Temperature: ~38°F at 17:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: none to light
Clothing: Top with 2 layers (Lycra longsleeve undershirt, skinsuit); Bottom with 2 layers (skinsuit and Lycra tights); ankle socks. Gore-tex full-finger gloves. (Cool, still comfortable. A higher speed helped.)
Time: 0:48:00 (approx.) for 12.5 miles
Bikeway users: 8 pedestrians, 4 cyclists, 2 dogs
17:10 actual time as I finished changing into my gear and went to the bike rack. A photographer from the Dayton Daily News was in the mini-lobby. He photographed me as I entered, and then introduced himself and verified my name and city of residence. He said I should basically do my normal routine, ignoring him. So I pulled on my helmet, then my neoprene gloves, and pulled my Trek out of the bike rack. He asked where I would go from here and when I would cross Woodman. We back-and-forthed until he understood the location of the crossing near Little Siagon, north of the Swifty Gas Station. I climbed on, clicked my right foot in, and started to pedal off. I had clipped in my left foot before I hopped off the curb. Late last week, I had exchanged questions and answers with Robin McMacken in preparation for a news story on commuting by bike and the bikeways around Dayton. These moments of photography were arranged over the weekend to support the story.
17:34 estimated departure from Kodak.I missed noting the time on my computer, and I remembered to check time only at 17:38 as I turn from Founders Drive. At Woodman, there was enough traffic that I had to wait a few moments for north-bound traffic, and had to wait again at the island for south-bound traffic. The photographer passed in back of me, and asked to wait for him to set up just across Woodman. When he was ready, I then crossed the south-bound lanes, and checked that he was successful before I headed off on the rest of my commute.
17:45 estimated pass at the trestle. The traffic had been light at the crossing of Linden, but it was fairly heavy at Burkhardt and moderate at Airway. But WTF!, motorist stopped for me at the crossing of Smithville, even though I had already stopped and planted a foot on the road. So even the rush hour allows some drivers to be more than courteous!
17:58 at the west gate of Eastwood Park. All of the Mad River bikeway has been cleared of debris from the recent flooding, except for the smallest layer of dusty sediment. Kudos to the Miami Conservancy Consortium crews, as this was work over about four miles that needed lots of heavy trunk moving and cleaning of lighter branches.
18:07 at the bottom of the ramp up to the Green Bridge. As I pulled up the ramp and crossed toward the underpass to Riverscape, I saw that the Miami is still flooding the bikeway below Riverscape, though it seems unflooded on the way to below the YMCA. Off Riverscape, I took the sidewalk parallel to Monument Avenue. At the light to cross Main Street, I established eye contact with the driver in the right turn lane, motioned "me, going from here into your lane and across Main Street." The driver gave me a thumbs up, and I responded with the same signal.
The way home up from the river was without notable change, though I took a parallel to my normal route, up Glendale instead of up Bryn Mawr.
18:22 at home.
