Tuesday, August 29, 2006

extreme road cycling has taken on a new meaning for me and a cohort. these pictures are to illustrate how dark the bike path had become after 7:30 p.m. the picture with the streetlight (one of the three that were on the 12-mile roundtrip path) is the marker for the start of our journey through the middle section of Sawyer Camp Trail, operated by the San Francisco Water Department & State Fish and Game Reserve. the trail skirts the San Andreas Lake and the Crystal Springs Reservoir. both bodies of water are a ten minute drive south of San Francisco but still on the peninsula, so are relatively close to the major population. the trail is the starting point to a vast array of back roads frequented by roadies that take to the peninsula. i don't recommend riding this trail, even though it is paved, at night without a light. we survived but took roughly 59 minutes to do the relatively flat loop. our only indication that we were still on the trail were the outline of the asphalt in the moonlight as well as the lane dividers painted white. not much to say about pedestrians during the night, as most have chosen the warmth of their homes to the chill of the trail. various wildlife were meandering about the trail like deer, racoons, & squirrels (luckily no mountain lions). though the trail provided dangers because of the low-light condition, the bodies of water were still a sight to see in the moonlight, giving a different glimpse of how this habitat "comes to life" without all the human traffic. i have done this trail before in the day but have a new perspective of how the smells, sights, & sounds come alive in the night. next time, i will bring a helmet light though...

2 comments:

Nettie said...

You guys are very daring! Reminds me of some hikes on Oahu :)

Vincenzo said...

more like scary nettie....whew!...never ever go out into the night on a bicycle without good lighting...hahahaha