I work for REI in the Membership Services Department. I try and bike commute as much as possible and have been doing this since I started there 13 years ago and my car was in the shop. Cycling immediately became a favorite pastime and I would feel like such a rockstar when I showed up to work drenched from a downpour. 

I ride about 6 miles one way on my commute with the 500 foot climb on my way home. The ride to work may only take about 30 minutes while the climb adds at least ten minutes to the way home. 

My most memorable commutes have to be when I see wild creatures. One time a bald eagle was perched on a fence post I rode past and the size of him had me praying I didn’t resemble a snack. 

Another commute had me in a parade on the uphill climb behind a skunk. I have also paraded with a coyote. 

On another occasion a golden eagle branch hopped from tree to tree just ahead of me on the trail some 20 feet over my head. 

I can’t leave out the rides when people cheered me on from the roadside. It feels great to have a stranger tell you that you rock. 

Right now I am bike commuting for the specific goal of saving gas money. The most effective way I could best facilitate my own bike commute would be to have my bag packed the night previous to my ride. I am usually a slug in the morning and that small detail would keep me from driving. 

When I am aiming to try and persuade coworkers to bike commute I try and let them know how happy riding helps me feel. I tell how the day kinda melts away into the pedals pushing and that I have my own time in my head to prepare for my real job of parenting. Bike commuting has opened my eyes up to the world of bikepacking and I am now hoping to take myself on a longer journey that may have me pedaling 500 dirt miles of the Oregon Timber Trail. Wish me luck.