4 (Dec 15-19)

It seems as though I'm forgetting which weeks are which, so I'm going to have to at least label the date range for the work week.

Monday - Car (single occupant)
Tuesday - Car (carpool)
Wednesday - Car (carpool)
Thursday - Car (1/2 carpool) & LRT
Friday - Carpool

Notes
I was really frustrated that I wasn't able to get in a few bike commutes before the end of 2008, but that's the way it goes I guess. At least I was able to ride in with the wife a few times and save on transit fare. Also, even though I wasn't happy to ride alone on Monday, at least the mileage reimbursement adds another $8 to the bike fund.

Week 3

Summary
Monday - Metro Transit (LRT)
Tuesday - Metro Transit (LRT)
Wednesday - Car (single occupant)
Thursday - Car (single occupant)
Friday - Car (1/2 single occupant, 1/2 carpool)

Notes
In many ways this was a disappointing week as I didn't register a single commute by bike. I had the opportunity to do so on Monday and Tuesday, but the alarm didn't go off on Monday which caused me to scramble to get in on time. By Tuesday I was in the grips of cold-like symptoms, and figured the extra sleep was worth it.

I really wasn't pleased that I had to drive on Wednesday through Friday, but at least there were some situations mitigating my frustration. Each day I drive to this client I receive $8 for mileage reimbursement which can supplement commuting gear. Also, on Friday evening we got together with a friend who lives in St Louis Park so I was able to drive directly there from work. Since my friend works a half mile or so from my house, he was able to pick up my wife and we carpooled on the way home. I'm really glad I didn't have to sit in an hour and a half or so in traffic to drive home, pick up my wife, and head back to St Louis Park.

Next week will be interesting. I have one more day at the client site, but then should be able to commute by bicycle for the rest of the week, assuming I'm feeling better by then. It looks like I will come up a way one commute short of my goal, but if I end up coming in on Friday I could reach it. Stay tuned to find out.

Week 2 Summary

The second week of the season didn't turn out as well as the first. Getting ready for training at the end of the week kept me from riding on Wednesday, and I think Tuesday I ended up just being too tired to get up early and go. Here's the rest:
Monday - Bicycle
Tuesday - MetroTransit (LRT)
Wednesday - MetroTransit (LRT)
Thursday - Walk
Friday - Walk

Training in Houston on Thursday and Friday meant that I at least had the luxury of commuting on foot.

I've only got a few weeks left to make my $ saved goal through commuting for the calendar year.

Week 1 Summary

Week 1 ended up being a short week. Here were the final results:

Monday - Bicycle
Tuesday - Bicycle
Wednesday - Bicycle
Thursday & Friday - No commute (Thanksgiving)

I forgot to write down all of the daily temps, but overall it was pretty mild. Really nothing to complain about.

Week 1

For purposes of this blog, I'm considering that the winter cycling season is beginning today. Unless I have a reason to post otherwise, this will probably be a once a week update on my commutes throughout this winter. Here goes:

Monday - This was my first ride into work on the new (old) mountain bike. The temperature hovered around 30 degrees, and I knew my clothing equilibrium would be a little off with a base layer, fleece, and jacket. As predicted, this was slightly warmer than I needed. I think the fleece and jacket would have done the trick, but I didn't want to sweat through the fleece. Perhaps next time I'll try base layer, long sleeve t-shirt, and jacket.
Overall the commute was good. I saw only a few other riders on the way in, and only 1 or 2 bikes on the way home. There is no snow/ice cover for the time being so I'm doing alright without studded tires, but this is an additional expense that I'm anticipating shortly.

**Update - Temps for Monday AM and PM were the following: 24 degrees and 19 degrees. It actually felt warmer on the way home.