Sunset in Delaware. (Photo by FrankginDC)

A few months ago, the U.S. Census Bureau came out with research stating that D.C.-area workers, on average, face the second-longest commutes in the country, at 34.5 minutes each way. That data also said that four percent of area workers are “mega-commuters,” meaning that they travel at least 90 minutes each way.

Well, it appears WTOP might have stumbled upon the biggest winner—or loser, depending on how you judge commutes. Nathan Stanford Sr. works as a computer programmer in the Rosslyn section of Arlington. But he lives about 100 miles away in Harrington, Del. And unlike a certain former senator from the Blue Hen State, Stanford doesn’t get to his office by hopping Amtrak’s Northeast Regional. He takes a painfully long route, one that requires him to get up at 3 a.m. every day. As WTOP describes it:

Stanford’s five-day-a-week journey involves driving from Delaware to a commuter bus lot on Kent Island, Md. The bus takes him to Foggy Bottom in D.C., where he catches a Metro train to Rosslyn. Adding up all his expenses, Stanford says the commute costs about $600 a month.

Well, yes, it’s cheaper than a stack of Amtrak 10-passes, but is it worth it?

Stanford’s family tells WTOP they have issues with his commute. “When Nathan’s alarm goes off in the mornings at 3 o’clock I have to make sure that he hears it,” his wife, Stacey, tells the radio station. Apparently Stanford is a deep sleeper. And his 9-year-old son just says the commute “stinks” because he doesn’t get to see his dad that often.

But Stanford has his reasons for suffering through this depressing daily grind: Delaware has low taxes; he prefers his wife not have to work, which he says she would if they lived in a more expensive place; and his kids can be near other family members, who presumably spend way much more time with Stanford’s children than he does.

Here’s a video of Stanford explaining his miserable route to work:

And if that’s not jarring enough, just look at the map.

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