Day 1

Seeing as how the Ranger’s in the shop, I’m doing a combination of biking and Caltrain to get to and from work. I remember loving this method of transportation and I’m wondering how I’ll respond now after a year of driving. I know mentally I thought this was going to be tough and as of right now, typing from the top cabin, my thighs are KILLING me. That’s a good thing.

What’s not so great is the cost of this all. $4.75 for a one way trip across two zones. That’s $9.50 to and from work. Now, my truck is a gas guzzler. In fact, it didn’t pass smog because the evap system was causing fumes of gas to surround it. So I know that it was running far from efficient. Even so, I spend about $10 a day. I feel that a savings in transportation costs would be a huge incentive for me to do this more often. As it stands, the convenience and flexibility of traveling by a car makes me not realistically consider Caltrain for situations other than the one I’m going through now.

It ain’t all about the money though. I remember biking creating a larger reserve of energy for me throughout the day. I was also able to handle stressful situations more aptly. I’m sure this was a direct byproduct of the forced exercise. Also, once I’m on Caltrain I have approximately 40 minutes that I’m not driving. That means I have 40 minutes of theoretical productivity time or some extra sleep at the very least.

Today I’ll use that time to stare out the window.