11/01/06 Extreme Commuter

Are you an extreme commuter& come on, think about it& how far do you drive to work. Given the explosive growth of Boise, Seattle and Portland, the retreat to the exurbs has meant many of us now qualify as extreme commuters. Unlike a reality TV show with a incredible grand prize the only thing an extreme commuter can be assured of is stress, and lots of it . Yet more and more of us are willing to give up precious hours out of our lives to support a lifestyle. The Oregonian newspaper defined an extreme commuter as someone who drives 90 minutes or more to work each day. Where I live in Central Washington it isn't unusual to meet people who commute from Ellensburg or Wenatchee to Seattle while I know others who make drive from outskirts of Gresham or Salem each day to downtown Portland. In deference to the Oregonians definition I would take it one step further, given a short commute in Metro rush hour traffic can easily turn into 90 minutes from Hell. So are you an extreme commuter or is your commute extreme?