Cross downtown Olympia, 2 miles, at the very southern tip of the Puget Sound, then travel 6 miles of 4 lane, urban strip mall, auto parts, fast food, used car, adult and big box store eyesore before descending into the Nisqually River delta for 6 miles of two lane farm land and a long climb up the other side of the valley, a 1 mile sprint on I-5 shoulder then 2 miles through the instant suburbia of Dupont, WA.
I am 40 - 50 yrs old and have ridden and raced bikes, road and mountain for years. Once filling the tank on my shiney metal box exceeded $50 I was motivated to start bike commuting. I had successfully resisted commuterizing my bike and myself for years, but after the first ride into work I was hooked. This is not a commute for the beginner especially in the winter when rain and dark add to the challenging climbs, cars and crap on the road. At the IRS rate of $0.485/mile I expect to pay off the fenders, high pressure slicks, jacket, tights, lights and pannier that I added to my '91 GT mountain bike by late spring 2006.