25 June 2010

[liff] The Bicycle Diaries: Reborn Of Necessity, TriMet Truths

2462.
Tonight, I get back on the bike.

It's a move born of necessity. Long story, won't tell right now, a bit depressing. Trying to hone accentuating the positive as a survival skill. For someone who usually has the deck stacked agin' 'im, that's not an easy thing to do. Infer what you will from the following words: economy, strained budgets, deferred car maintenance.

Yesterday night I chanced a communte on TriMet. Now, in this era of reducing service, I've found that TriMet is still head and shoulders above most other transit agencies (yeah, I know!). You can trust me on this; our housemate recently returned (gratefully) from his old hometown (Sacramento) ad complained quite heartily about the Sacto system, which, apparently, doesn't even give transfers anymore ... you have to pay to board every bus.

I'm near one of the magnificent TriMet crosstown routes, the 71, which describes a big inverted U across the east side of PDX, tying it together ... kind of like The Dude's rug and that room, running up the East 60s from downtown Milwaukie, connecting across the north end via Prescott Street, and making it south along 122nd, eventually ending up in the vicinity of Clackamas Town Center. And, from a point near my house, it's a quick 20 minute ride to a point near my work. So, in this way, I'm luckier than most.

Last night's go was a misfire; the bus was running about 5 minutes early. I watched it go past my stop just as I got across the street from it.

Tonight, we use the bike to shorten the leg part of it.

We'll note our results.

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