More Costa Rica photos

Colorful sunset in San Jose, Costa Rica

My trip to Costa Rica last year was a bit of an unplanned whirlwind. I'd returned from a month in New Zealand, repacked my bags and headed out to Costa Rica for a few days en route to Ecuador. I'd hardly planned and just kind of winged it.



Rolling hills at dusk in the Arenal area

I ended up with far too much transit time and too little explore time. If I did this short trip again, I'd focus on one spot with local exploring. Next time...  I did get in some fun hikes, animal viewing and some much needed chill time by the ocean.

Waterfall hike and swim. Getting there involved a horse ride and hike down a steep ravine, which was fun

I was reviewing my photos from last year's trip, and here are some of my favorite ones from the week.

Road sign. I saw each of these species on my trip

Ocean sunset

Colorful art at my San Jose lodging. It was quirky and I loved it

Tiffany stained glass with local animals and plants

kitty!

Riding in Chicago: Bike the Drive



Riding on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive in 2013 Bike the Drive event

Last Sunday, I was pleased to join 20,000 cyclists for Chicago's 2013 Bike the Drive, an annual event that lets cyclists take over one of Chicago's most celebrated roadways.



Bike the Drive: crossing the bridge over the Chicago river.

I was in town to visit my sister, and heard about the event from Dave at Lakeshore Bikes when I rented a hybrid bike for the weekend. You should do it, he said.  I was intrigued, and a few hours later, a gifted event ticket sealed the deal. I'd rise at 5:30 am (3:30 am California time) and do the event.

Bike the Drive: passing the Buckingham fountain in Grant Park in downtown Chicago

I headed out on quiet city streets and entered the freeway at the northern terminus at about 6am. 30 miles of flat freeway riding, here I go!  There were already a lot of riders on the road, but four lanes of traffic on each side kept the crowds comfortably spread out, and I was able to wizz along and pass as needed.

Bike the Drive: heading north through downtown Chicago on Lake Shore Drive

I made good time on the flat roads, and soon the road curved and entered Chicago's downtown. The views from the Drive are excellent-- lake to the left and city to the right. It was particularly thrilling as the road rose gradually going into the city and crossing the Chicago river-- big buildings! big lake! Throngs of riders on the expressway! What a great way to see the city.

Bike the Drive: I love this sweeping view of big buildings and Lake Michigan

I made good time to the Hyde Park rest stop at the southern terminus of the event, where I snacked on an array of bars, mini-muffins and fruit treats. After refueling, I headed out again for the 15 mile return trip. The morning gloom had cleared and the sun was shining.  I stopped frequently to take photographs of the city and the riders.

Bike the Drive: refueling at the Hyde Park rest stop in front of the Museum of Science and Industry. Thanks to all of the volunteers!

What a fun and well-organized event! It's primarily a fun ride, drawing throngs of recreational riders and first-timers, but the size of the course-- four wide lanes and shoulder for 30 miles- spreads the crowds out, and I was largely able to proceed at speed and pass slower riders safely. The crowd was cheerful and the event is very well-supported. What a great day!

39 miles, 137 feet of climbing (really)



My trusty rental hybrid poses in front of the Chicago skyline-- this entry-level hybrid did the job for 65 miles of riding this weekend. Thanks to Lakeshore Bikes for setting me up with a well-maintained bike for a reasonable price (PS they rent road and tri bikes as well) and telling me about this event.



Seen on my commute

Fuzzy goslings on the Bay Trail. Mama and Papa Geese were not happy that I stopped to take a photo!

Wildlife on the Bay Trail.

I had a delightful ride in with SF2G-- over 50 riders on the FFFF ride this morning.

Anything Goes Commute Challenge: scoring it

OK, it's time to wrap up the Anything Goes Commute Challenge and analyze the results!


	Solo ride	Group ride	Solo auto	Company bus/ride home	Solo ride variants	Pannier ride
Overall time (minutes)	50-58	50-58	25-35	42-50	75-90	50-58
Exercise time	50-58	50-58	0	15-18	75-90	50-58
Reading/relaxing	0	0	0	30	0	0
Cost ($)	-1.4	-1.4	6.73	-2	-1	-1.4
Bliss factor	7	7	0	5	8	7
Positives	6	5	4	5	7	8
Biggest downside*	Can’t carry heavy load	Early departure	Environmental impact	Dislike steep climb on ride home	Longer ride is impractical if I need to get to work early	Heavy bike harder to carry down stairs

*ie, the factor I find most significant

Take-aways from the table:
Most expensive: driving.
Fastest: driving
Most flexibility: driving
Least satisfying: driving (I didn't emphasize this in the posts, but it bugs me that I pollute and consume excessive resources by solo commute driving)
Most exercise: riding, especially the alternative routes which add on miles/challenge
Most fun: riding, plus social benefit when I commute with others
Least stressful: riding (except for the getting up early part), company bus/ride home option
Biggest challenge for riding: getting up early, carrying stuff (but, pannier system partly addresses the latter)

Things I didn't consider:
Taking public transit (cumbersome, requires multiple transfers)
Riding home from work (I always take the bus-ride home alternative)
Taking company bus to work (I should try this again)
Carpooling (I don't have obvious companions for this)

Overall:  I give the win to the bike commute.

