Last Day At GSA

So today was my last day at GSA.  It has been a cool and unique experience. For more than two years I have worked in the agency's headquarters in Washington, DC. It is cool to be able to say that I work two blocks from the White House. Recently the press about GSA has been pretty bad and rightfully so.  Despite what happened in Vegas by a few unfortunate, the people at GSA have really impressed me. Most people I've worked with have been as driven to perform as well as anyone I've worked with in the private sector.

On my last day I decided to take a few pictures of my favorite part of work, my commute.  For two years I've been riding my bike to work and I love.  I live too far away to ride my bike all the way so I take the train and then switch to my bike about 10 miles from the office. No matter how the day goes I start with a success and no matter how it end I get to ride it off.

Morning starts at 4:30 and I walk out the door at 5:10 and get on the train at 5:15.

At 5:52 I get off the train in Alexandria and go get my bike. Notice the double U-locks and wheel locks.  Beyond that I say a prayer and hope a thief goes for an easier target.  I've been doing this for over two years and haven't had any issues yet. The bike itself is a mid priced cyclocross bike that I've turned into a awesome commuter bike. See the fenders, racks, clip less peddles, and more.

The most important part of the commuter setup is the safety equipment and in particular the lights. Among bike commuters there is a slogan "see and be seen."  A 40 lumen pulsing tail light that is nearly as bright as a car's and a 4 lumen red flasher on my helmet.  The two combined give me a lot of piece of mind when right down dark roads so early in the morning.  The front lights consist of a 180 lumen headlamp and 600 lumen handle bar light. I love the lights, they are rechargeable, compact, and keep the cars away.

Tracking my process keeps me motivated. So I use a Garmin bike computer with GPS and upload capability. It is fun to upload all my rides the web.  Over the last two years I've ridden nearly 4000 miles as part of my commute.

This year I rode through the winter. It may help that it turned out to be the winter that wasn't, but I like to think dressing right made a big impact. Last fall I got new cycling glasses.  You can see the prescription inserts and the transition lenses.  They beat Oakleys and contracts at 5:00 in the morning. Also I got a really nice soft-shell Gore jacket with WindStopper.  It is amazing what a difference the jacket makes.  The rest is a matter of watching the weather and layering my cloths in the right way.

Even better than the gear is my commuting route. From Alexandria I ride to the Mt Vernon trail that goes along the Potomac.  The trail passes right by Reagan Airport. Most afternoons I have a plane coming in for a landing not 200 feet above my head.  The trail passes through a park that usually makes the list of best places to watch a plane land. As I cross the Potomac into DC I arrive at the Jefferson Memorial, ride past the Lincoln and Washington Monuments, dodge tourists, pass the White House, the Old Executive Office Buildings, and then come to the massive GSA headquarters building.

 Then I park, change into a suit, and sit down at my desk all before 7:00am.

Even though I have been able to work from home a couple days per week I find that I choose to go to the office so that I have my commute.  I feel good about life when I get to ride this much and sure hope that where ever I end up at the State Department I still get to ride my bike.