It was a crazy beautiful day today, so you can imagine how I felt about being in my office all day and into the evening with meetings, interviews, and student events instead of out pedaling around on my bicycle. I had a gap in my schedule between 5:30 and 7:00, so brainstorm! I brought my bike with me so I could sneak in a ride. I finally got out of the office closer to six, but there was still plenty of time to do a test ride from campus to the MARC train station in Halethorpe, a mere 2.2 miles, in preparation for the multi-modal commute the clown bicycle will enable. (Yes, that’s my one track mind you see running its paces.) I hopped on and rode around the circle to Poplar, got that uneasy feeling in my stomach as I flew down toward Oregon Avenue–what goes down, must go up, as my father might suggest–and then I took a left, then a right, then left, then a right, etc., etc., as I circled around to find my way going the right direction. Suburbs are nothing but traps, I swear. Anyway, I was finally headed the right way until I dead-ended again. I started up Francis Avenue, figuring the train was vaguely to the left, but then I was on the bridge, staring down, so close and yet so far. Sigh. I turned around, giving up for the day, but then on my way back, I figured out where to turn to get spit out at the station. Victory! Pedal, pedal, pedal, one more wrong turn, and then I was back on campus. I’m a total slow poke who slows at all stop signs and waits at red lights, and the ride was still only 15 minutes. Oh, I see you, future commute, and I like you.