The M Files

Since I’m driving a new car home this afternoon, a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid from LB Smith Ford Lincoln Mercury, I had to find an alternative way to get to work this morning. Luckily it’s a beautiful day in central Pennsylvania. I headed out on my 45-mile bicycle commute at about 6:00 am.

I get a lot of questions about what I eat to support an endurance exercise addiction. Here’s what I filled my fuel tank with at 5:00 am:

You don't get to see stuff like this schoolhouse when speeding up I- 283 in the morning. This is one of dozens of great scenes along the way.

• 8 ounces orange juice
• 3,000 mg flaxseed oil
• Two pieces of whole wheat toast
• Two tablespoons of all natural peanut butter
• Banana
• Two tablespoons of honey
• Strong cup of coffee

Along the journey I drank 40 ounces of water. So there you have it; high octane to my engine.

What an incredible morning. Lancaster County farmland is beautiful on a cool, sunny spring morning. I pulled over to take a couple of photos.

Bicycle commuting takes a fair amount of planning.

• I had to stage my Friday clothing and food
• I left my laptop computer at work last night
• And now I have to get my bike back home again

I had to take a photo of this central utility plant at Masonic Villages. McClure Company won an innovation award for it in 2004. A study in how massive carbon reductions can make economic sense.

All slightly inconvenient but manageable. I’m fortunate to have a locker room at work. It’s virtually impossible to do long-distance cycling without a workplace locker room.

Along the way I noticed the Elizabethtown Amtrak station has a new bike rack that’s actually protected from the weather. Wow, I wish that was a typical train station sight. I’m going to have to make use of that.