The Towpath at Night, and a Ride with the Old Guys

 Delaware River north of Stockton

28 September 2015

Marty P led a towpath ride last night.  It was billed as an eclipse ride, although it would be over before moonrise.  That didn't matter, though, because the clouds were too thick to see anything last night anyway.

We started at 6:00.  Sunset wasn't until after 7:00, so we made it to our turn-around spot north of Stockton while there was still a little light.  My camera makes it look brighter out than it actually was.

We all had our lights on by that point.  Dave C has a nifty tail light that projects a lane around his rear wheel.

Once we got moving again, though, the three of us with ridiculously bright headlights dimmed his lines considerably.

It was dark.

I mean, dark.

No streetlights, no light from above, just dark.

This was the first time I've ever had to look avoid running over frogs.

The towpath was dry, and we kicked up dust. A fine mist of it shone in front of our lights.

Dave said, "Well, what do you think?"

"I think," I said, "That I didn't have any coffee today."  I was a little nervous, never having had to navigate between fence posts at street crossings on the canal in the dark before.  I was also the only one with mountain bike tires, so I had to work harder to keep up with the pace Marty had set.

Dave loves this ride.  He's going to take over leading it, and he plans to carry it well into December.

"It's gonna be cold!" I said.

"You ride in the cold," he reminded me.

"Yeah, but..."

"And in the rain."

"Not on purpose!"

We had started across from the Grace Presbyterian Church on River Avenue in Titusville.  The parking lot faces the river.  I tried to get a picture in the dark.

"Does your camera work in the dark?"  Joe asked.

"We'll find out."

No, it doesn't.  So I messed with the color adjustment in order to be able to make something of it:

"That was the weirdest ride I've ever done," I told Jack when I got home.  I'm not sure I'll do it again.

*****

Jack and I are leaving for our summer vacation in the Finger Lakes tomorrow.  I took today off and went to the Old Guys Ride out of Etra Park.  It was either that or another hilly ride to see Cheryl off to Florida.  We decided that a flat, easy-paced ride with Team Social Security would be perfectly fine by us.

There were nineteen people on the ride.  Al P was leading.  I asked him, "How do you lead nineteen people and not go bonkers?"  He answered that it is a little nerve-wracking.

We went to the new deli in New Egypt.  It's a biker-friendly place, with seating indoors and out.  The owners even put more chairs out for us.  The coffee is good (and strong!).  I shared a final (really this time) muffin with Cheryl.  It was chocolate, and as good as they generally get these days.

I had more caffeine in my system than the ride warranted. On the final stretch, Disbrow Hill Road, I tried to burn it off.  It didn't really work.  It's five hours later and I still have a serious buzz.

If I'm going to blog about a ride, I need at least one picture, so here's Kermit and the new Prius:

We'll be taking the car on its first road trip tomorrow.  The plan is to visit a lot of wineries, the Corning Museum of Glass, Watkins Glen, and whatever else we have time for.  I've boosted my mobile data plan for the trip so that I can be my own wifi hotspot and upload pictures for the blog every day.  This will be a bike-free trip, because I do have a life without wheels.  Sometimes.