Ride my bike to work (~10 miles each way): 32 minutes going to work; 40 minutes to ride from work. (Downhill vs uphill commute)

Cost to bike: ~10 cents per round trip (maintenance on the bike)
Benefits: an hour and 12 minutes of empeg time. An exhilarating, energizing experience.

Driving my car to work: 17 minutes each way. (the ShoWagon goes up hill as fast as it goes downhill) .

Cost to drive: ~$5.00 per round trip. (gallon of gasoline + 10 cents a mile for tires, depreciation, wear and tear etc.)
Benefits: A very powerful listening experience. A smooth, comfortable, no-effort ride.

There are pros and cons to each scenario. In general, I bike to work whenever I can, usually about four days a week. There are difficulties, however... my bike commuting route takes me through an army base (Fort Wainwright) and they keep tightening their security policies, making it more and more difficult to gain access. They don't allow bicycles at all when there is snow on the ground. And the riding season is relatively short. It's been said that Alaska has four seasons like everywhere else, but ours are June, July, August, and Winter.

tanstaafl.