Bye :(

[pfunkallstar]

Wow – that is a haul by any means. Still, congrats on the job – that is simply amazing turnaround time given the general state of things.

[Certifried]

@DaveK 24732 wrote:

Hate to hear that anyone’s job is expendable but it doesn’t get much better than a week between jobs after an unexpected layoff. My record was 6 months and that took a thousand-mile move. I hope the new position treats you better, and please don’t be a stranger!

fortunately, I did get a bit more notice. I knew from the government client before my company did, and started my search immediately. The contract was to end July 31st, so I beat the drop-dead date by a week. To be fair, I’m a skilled senior IT engineer. Even with my resume offline, I still get several emails and calls a week wondering if I’m on the market.

I’ve really gone over all the options for commuting. Even thought about moving, but I had just signed a new lease. The only possibility would be either a mix of drive-then-bike or take metro. Metro would have me taking the Red line in to DC, then Orange out to New Carrolton or MARC, then bike. Metro’s rules about bikes during rush hours kind of kills that option.

The Alexandria job said they’re interested, but want to interview other candidates. That position was found through the same consulting company I’m taking the offer through, so I can’t switch even if they decide to make an offer. It is, however, a government contract. My history has been a year or two (at best) before the contract is up and I have to move on, so this is only a temporary block to bike commuting. I might even try to find a viable route, despite the mileage (though I think the commute times are a bit much). Yeah, I’ve thought through all the possibilities, and not getting a quick offer in Alexandria is getting me down a bit. I even bought a new Selle An-Atomica saddle for my new commuting steed!

[DaveK]

@Certifried 24745 wrote:

I’m a skilled senior IT engineer

I swear at least half this board is IT folks. Wonder what it is about IT and bikes?

[5555624]

@Certifried 24745 wrote:

The only possibility would be either a mix of drive-then-bike or take metro. Metro would have me taking the Red line in to DC, then Orange out to New Carrolton or MARC, then bike. Metro’s rules about bikes during rush hours kind of kills that option.

Sounds like a reason to buy another bike — one that can be folded up and stuck in a bag.

According to Metro’s web site, there are 16 bike lockers at New Carrollton, so get one and just keep a bike there? (Uh, yeah, this is another “buy another bike reason.”)

[rcannon100]

We have a guy on staff who lives in Baltimore, bikes to the train and locks it up, takes the train to Union Station where the Bike Station is, pulls out a 2nd bike that he has stored at the Bike Station, and then bikes across town to our office.

Another guy out in Vienna just bikes about a buck and half from his house to the Vienna Metro, where he locks it up.

I am looking into a bike locker at Dunn Lorring where a friend can store a bike that she will pick up after the subway right, to complete the journey to work.

[creadinger]

Oh man! There goes my “commuting buddy”. There aren’t many of us who ride east of the Anacostia and even fewer who head up the hill into Suitland. Best of luck in your new job! You can still ride on weekends at least.

[Certifried]

@creadinger 24766 wrote:

Oh man! There goes my “commuting buddy”. There aren’t many of us who ride east of the Anacostia and even fewer who head up the hill into Suitland. Best of luck in your new job! You can still ride on weekends at least.

I’ll still ride during the week! LOL At least for now, it’s plenty light out when I get home to go for a nice 10-15 mile ride. Unfortunately, I haven’t been riding to work nearly as much as I wanted to. Trying to carry everything on my back turned out to be a bit much given my spinal arthritis issues. Hence why I bought the Miyata, only to realize my cycling commute just got nerfed.

The reason I posted this thread was to get some sympathy over my commute losing its options (no metro, cycling distance), but most everyone is trying to find a way for me to actually still bike! I’m going to re-think my assumption that I’m stuck driving, so please keep the suggestions coming! One other issue I need to look at is the lack of a shower at my new location. It’s also kind of remote, so not sure what alternatives are nearby. It’s on Melford Boulevard in Bowie.

just found out, there is a shower…

[creadinger]

@Certifried 24775 wrote:

The reason I posted this thread was to get some sympathy over my commute losing its options (no metro, cycling distance), but most everyone is trying to find a way for me to actually still bike! I’m going to re-think my assumption that I’m stuck driving, so please keep the suggestions coming! One other issue I need to look at is the lack of a shower at my new location. It’s also kind of remote, so not sure what alternatives are nearby. It’s on Melford Boulevard in Bowie.

