Another One Rides the Bus

Yesterday at work I got an e-mail stating that my employer is willing to give me a free bus pass if I agree to use it at least an average of 3 days a week. Considering a normal day's commute for me is about 40 miles round trip (or just shy of 2 gallons of gas), this would be a much-needed boost for our combined finances not having to drive quite so much.

So today I decided to try the bus commute for size. The most convenient way for me to do this is as follows:

• Drive to the top of Kennydale Hill and park at the Kennydale United Methodist Church lot which serves as a Park 'n' Ride.
• Walk across to the other side of I-405 and board the express bus to Bellevue. (I could also have left the car at home, walked the opposite direction half a mile or so and caught the same bus at the Boeing bus stop at Park and Logan.)
• Transfer to a second express bus at the Bellevue Transit Center.
• Ride that bus to the off-ramp of I-405 closest to work.
• Walk about half a mile or so (15 minutes) to my office.
• Reverse the whole process on the way home.

If I'm to do this most every day, I think I will need to find a backpack for my laptop. Humping this over-the-shoulder soft-sided briefcase that distance makes my back hurt, probably because the unbalanced weight makes me walk funny.

Other than that, though, the ride was pleasant enough, and I think I will try to make this a habit. Let's see how tomorrow goes.