Yes, it is all about perspective folks. When I lived in Seattle, it was 60 miles to and from work along the worst part of the freeways for traffic (for those of you who know Seattle, think Highway 167 north through Auburn to I-405 to I 90 eastbound, or (gasp!!!) Highway 18!!!, ugh). When I moved to Kennewick, it seemed I could get anywhere from anywhere in 20 minutes or less, and rush hour was more like rush half hour. Still, for the locals, road rage was still obviously a factor when traffic on the main streets backed up a little.

BTW, I do keep some distractions in my BOB, which travels with me wherever I go, like a good book, or a nintendo DS, because there are times here when you are just stuck in a hole with nothing else to do for a while, but sweat.

Thanks to everyone for the show of support. Though I am not frontline, it is appreciated nonetheless.

A few thoughts from my own experience: When the the traffic jam is that bad:

1. Consider staying late in your office until the traffic subsides;

2. If the jam does not abate, hotels are not prohibitive. Remember, inns are for travelers who have not reached their destinations or have homes nearby. They work for commuters too.

3. If you don't have any work to do in your office, work on your emergency routes. After all, you have the time.

4. If your emeregency routes are really working well for you, don't be so arrogant as to think you can take side trips or diversions as in normal times. I did that once, and it took me 2 hours to cover the last 3 miles to my home.


Benjamin,

Thank you for your service.

John

Thank you for the reality check. In my area, too, one traffic accident will snarl ALL the roads. My commute will stretch from 30-45 minutes to 1.5-2 hours.

Brush up on your map reading skills... invest in a GPS... once you orient the map/screen, find your position (really, easier on roads than trails), decide wether you need to go forward and left or forward and right, and take off. I've used that more than once when I was caught without a map, but knew (in general) which direction my destination was "Chicago to home, South and West, just keep moving South and West till I reach familiar territory", I know it's kind of simplistic, but it works for me... good ol' dead reckoning.

Troy

I spend lots of time reading the forums. I would be upset by that remark but 95% of the time I spend reading the forum is when I am at work and can not really practice anyway. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />