just a breeze....or?

Last night, I went a-riding. I was looking forward to it and assumed the guys would want to bust our regular move, which means nothing too taxing. We normally ride from Herb’s place over to Griffith Park on surface streets, through the park, up Trash-Truck Hill, up Mt. Hollywood canyon past the gate, to the observatory and back down. I was prepared for this, and although I tore my legs down with weights Tuesday night, I figured I could power through last night’s ride effectively. Little did I know that the men wanted to mix things up a bit.

Mark, Jason, Eddie, Herb and I took off from Herb’s curb a little after 6:00pm and followed our usual route starting out, Riverside Drive to Victory Blvd. It was already dark enough for me to turn the HID on. I swear by that light. It’s as bright as a car headlight and worth every penny. Should you ever decide to take up night riding (or if you are thinking a double century is in your future) you must have a good light! Don’t skimp on this item, as buying a HID at a discounted price could mean a compromised battery. You’re better off just parting with your hard earned money from the get-go and getting the latest-n-greatest model. Trust me on this.

As we turned right on Victory Blvd., we were met by Nick, boy-toy-eye-candy-puppy (my nickname for him). This guy is 24 years old and new to cycling. Like all 20-somethings, he believes he’s invincible, and the moment he joined, the pace picked up drastically. Throw a young buck in the mix, and men will amp the speed every time. I was in no mood last night to hammer, and I watched helplessly as they took off on the now pitch-black bike path and quickly became tiny, blinking red lights in the distance. Lucky for me, Herb, my good friend whom I truly appreciate (I even told him that last night a few times while riding in the darkness!), stayed with me. It was eerie riding along the LA River. I love riding at night. The experience is so unique. Every sense is heightened, and as we rode through tunnels, past the awnings on walk-way bridges, and with the cars speeding by within feet of us on the 5 Freeway, I felt as if I was on some strange new ride at an amusement park. Every shape in that kind of overwhelming darkness is exaggerated and the electric towers along the path hung above us like unearthly beasts in the shadows. I was a tad more nervous last night than usual. My eyesight is perfect (for the most part) and I have no issue in daylight, but I’ve always suffered a little with night-blindness, and this makes for dangerous second-guessing on a bike. If there is a moon out, I can manage it, but in pitch-black darkness, sailing forward on gray concrete…scary. I took the speed back a notch. The run out on the bike path was intended to be a “treat” – to stretch our legs and provide more miles - but I thought it more a scary, pre-Halloween “trick.” I tried taking photos but there was no way to capture the lights and strange shapes in the distance that is visible only to the naked eye.

Once we finally caught up to the speedsters, who were waiting at the end of the path, I was hoping for a quick retrieve to catch my breath. Nope. The moment we arrived, the competitors were off without so much as allowing me to turn my bike back in the direction we were headed…and again, they vast became blinking lights in the distance. Sigh. You add a 24 yr old male to the group and the testosterone levels soar beyond containment. Herb, still hanging with the “girl,” was shaking his head as well. What happened to our easy-going night ride? We both chuckled.

Once off the bike path and into the park, I figured the darkness would improve. Nope, even darker and now going where, I wasn’t sure. Eddie decided to up the intensity of the ride, and I misunderstood him when he told me at the beginning of the ride there would be a little more climbing. The same neighborhoods we normally descend, the insanely steep ones where I ride my brakes down the hills to maneuver safely, was what Eddie took us up! I wanted to kill him. There was “only a little more climbing,” but brutally steep! My poor, wasted legs (from the night before) began screaming immediately. Good thing that I can get the upper hand and generally force them to keep moving. It wasn’t until we had winded through those quiet streets with unique homes crammed together like overpriced sardines - (really, these homes are so odd in that you know they cost a fortune, but since there is no room to build out, they build up, creating these three and four story, modern homes mingled with quaint one-story structures. Only in LA!) - and were dumped on the road past the Greek Theatre that my right quad got the better of me. Within just ¼ mile of completing the climb to the Observatory (the back route), I had to stop, unclip and rub my right thigh. Maybe I’ll not work my legs with weights next Tuesday night!



Finally, we arrived at the top by the Observatory. A dense fog smothered the valley below us, so other than a few city lights in the distance, the views were oppressive. The Observatory is always lovely to see at night, and although I still wanted to kill Eddie and the other men (except Herb), I was flying high (endorphin fix, yay!). From there it was a short (but oh so painful, last night) climb up the back of Mt. Hollywood Canyon and a descent down the front. Did I mention how dark out it was? Here is where it went from eerie to creepy. There was a light breeze last night and as we rode through that silent canyon, I could hear rustling in the bushes and what sounded like nonhuman footsteps all around. I imagined creatures from the grave scavenging for any fresh blood they could find, and I kept wishing I could could manuever those pot-holed curves better and faster! I focused on the spectacular city-lights views (around the corners along that road) to take my mind off what could be lurking just within inches outside the circle of light from my HID. Even with the fog, the lights out over the valley were sparkling along the horizon.



At the gate, which we hopped, a decision was made that we’d take Forest Lawn back. I love that route as it reminds me of when I first started night-riding with a group who use to take that street. We hit a nice pace home, and I ended up with close to 28 miles. I was wiped out but happy to have ridden. The combination of the moon-less night and eerie paths and canyons along the way were exhilarating. And, as usual, my lone companion who stuck with me was fantastic company.

Nothing like a good, eerie night ride!

Here are more of the pics I took: http://www.flickr.com/photos/merider/sets/72157607184621643/