159: The last ride

I went on a bike ride today, and I genuinely think it was my first one since late September, which is a little sad, but at least I got back out there.

I rode up Cerro San Luis, but I decided to do so in the dark, which was fun, and introduced a new set of challenges.

I'm very familiar with both the fire road up, and Rock Garden, the down, so I wasn't too worried about finding/picking a line or getting caught off-guard by something, but it sure is a totally different sport when all you can see is a little beam directly ahead of your front tire. Corners were honestly the scariest, because the beam of the flashlight didn't curve around to the trail until I was already on the way out of the corner, so I just had to hope and trust that it was the way I though it was.

It was really crowded, so I had to pass probably two dozen hikers on the way down, but that was less of a nightmare than I would have expected. Everyone heard or saw me coming (I had a bell), and everyone got out of the way, which was great.

I'm sure it seemed like I was totally out of control, and this is one of those trails where I kind of am, and that's just how the trail goes, but I didn't hit anyone, and I was never at risk of hitting anyone (except a stupid dog who tried to hit me on the way up).

It was honestly a really fun ride, and I did the whole thing, from Santa Lu, to the top, and back, in an hour and 10 minutes, which is pretty good. It really isn't all that long, but it's a great trail, and I've learned it's also a ton of fun in the dark.