How About a 220 Mile Round Trip Commute?

I can remember complaining mightily about a 90 minute to-and-from commute to work I once had. Those 45 minutes each way were driving me nuts. Gas prices, vehicle maintenance, wear and tear, etc. It also didn't help that I hated the job and the building the job was based in. I handled it for about 9 months before pulling the plug and getting myself the more reasonable commute time of about 6 minutes.

I had no idea that my hated drive-time would be the envy of anyone. That is, until I read about a Virginia man named Thurmond Alford. Thurmond lives in Richmond, Virginia, and works in Washington DC as program manager at the Department of Justice.

Thurmond Alford's daily commute is 220 miles. Why doesn't he just move to Washington? Everyone and everything he loves is in Richmond. So, he spends nearly seven hours a day on the road to and from his "dream job."

A commitment like that has it's costs, even beyond the travel time. According to Mr. Alford's interview with CBS News:

"Every two weeks I was changing oil." Alford told CBS News. "The guy at Jiffy Lube ... He knew my first name. He knew my football team."

His commute begins at 4 a.m. each day.

First, Alford drives from Richmond to Fredericksburg, Virginia. Then he grabs a ride with a friend to Arlington before taking not one, but two trains into downtown Washington.

By 7:30 a.m., he's finally at his job as a program manager at the U.S. Department of Justice.

 

Here's his story:

The next time I get to work before my car heater kicks in, I'll be thinking of Thurmond Alford.