Riding Island Transit

This post may seem silly to some.. but I was so proud of myself and I had a fun day so I wanted to share. Growing up I used to ride the local buses all the time.. I lived in a small town and there was nothing to do in town so I would hop the bus to the big city. When I was 15 I Started going to college in Seattle and I would spend 2 hours each way on the bus with a lot of time to kill in town as the buses did not run very often to home. For Three years I did this.. then I moved to the city and it was a lot cheaper and easier to just ride buses than to find parking.

Then I had kids and I moved out of the city and started driving everywhere... never to ride a bus again.. or so I thought. Now I live out on the island.. have two nice jeeps I can drive... and I make the kids ride the buss all the time... island transit has free buses and they are nice and clean and friendly... they run pretty often.. every hour.. and go right past the house and into Stanwood. Why would I spend the gas money and the time to haul my kids around at their whim when they can ride the bus for free. I did it for years when I was their age.. no reason they can't.. and they do.. only one of them has a problem with riding the buses and well.. he either rides them or gets his mom ( not me ) to drive him around... she seems to like being at his beck and call for most things.. her choice.

The other day I had a doctors appointment, for some tests ( that went wonderful ) and Dave wanted to take me since sometimes we are not sure how things will go and there have been tests that afterwards I would not be good to be driving home. He could have taken the Motorcycle to work and then I could have meet him somewhere and then we would have two cars in town and if things went crappy I would have been stuck driving home... so he just took the jeep and figured he would come back home and pick me up. He is so busy at work these days that he can't really afford to take any time off... and so I called a couple of friends to see if anyone was going to town.. then it dawned on me.. why don't I take the bus... no reason I can't... so I threw some stuff in a back pack and off I went.

Almost to the bus stop...right there at the back of that stop sign across the street.... beautiful day... having to fight myself not to go to the beach

Here comes the bus..yes it is a short bus... I got on and there was one other kid on the bus... a guy about 12 years old.. very friendly and nice mannered... the bus driver and the two of us ended up talking about the dogs we have owned and do own and it was a very nice visit. He got off the bus and then a lady and her cute little girl got on. I visited with the bus driver a bit more until we got to Terrys corner where we get off of this first bus ( which makes loops around the island ) and we get on the one the goes back and forth from Stanwood to Camano.

When I climbed off the bus my daughter was sitting at the bus stop waiting for her bus that goes back to the house and her work. I think she was pretty shocked to see me getting off the bus.. I loved it! There is about a ten minute layover here.. none of the island buses leave until the Stanwood one gets here so that everyone can be sure to make their connections. Daughter introduced me to a couple of the bus drivers... they are all so very friendly and helpful.

I got on the bus for Stanwood and there were a few people with me on that bus.. maybe 5... a couple of teenage boys, the mom with her tiny daughter, and another woman. Off we go for Stanwood.. picked up one or two more people.. and then I was dropped off at the Grocery store in town where Dave was waiting for me.

There goes the bus....I got to visit with some fun people and shock my daughter and saved Dave about an hour of his time... and it cost me nothing. Did I mention that not only are these buses super clean and friendly but that they are free? I am pretty sure I will be making many more visits to town this way.

Thank you Island Transit

~Michelle