Daily Commute

It's been a little difficult since I've been back to get used to having a daily commute again. My "commute" in Florida was about 5 minutes, and the three months or so without work or a commute of any sort have made me a little soft.

Still, I don't have a whole lot to complain about, because while my morning drive to work is long -- about 17 kilometers and 45 minutes --  it only nominally counts as a commute, as it is pretty relaxing driving.

Here's a map of the drive I make every morning:

The drive starts up on Great Mountain, near the words "Lower Estate". HB and I leave around 8:05 in the morning, and head down Great Mountain Road, through Huntum's Ghut (more on which tomorrow), and into Road Town. I drop HB at his work, in the heart of Road Town, at about 8:15, and then head to my work.

Through downtown Road Town, past the ferry terminal and the old government house museum. Suddenly, I round a corner, and the view tells me that I've left the city behind.

After a few kilometers along the coast, the numerous speedbumps and potholes on the coastal road in the various communities that line Sea Cow's Bay slow me down for a little while. After Sea Cow's though, it's pretty much a free-for-all. I hit about 60kph (38mph), my top speed, during the stretch between Sea Cow's Bay and the incinerator (near the area marked as Pockwood Pond on the map above).

The radio stops receiving when I hit the slightly industrial area near the incinerator, which consists of a petrol station, some large warehouses, and a mine, but this lasts for only half a kilometer, and then it's back to open coastal road and winding turns at 60, until I have to turn right on Zion Hill Road to cross the island to the north coast.

The two or three minutes spent on Zion Hill Road are some of the most enjoyable of my commute, as the homes and business along Zion Hill are especially neat, and the views of the North Coast after cresting the summit are spectacular.

Zion Hill dead-ends into the North Coast Road at Cappoon's Bay. I like to take my time cruising past the brave folks surfing on the swells in Cappoon's.

I usually pull into the parking lot at work around 8:45 or 8:50, and since I don't have to be in the office until 9:00, I get a few blissful minutes to myself to read, or enjoy my surroundings.

Despite the odd inconvenience, like the speedbumps in Sea Cow's, and the lack of radio for the last ten minutes, I certainly couldn't wish for a better 45-minute commute. I get to see nearly the entirety of Tortola, and hardly have any traffic to contend with.