Originally published Saturday, July 26, 1997

By CECELIA GOODNOW
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Long commute is price for living in rural splendor

For many families, the price of paradise is a 12-hour day. A typical commuter working 8-to-5 in Seattle leaves home around 6:30 a.m. for the 7:10 ferry and returns on the 5:25 boat, reaching home around 6:30 p.m.

Harvey North, 41, father of six boys ages 6 to 19, is part of the "kiss and ride" corps, chauffered to the ferry each morning by his wife, Crystal, from their home near Murden Cove. In Seattle, he takes the Metro bus to Airborne Express on Western Avenue, where he is human resources director, then takes the waterfront trolley back to the boat at night.

"I don't want to make it sound too appealing," North said, "but I can't think, realistically, of a better way to get to work. The only drawback is living by the schedule."

Wendy Hufnagle, 38, a research scientist at PathoGenesis, said there are some perks to the long commute.

"There's decompression time on the way home," she said. "You relax, you tell jokes, you can get something to eat if you want. I've met more people on the boat outside my field, which is very difficult for a scientist. On the boat, the playing field is leveled."

Hufnagle, who used to commute with her 3-year-old daughter, Ashley, added that kids are a sure-fire icebreaker.

"Everybody knows your child," she said. "In fact, they follow your pregnancy. People come up and say, 'Did you have your baby? Is it a boy or a girl?' You don't know them, but you feel like you do."

Of course, a lot of commuters would gladly stay home, but Bainbridge Island doesn't offer many family-wage jobs. Given the high cost of living, island teachers and police can't easily afford to live here.

But resourceful people have found alternatives. Half the island's licensed businesses are home-based. They include everyone from lawyers and accountants to herb-vinegar bottlers and child-care providers.