dahut

Recently, my headlight went "kablooey!" stopping me from commuting home after dark.

I don't live in a city, where commute's pass through lit streets and intersections.
My commute carries me through genuine backass country, the darkest part of South Carolina farmland. There are no lights along my way, except that which I have with me. The dark becomes palpable and looming beyond the glow of my LEDs.
Things are hidden that can harm, other things are heard - but not seen.

SO for good reason, I am waiting on the parts needed to get my light back into operation.

But, on the drive home tonight, I had a peculiar feeling come over me that I was cheating. Here I was in my truck, zipping along at 55, when I should be riding. I missed the calm of the ride. The more I thought about it, I came to realize that I missed the thrill of riding in the quiet, looming dark.
At one point along the way, I got off the road, shutdown my vehicle and got out.

I stood there listening to the cool night, smelling the air and enjoying the light breeze. I longed for the ride.
It was surreal - I had never experienced it this way.

I think I've passed a milestone.

robyr

I know what you mean. My light's batteries drained over the day at work last week, and I had to stay late at the plant to finish a changeover for VoIP, so when I left at 8:30 I had no lights except my tail light and a REALLY crappy single LED backup light. I thought about asking for a ride, but it was only a thought. Started riding down HWY 123 and felt pretty unsafe, but as I got on the side road to my home in Central, I couldn't help but feel like a kid again. Lights? Who needs to see things and junk

Where at is this "genuine backass country" in South Carolina? The only place I can think of that might fit this bill, at least in the upstate, is Walhalla, or maybe Fountain Inn

dahut

Depends on how you define 'backass country'. I said it that way for the myriad of folks who really dont traverse anything like it, as an illustration.
Many people commute in urban environments; from reading the responses here, I'd say it's most. I live in Aiken County and my route takes me through farming country - cows and corn fields. Much of the area between Augusta and Columbia fits this description and it can be downright inky out there at night.

enigmaT120

I ride through the freaking woods. This time of year I could probably stay on the road sans headlight just by star light or the moon, but one year I was running the the Hood to Coast and my headlamp battery died, then so did my spare. It was a cloudy night on a gravel road and I ran off the road twice before I gave up and started walking. It gets really dark out there.

I carry a spare headlight on my bike now, in case something happens to my cygolite. It's not as bright but I could get home, just not as fast as usual.

dahut

A spare is something that I am scraping around for now!