I know the feeling. I felt the same way when my former office in downtown Bethesda closed and I lost my cushy 6 mile suburban commute from Silver Spring. Then I got my current job out in the Suitland wasteland and after 5 years mostly commuting by bike it felt terrible to have to get in a car again. Soon after that we moved to Arlington and that helped a lot because now at least I can commute a bit during the lighter months. I don’t think I’m hardcore enough to ride out here in the dark though.

[GuyContinental]

@Certifried 24775 wrote:

One other issue I need to look at is the lack of a shower at my new location. It’s also kind of remote, so not sure what alternatives are nearby.

ShowerPill or Action wipes… just ordered my 4th case of the year

At some point I need to post a before/after when I’m muddy from my new CX commute detour- you’d be amazed at how well they work. Except for the very hottest days (which suck even with a shower) I haven’t really missed not having one. BUT I do have a door and an office fan…

[5555624]

@Certifried 24775 wrote:

The reason I posted this thread was to get some sympathy over my commute losing its options (no metro, cycling distance), but most everyone is trying to find a way for me to actually still bike!

Well, yeah. I can’t speak for others, but if you’re not riding, bro, how can I blame you for all the mayhem I cause?

[KLizotte]

Perhaps you can eventually talk them into allowing you to telecommute 1-2 days a week that way you can go for rides at lunch time or before/after work.

Convince them to open an office in Bethesda!

If there are any good riding areas around where you work, perhaps you could leave the bike there and take lunchtime rides. (I’m not all familiar with that area)

[Certifried]

@GuyContinental 24781 wrote:

ShowerPill or Action wipes… just ordered my 4th case of the year

At some point I need to post a before/after when I’m muddy from my new CX commute detour- you’d be amazed at how well they work. Except for the very hottest days (which suck even with a shower) I haven’t really missed not having one. BUT I do have a door and an office fan…

Just did a search on the facility on our intranet, and found out there is a shower. I worked there for about a year back in ’07 or so and had totally forgotten about the shower. I’m looking in to the possibility of mixed-mode commute now, maybe bike-to-bus or something.

Hmm, it looks like if I can cycle to the New Carrolton Metro station, I can catch the B21 bus from NC metro to the Bowie Park-n-Ride, a 10 minute bus ride. This is actually work-able!

[Greenbelt]

Take the sidewalk going up Good Luck road between the NE Branch trail (near Wells Ice rink) and Parkway crossing. That’s bit of a challenging hill! The guy who does http://www.thewashcycle.com commutes along this route (takes the NE branch trail and then up Good Luck road toward the NC Metro area) I think.

[Certifried]

This would be the commute:

Bike to New Carrolton Metro: 19.5 miles

Bus to Bowie Park-n-ride: 15 minute bus ride

Bike from P-n-R to Job: 3.5 miles

Showers are available at the facility (I recalled after looking at building info). It’s a bit longer of a commute than I’ve got now, but I’ve got that lovely Miyata 610 with a An-Atomica saddle arriving tomorrow, rack, etc. It will be all set and ready to go by the start-date. I also have the personal time to commit to doing this. My kids are grown, I’m newly single with few distractions and only a Diablo 3 requirement (seriously, don’t mess with my D3 time!). I’ll at least give it a few attempts to see if I can pull it off. My current 20 mile commute hasn’t happened as often as I wanted because I found that carrying everything in the Chrome bag I bought was a bit hard on my back (arthritis, etc). I was sort of down that the easily commute-able Alexandria job couldn’t move faster (found out they were interested) with an offer and this job wanted an answer. Yeah, I think I’ve convinced myself I can do it.

[Greenbelt]

That stretch of Riverdale road after it merges with East-West highway is going to suck I think. Unfortunately, it’s the only place to cross the Parkway in that area. I think Good Luck is much better (using the sidewalk uphill), though still not fantastic and more out of the way…

[Author]

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