Originally Posted by
wipekitty
Many of us in the Northern Hemisphere are now experiencing quite a bit of darkness: where I live, we are now under 10 hours between sunrise and sunset.
So, tell us about your adventures in the dark! Are you still riding and walking? Where did you go - for transportation or for fun? Pictures of bikes in the dark are always welcome as well!
My Adventure in Darkness tonight was a short (9 mile) ride from work on some paved trails and through an industrial area, with a stop to pick up a few pounds of coffee for the household. I left work two hours after sunset, so it was good and dark. It was dry today and the temperature was right around freezing, so it was actually kind of a nice night to ride!
My town recently installed a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks, making it easier to ride from one part of town to the other. I decided to stop for a photo:
I rode over the bridge late this afternoon but it wasn't dark yet. I took the bike lane along Rose St. to take the kitten to the vet by the DQ because I didn't know how she would take the ride but she was great and didn't make a peep. It's not finished yet but near the start by KFC there was a DOT truck and I asked them if it went all the way through to Onalaska so I could go to the vet. The guy said yes, but you didn't hear it from me. It's not finished at the intersections to getting on or off the Interstate or going down to Nutbush, but I was able to get across. There is a wide bike lane/walkway on both sides of the bridge over the railroad tracks (I think both sides) and a 3 foot concrete wall separates it from the highway. It's a nice, safe way to ride but I'm sure some cyclists will demand they have the right to ride on the highway itself. It's a straight shot for me though going to Onalaska and took maybe a mile and a half off my trip to the vet.
I did come back the long way over the bridge though because at the start of the bike lane by KFC there was nothing there that said it was closed or not open yet but when I got to the other side of the bridge there was a ribbon across the trail so legitimately I could not claim I didn't know the bike lane wasn't open yet. Besides, the kitten was such a champ that taking her back the long way made no difference to her.
(I see in your photo there is a train coming towards you. There must be 7 or 8 tracks there under the bridge.)