The Commute

After several weeks of driving a company paid for rental car, I was told I am on my own. I get a monthly car allowance; however, it’s not enough to even make a lease payment on a subcompact manual car from the Ford dealership (by the way, that is not due so much to the low amount of the car allowance as it is to the high amount of the lease payments).

I’ve always enjoyed cycling, so I thought I’d give that a try. One of the families we have become friends with is leaving the island for a month and the wife told me I could use her husband’s bike (hope he’s okay with that) while they are gone.

The bike is actually pretty nice – a Specialized mountain bike (see photo to the right only the one I am using is red); however, the salty sea air has taken its toll on the components (glad I didn’t bring any of my nice bikes down). The frame is also too big for me.  But it will work for a month while I try to find something of my own. Unfortunately, a month may not be enough time. No bike stores on the island. I found some good options online, but most places won’t ship to American Samoa and the ones that will have quoted me shipping in the neighborhood of $900 – for a bike that costs half that much.

So, unless I can find someone who is leaving the island and wants to sell their bike, it looks like I may have to buy one of the Huffy bikes from the local Costco-style store.

The commute in is only three miles. The first two miles run parallel to the coast and there is a nice cool breeze. The last mile; however, is a raging inferno of death heat. I showed up at the office soaked through two layers of clothing and dripping sweat from my chin like an NBA player standing at the foul line during overtime.

Fortunately there is a shower at work. Only cold water comes out but that isn’t too intolerable given the heat and the fact that it only comes out in a trickle anyway. I’ve hung my clothes out to dry in my office – hopefully they won’t be damp when I put them back on for the ride home. I brought a lava lava (man-skirt) and shirt to wear at work. I have given up on socks and shoe except for at church, so I threw some flip flops in my backpack as well.

So, the cycling commute looks like it may work out. The biggest danger – being attacked by dogs on the way in. I didn’t have any problems this morning. My friend the bike owner has also put a squirt bottle full of vinegar in the water bottle cage to fend off any attackers.  Good to know I’m covered just in case.