The ride is 3.6 miles (according to google maps) if you take the bike lane next to the road. Coal Creek Parkway to Factoria and voile. Easy peasy. Well… I decided to try to subvert the bikes-merge-with-traffic mess at the Coal Creek Parkway Culvert Construction Zone and went off on a trail that looked promising. One fork later and I was bushwhacking with my bike. The trail narrowed and I stepped into some stinging nettles.

Why did I decide to wear shorts? Backtracking to the fork, I went to the Coal Creek Parkway area and lo and behold it dropped me right smack dab in the middle of the construction zone. Sorry cough cough construction vehicles. I had to climb over the railing with my bike and book it up the bikes-merged-with-traffic lane for 100 feet until the bike lane emerged again. Then sweet ride, slight hill, welcome pipeline trail distraction and finally the end of all ends DOWNHILL on Factoria Blvd all the way to work. What a trip! If I could pay attention long enough to calculate the time it took me I would guesstimate that it was approximately 40 minutes to bike back with minimal distractions (plus I’m such a weeny I may have -ahem- walked up certain hills).

P.S. Go Marty on your August Crossing (stay away from the nettles).