Typical Commute DUG UP

I thought that today I'd take a shot of the most dramatic, unusual, and dramatic event of my typical commute. I wondered if I'd dig up some blood curdling danger, or other item that would cause my loyal reader to consider whether cycling might be other than fun and safe.

Well, on the way in, I DID face a real stiff headwind. That slowed things down a bit, but I still arrived at work pretty much at the same time as usual, thanks to a couple of green lights I typically have to stop for. Still, a photo of a green traffic light hardly seems like something I'd be paid millions for the movie rights for.

To spice things up, I also saw a dog on the loose. Perhaps that dog was appraised of my recent post, here, as he slunk off in the opposite direction without so much as a close approach or even a friendly tail wag. Perhaps word has been making its way around the canine world. Even a dog or two that typically run along their fences barely looked up this morning.

Before you knew it, I was at work, with nary a photo-worthy event. But, there was still the afternoon commute to look forward to. Perhaps I'd have a thrilling brush with something or other on the way home.

Broken Front Derailleur. But Not MY Bike

Well, things started out promising. A fellow bike commuter noted his gears weren't working right. I fiddled with his bike a bit, finding that the spring on his front derailleur had "sprung," leaving him stuck in the big chainring. I called him up to appraise him of the mechanical difficulty. I suggested he manually move the chain to his middle ring and reset the stop in order to get home without having to push excessively big gears.

Feeling better, from at least having done my "good deed daily," I continued home. Nothing too dramatic, other than feeling good at seeing the now fixed "Hurst Killer Grate." It'd be tougher for kids riding to school to hurt themselves. Nothing real scary there. No honking or close passes, or abuse, or much of any other dramatic traffic events. Pretty much the same as the morning commute. Oh, I DID hit two more green lights, but again, they're not going to get me a movie deal. Actually, green lights are pretty much the same in Dallas County as they are around my parts of Tarrant County. In Washington State, on the other hand, they orient the signals up and down instead of side to side. Perhaps that will be another thrilling commute post. Perhaps my loyal reader, being asleep, will not notice one way or the other.

Green Lights Hardly Seem Like Thriller Material

But, suddenly, it came to me, I'd really DUG up the commute thrill of the season. It's in the photo below. What, you might ask? Well, those dead palm trees got dug up. Some of us have boring enough commutes that removed landscape foliage is worth an entire post. It is enough to give the "Safety Pyramid" a bad name.

On the other hand, despite propaganda to the contrary, it illustrates that cyling IS fun and safe. Well, even when it isn't a whole lot of fun, it's pretty safe. And, the free coffee from taking the major coffee chain survey made it a little more fun as well.

Something Has Been "Dug Up" Here. What Could it Be?

The Very Same House, Recently, Before the Excavation. Two Palm Trees Were Killed By the February 2011 Ice

Perhaps the "Safety Pyramid" is NOT All Good When the Most Exciting Thing on the Commute is Yard Work Along the Route