LA By Train: Trips 2 & 3

I got lazy Monday night and didn't post anything then, so this covers my Monday return and coming in this morning. The return trip was indeed a lot easier, though there was still some uphill involved (you never notice the little downhills on the way in). Trip time for each was 1:30, which is right about where I'd expect it to stay. I'm not riding fast right now, just slow and steady while I get my legs into shape. Eventually I think I can shave at least 10 minutes off my one-way time.

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E in tight short shorts!

Eric Richardson in tight short shorts!?! no way!

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a couple misc addenda

Seeing that I work for a group that deals extensively with GPS, I'm going to revise my elevation number to be a little more accurate. My boss pointed me to IGS sites CIT1 and JPLM as reference points. CIT1 is at CalTech, and JPLM is, oddly enough, here at JPL. The log lists CIT1 at 215 meters, and JPLM at 423 meters, for a difference of 208 meters (or 682 feet). Now, JPLM is a little above the rest of the lab, up on the mesa, so I'm going to say right now that this new number is a little high. I would put the difference closer to 190 meters, or 620 feet. A substantial climb.

Another thing I forgot to mention... The thing that bugged me most on the ride in was how sweaty the backpack I was wearing made my back. Within the next few weeks I'll pick up a pair of paniers that'll take care of getting load off my back. I also probably will end up looking for a shirt that holds less moisture. I hate normal bike shirts, but maybe... I'm not wearing the shorts, though. Maybe I could do it on the bike sections, but there's no way I could wear those on the train. I'm just fine in board shorts, thank you.

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LA By Train: Trip 1

This morning found me setting out to make the trip by bike from USC to JPL. If you ask Mapquest, that's a 19.3 mile trip. I'm not going to fill this space with details about the trip, you can click the title to read more there. I will say, though, that one stat towers over all others: 475 feet of elevation change between Pasadena and JPL. After a few months of this my legs will be made of steel.

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the fun of transit

Yesterday the MTA opened Gold Line, a 13.7 mile light-rail line from Downtown LA to Pasadena. As someone who makes the commute from downtown-ish (USC) to Pasadena-ish (JPL... sort of La Canada), I've been excited about this for a while. I hate driving my commute every day. The pursuit of less traffic has even pushed me to get on the road by 6:20 every morning, in hopes of making my drive in less than a half hour. Now the day is here where I finally have an alternative, and that of course brings up the logistics. Ok, so there's a rail line, now what? Click the title to read more...

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