December 10, 2008

Bike-n-Bus

Well, only last week was the maiden voyage on the Crudwell, and good thing I got that dry shake-down run in! It was just in time.
Last night, winter arrived with a brute force hit of stiff north winds, plummeting temps, and blowing, icy snow. Yesterday, I elected to try my hand at JUST the bus. That was a mistake, it turns out. Rather - my patience was tested. Instead of riding, I wanted to kinda examine how the buses were going to flow, and if my plans for the Strang Line park-n-ride were going to work. So, I drove (yikes, I know) to the park-n-ride, and rode my 2nd bus to work. It was a nice ride, and I felt good knowing that I had not only saved gas, but I wasn't going to have to battle the roads with other drivers when the weather came.

But the weather, she came down hard.

I left my cubicle at 4:30 to catch the 4:45 bus. 4:45 came... went..... then 5:00pm... I called the dispatch office to get the "duh" report: yeah, they were running late. No specific updates available on individual routes. Suddenly, my developer's mind was alive with thoughts of GPS tracked buses and public access mobile web-gadgets that would let you know how far away the bus really was, or if you'd already missed it. Hmmm... Unfortunately, my thoughts were not enough to keep me warm. I stood, semi-sheltered, and watched as the parking garages emptied -- frustratingly dominated by single-occupancy vehicles. Oh well... the cause can wait. I'm freaking cold, and I have no soap box out here. Instead, I bee-bop a little to my Palm Centro's MP3 player, and wait. And wait. And WAIT.

It's 5:45.... one hour.... this is good acclimation training for my January R-12 ride, right? You bet.... wind is gusting, cards are thinning out.... Oppps! There goes Crowbar, suited up, and riding northbound in the fresh powder!

Below is the best shot I could get off on short notice -- it would have been neat to get a shot of him directly across the street from me, but between cold fingers, and a slow Palm OS, this is the best I could do --- I was lucky enough to get his REALLY bright blinking taillight ON a blink, though! If nothing else, this pictures looks how it felt outside.



The bright red dot is him. I know -- GREAT picture. ;)

So, that took my mind off the cold for a little bit. But, then, I was back. This acclimation training is dumb. Toes? Are you there? Yeesh...
6:00pm.....
I am exchanging broken text messages with Crowbar, who already made it home, and my wife - just keeping her aware. An appointment in Lees Summit calls me, and calls me off because of the weather -- which is good, because I'm not getting home any time soon! 6:17pm, the time for the LAST bus to arrive here... another call to the weather line, and the dispatch office is closed. Yikes. No voicemail, but earlier they assured me that all buses were out, and will complete their routes. Man, it's gotta be BAD out there. I was wishing I'd brought my bike, and by then had decided that if I ride the bus, my bike will be with me. Period. I'd have been home by now, probably, with this north wind howling.

7:00pm....
7:15pm.... no more cars at work.... I can still feel my face, which is good....
7:20pm....

"ok, honey, just come and get me -- just be careful!"
The wife finally talks me into letting her come to get me. My thoughts being if it's this bad for the BUS, then her and the kids don't need to be coming out in it!
I hang up, and start to walk inside.... and yet, there is something nagging me...
I turn around... nope, no bus....

I walk some more... turn around... nope.... bah, it's not coming! Go inside, warm up, wait for the wife to call back...

I'm about fifty feet from the door to my building, about 1/16th of a mile from the bus stop itself, and I hear it.... "psssshhhh" the release of air brakes.

"MOTHER...... HEY!!!!" But it was not effective. Didn't get his attention... too far away.

Seriously. I couldn't make this stuff up. Murphy lives.

Oh well.... tomorrow, bring the bike, control your own destiny....
At least in the evening...

1 comment:

Jason said...

WooHoo!! I wasn't the only one!! :) Same thoughts about the GPS or at least a text message saying they were running WAAAYYYY late!!!! :)