Commuting by Bike to the Eastside

I'm Scott. I'm the webmaster at JRA in addition to my real job in software development. I live in north Seattle but I work on the Eastside so I commute every day, rain or shine, by bike.
It's a lot easier to commute by bike between north Seattle & the Eastside than people realise, so I want to start my portion of the blog with some tips.

1. Out of service buses are free. Metro & Sound Transit buses that are out of service (usually marked TERMINAL, EB, or BB) will stop for cyclists and carry you for free across the 520 bridge between Montlake and Evergreen Point/Yarrow Point & vice versa. Make sure you hit the flashing light button at the Eastside stops so the driver sees you and stops. Hard to explain, but really obvious when you are at the stop.
2. Get an ORCA Card. Outside of rush hours there aren't many out of service buses. Get an ORCA card  and load it with $5 or so. It's easy to stash in your saddlebag and saves you having to worry about carrying exact fare. Some bus drivers take pity on us and wont charge a fare, but they are supposed to charge, so don't just "expect" a free ride on an in-service bus.
3.  Don't be scared about loading or unloading your bike on the bus. I was a little scared the first time, but it's easier than you think. Metro has a website that will take you through in detail.  If you're the first bike on the rack, load in the front-most position so the driver has a visual clue that he has an extra 5' sticking out beyond the front of the bus. 
4. Use OneBusAway on your mobile device. OneBusAway has realtime arrival information for every stop in the area so you'll know when the next buses are really arriving. Really helpful if you need a specific bus to get you all the way to your destination. 
5. Combine bike & bus. Say you live in Green Lake, work in Bellevue and don't feel like arriving at work all sweaty. Cruise down the hill to Montlake and get on the 271 or the 243 to take you the rest of the way to work. I bet it'll be quicker than driving.
6. Use Google Map's cycling directions. Here are ways to get to & from Evergreen Point from both Bellevue, and the 520 Bike trail. To get to Kirkland, follow the 520 directions, but you'll come chop the directions at  Lake Washington Blvd.

End of the 520 Bike trail to Evergreen Point
This takes you along Northup Way which can be a little intimidating & up NE Points drive, a little steep but you'll make it. Google Maps thinks NE 33rd St is a road. It's a nice mixed use trail through the woods just north of 520. When you get to the end, go around the traffic circle to your left & look for the  continuation of the trail before the 520 overpass. The 520 trail is the one that will get you to Overlake, Microsoft and then down the hill into Redmond.
Evergreen Point to the 520 Bike trail
Google Maps gets confused here. There's a footpath from the bus stop to the school. Go through the school parking lot to NE 28th & follow that downhill to the end where it becomes a mixed use trail that takes you to 84th Ave NE. Follow that over 520 and take the footpath just after the on-ramp. Google thinks that's NE 33rd, but it's just  trail.
Alternatively you can stay on the bus to the Yarrow Point stop and follow the directions from NE 92nd.
Bellevue to Evergreen Point
Again, Google thinks 79th Ave NE is a road. It's the little trail to your left just after you go over 520
Evergreen Point to Bellevue 
This one's pretty correct. Just make your way through the school parking lot to find NE 28th st.
 
 Good luck. You'll find riding your bike is way better than sitting in all that traffic. I'll be back soon with some other tips to join Seattle & the Eastside.