Somehow, tonight was not wet and blustery. So an evening ride was in order. Wasn't very long. Only 15.5 miles. But it's been two weeks since I got to ride any distance. So I really enjoyed it. The moon was out and big, so I took a few moon shots. Wish my phone camera was DSLR quality! Moon over fatbike. One thing I noticed about the evening ride. Freakin' gnats are out in force. Because it was dark, I had taken my sunglasses off. Had to ride squinting after the first two flew in. Lucky I blinked in time. Had to keep my mouth closed since I wasn't hungry yet. And not breathe in too big breaths through my nose. They were thick as thieves in some parts. They weren't there on my ride out. A couple even got in my ears. Sheesh. Stopped to take a gear shot with my Fenix BC30 bike light. Rode up to my tai chi tree. Stopped about 60-80 feet away. Maybe a little more. My light is aimed downward so I don't blind people. Here it is on high and turbo. The trunk is 80-90 feet away and the branches are 60-70 feet. Thankful the weather was nice. Had a nice big salad afterwards with some salami and cheese. Wifee saved half a pumpkin cheesecake for me (and was actually going to eat it). So I ate half and saved the rest for her. Even after showering, I still feel like there are gnats on me...
I'm jealous. I usually ride thousands of miles a year...but with all the crap that went on this past year I'm lucky if I even hit 500. One thing to make sure changes again for the better next year.
The first two were what I noticed taking a water break. I saw the moon in the palm trees and stopped for a second to take the picture. As I was riding through a bunch of water, I saw the moon reflected in it. Would have made a really nice picture, but I didn't stop to take it as I didn't feel like standing in a bunch of water. And the light on the tree was a spur of the moment thing. So short answer is if I see something, I might stop and take a picture. Normally, I don't stop when I ride.
you could try one of these sketer covers (made for hunters). If you can't find one let me know, I may have an extra. And they say " you can tell a happy biker by the bugs in his teeth."
Mahalo @kellory, I have. Just never on a bike. Never even thought about using it riding. I just keep my mouth closed. More concerned about my eyes. Will take my clear lens Oakleys next time.
Took another evening ride tonight. Also fifteen miles. This time, I stopped a few times to take some more scenic pictures. Rode along this stream and marsh area for a little bit. Explored a little on a side road. That was fun. It was all dirt and rocks and grass. Rode through some marshy bits and some mud. And also along the coast. Nice ride. No drama. Once it got to dusk, I put my Fenix BC30 bike light on and my Halo Belt on flash. It can also be constant on. It is a great piece of safety equipment. And I really like the bike light. Very bright dual beam. This was after my ride and I took my Hill People Gear Tarahumara pack off. The Halo Belt fits vertically around the pack really well.
I enjoy my evening rides. Today was no exception. Wasn't too long a ride. It was about sixteen miles. I could have been a mile or two shorter, but I decided to take a longer, more roundabout route. I am glad I did. Because if I didn't, I wouldn't have been along the water when this happened. It was the only picture I took during the ride, but I thought the quality made up for the quantity. Also, it is always good to check your back trail and your six. If I didn't, I might have missed this too. Obviously, much nicer live than pictured.
Yeah, it was. It was a little cold on the flat part with some biting cold wind and rain. But it was all good. I heated up on the hills.
Of course I am riding a hog, @AD1. I have a Pedego Trail Tracker 2015 model and a Specialized bike (don't know the model). The Specialized is much faster, but the Trail Tracker is fun! I like going through dirt, mud and sand. And no matter the hill, I know I can make it. That encourages me to ride more, especially where I live, which is really hilly and quite steep in some places.
I ride a Specialized StumpJumper Pro M2 Comp. Its about 12+ years old and I have upgraded it with hydraulic disk breaks about 2 years ago. I currently have a set of "City Tires" on it to ride the canal system here in PHX. When I ride in areas like this photo the dirt tires get swapped.
