Tram to Work

I have been biking to work for a year and a half now. It's 7 miles a day -- 2 miles from our house to downtown where I catch the bus. I put my bike on the front of the bus since there is a giant hill separating me and work. I am not a morning person and I am lazy. The chances of me riding up that hill are slim to none. However, I will ride down the giant hill at the end of the day (super fun) and ride the 5 miles home.

Between waiting for the bus and the time riding the bus, I've gotten in a rhythym where I can drink my coffee and read the morning paper. It takes a while. The coffee/paper part is fun, but the waiting sucks. And if the two bike slots on the front of the bus are already taken, you're SOL and forced to wait for the next bus.

But they just opened the tram to employees last week -- meaning I now get to ride the tram to the top of the hill instead of the bus. Plus it cuts 10-15 minutes off my morning commute. So now I ride the 2 miles downtown and take the scenic (but empty in the morning) downtown esplenade along the river. It's flat the whole way and leads me directly to the tram; which runs every 3 minutes. They let me take my bike inside and I get to start my day by flying over I-5 with awesome views of the city, Mt. St. Helens and Mt Hood (shown in the picture above).