Despite this, I bike commute 2-3 times a week at best. Definitely something to keep plugging away at, and this commute challenge has afforded me the opportunity to think about some other options for getting into work. The most obvious was getting my pannier-enabled commuter bike up and running so I can ride in when I have my work laptop at home (implimented! Yeah!). Another is to find an alternative route for post- 7am starts so I can ride in a little later if necessary, rather than driving because I dislike my normal cycling route at that time due to heavy truck and freeway traffic on a portion of the route.  I have an alternative route in mind that I'll try out soon.

This post is part of my Anything Goes Commute Challenge series. Click here to read more posts in the series.

Anything Goes Commute Challenge: pannier commuting

Yesterday, I took my first trip in on my "new" commuting machine: my old road bike repurposed with a rack and single pannier.  My goal: ride into work with the clunker heavy laptop nestled in the pannier.  As noted, I won't ride into work with the laptop in my backpack as the weight bothers my back.

My pannier-equipped bike takes in the view on the Bay Trail.

My equipment: my first road bike, long neglected since I got my nicer road bike a few years back. To repurpose the bike as a commuter bike, we added a rear rack and a single pannier and I also upgraded the handle bars to a more comfortable set since the original bars never fit well.  The bike has been ready to go with rack and gear for a few months, but I'd been apprehensive about riding it in.  Mostly, I was worried that it would be less fun to ride in on the heavier rig: the old steel framed bike weighs in at about 25 pounds un-loaded, and the rack, pannier and leadbrick laptop add another 10 pounds (estimated). 



 View of San Bruno Mountain on my ride in - exceptionally clear this morning!

How did it go?

I had a surprisingly good time. It was pretty nice to ride in without a backpack!  The bike is indeed heavier, but it has lower gearing so I made it up my steep (18%) initial climb with no problems. The bike handles well in general and the addition of a single pannier didn't impact handling much except when I was out of the saddle when it felt a bit wobbly.  I felt sluggishly slow on the ride, but my ride in took 55 minutes which is within normal range albeit on the slow side of normal.  I did notice the weight while carrying the bike downstairs to exit my home in the morning and when lifting the bike to put it into the company bus on the way home from work.  But the weight was manageable.

My bike admires itself in the mirror in my work locker room. The pannier had plenty of room for my laptop, some work papers, and my clothes.

The lesson I learned: overcoming barriers to alternative commuting can be pretty easy. A corollary lesson: sometimes the biggest barrier is mental, in my case, my concern that it would suck to ride the clunkier bike loaded with a laptop, pannier and rack.  Thanks to Dan for helping to set up the bike and prodding me to do this ride (for months), and thanks also to LadyFleur and the Anything Goes Commute Challenge for the added motivation to actually ride the "new" bike in!


It was easier than I expected to put the heavier bike into the bus storage compartment for the ride home

 The Stats:
Route: surface streets, bike/pedestrian trail
Distance: 10.4 miles for basic route
Elapsed time: 50-58 minutes (depending on light cycles)
Exercise time: 50-58 minutes basic trip
Reading/relaxing time: 0
Bliss factor: 6
Cost per trip: -$1.40 ($0.60 basic bike cost estimate* -$2 company reimbursement for riding my bike to work**)
Enables: Can carry heavy laptop and work papers, panniers get all of the weight off of my fussy back (no backpack), exercise, 1.5 breakfasts, earlier start to my work day, fixed departure time from work on company bus (forces me to leave work rather than working into the night), lower environmental impact, stress prevention/relief
Disadvantages: bike is a bit heavier to carry down stairs and put into bus storage, probably would not want to ride bike when riding with a faster group, dislike commute in heavy morning traffic so must leave before 7:00 am for enjoyable commute, must leave by 6:30am to make 8am meeting once or twice a week, must pack clothing (I leave shoes and sweaters at work).

This post is part of my Anything Goes Commute Challenge series. Click here to read more posts in the series.

Anything Goes Commute Challenge: solo or group ride (alternative routes)

My primary commute route is pretty short at around 50 minutes of riding. It is also quite pretty flat for the SF Bay Area at just 350 vertical feet of climbing. I have several alternative routes that I take to increase the mileage and riding challenge (more exercise!) and for variety.  For the Anything Goes Commute Challenge, I'll describe the two alternative routes that I rode this past month.



