[This is the first post from Winter Commuting Blogger Beth Andersen of the Ann Arbor District Library.  She's blogging as part of our effort to help you Conquer the Cold this winter.  Look for more posts in the coming weeks.]

I, Beth Andersen, am a committed white-knuckle winter driver.

If it weren’t for my dream job as a librarian at the Ann Arbor District Library, I very well may have relocated to a warmer climate.

I have taken the bus to work several times a week for many years, even before the go!pass program was offered. That magical piece of plastic takes commuting to a whole other happy place — free, safe, reliable, sustainable transportation. I like being busy from sunup to past sundown, but for those 37 minutes on the 2A, I am off the grid. Nothing is asked of me, no one can get to me. I tuck myself into my favorite corner spot in the back of the bus, get out my book, and lose myself in the great reading du jour. At the end of a day of work, I get to reverse the process. And in the winter, the worse the weather, the sweeter the trip. AATA drivers are fearless AND brilliant Bad Weather Road Warriors. What is NOT to love?