Sunrise at the cemetary on Dawn of the Dead route

"Dawn of the Dead"

I take the SF2G classic route, which goes out of the city on Mission or Alameny, then circles around the backside of Mount San Bruno up on Hillview Avenue. It goes through Colma, the city of cemetaries, and if you time it right, you arrive at the cemetaries just at sunrise (hence the name). I also love the hilly ride up on Hillview near all of the plant nurseries. After a screaming descent, I continue across the freeway and head to work on the Bay Trail.

Distance: about 14 miles

Climbing: about 900 vertical feet

Time: ~75-80 minutes (depending on lights)

Advantages: adds some climbing and nice views once you hit Colma, 14 miles is a good ride distance (more miles but not insanely long commute time), cemetaries and nurseries are interesting

Disadvantages: long slog out Alameny or Mission is very slow if you leave after 6:15am due to lights and traffic, traffic on Hillview can be heavy, lots of glare from sunrise makes visibility poor

Riding above the fog on San Bruno Mountain commute ride

San Bruno Mountain

I love this little mountain that sits right in the middle of my commute. While my standard routes circumnavigate the base of the mountain, I sometimes go right over the mountain on the way to work. On my ride this month, I headed out of the city on Mission, then turned left on Crocker which climbs steeply up the backside of the mountain. A bike legal dirt path winds around the ridge line, affording wonderful views over the city, the bay and the summit.  A fun descent down Guadalupe Parkway drops you onto Bayshore, and a left on Tunnel Avenue connects you back onto the canonical route to work.

Distance: about 17 miles
Climbing: about 1300 vertical feet
Time: ~90 minutes (depending on lights)
Advantages: longer miles and more climbing = good exercise, great views up on the mountain, Guadalupe descent is a lot of fun
Disadvantages: 90 minutes is a little long for my commute if I have early meetingslong slog out Alameny or Mission is very slow if you leave after 6:15am due to lights and traffic, Crocker is steep!

The Stats:
Route: surface streets, bike/pedestrian trail, dirt trail on San Bruno Mountain
Distance: 14-17 miles (900 -1300 vertical feet of climbing)
Elapsed time: 75-90 minutes (depending on light cycles)
Exercise time: 75-90 minutes basic trip
Reading/relaxing time: 0
Bliss factor: 7-8
Cost per trip: -$1 ($1 basic bike cost estimate -$2 company reimbursement for riding my bike to work*)
Enables: Exercise, 1.5 breakfasts, earlier start to my work day, fixed departure time from work on company bus (forces me to leave work rather than working into the night), lower environmental impact, commute variety, stress relief

This post is part of my Anything Goes Commute Challenge series. Click here to read more posts in the series.

Anything Goes Commute Challenge: company bus

My employer provides company bus service to and from work, with routes that run all over the SF Bay Area. Two of the bus routes have stop that are ~2 miles from my house, so I use this bus ride-bike ride combination to get home on days when I ride my bike to work in the morning.  I put my bike in the luggage compartment below the bus, relax on the bus on the ride into the city, then ride home from the bus stop.




I've heard co-workers comment that they don't take the buses or public transit because of the inconvenience of having fixed departure times from work, as compared to the flexibility of a solo car commute when one can leave at any time. But, I haven't found this to be a big issue, since the buses leave about every 45 minutes starting at about 4pm  through 7:30pm. If I miss one, well, I work for another 45 minutes and get the next one. And for me, the fixed schedule had a surprising up-side: getting me out of the office and home a bit earlier. You see, I tend to get a burst of energy late in the day and just stay and stay and stay at work. So, having a fixed deadline to get up and out of the office counteracts these workaholic tendencies. I really enjoy getting home on the early side (for me).

I feel fortunate to work for an employer that supports alternative transportation: the buses are just one of a suite of benefits that include van pools and other group commuting incentives, reimbursement for not driving in (I get $2 each way), a corporate bike fleet for trips around campus, shuttles to/from BART and CalTrain, showers/towels/bath products on campus, and secure bike parking.  An employee survey at our company showed that alternative transportation support is one of the favorite benefits offered by our company and I understand why.

The Stats:

Route: bus ride into the city, city streets bike ride home from the bus

Distance: ~8-13 miles on the bus (depending on route), 1.8-2.2 mile bike ride home (depending on route)

Elapsed time: 30 minutes on bus (depending on traffic), 12-15 minute ride home (depending on route)

Exercise time: 12-15 minutes

Reading/relaxing time: 30 minutes

Bliss factor: 5

Cost per trip: -$2 (0 cost to me for the bus - $2 company reimbursement for taking the shuttle and riding home from the shuttle stop*)

Enables: Exercise, fixed departure time from work on company bus (forces me to leave work rather than working into the night), relax or chat with co-workers on the bus ride home, lower environmental impact, little evening ride home invigorates me after a day spent indoors at a desk

Disadvantages: fixed departure time (but see upside, above), 4-5 block steep climb up to my house sucks if I am tired.

This post is part of my Anything Goes Commute Challenge series. Click here to read more posts in the series.