Originally Posted by
wipekitty
Tonight's night ride was a bit of an experiment.
My dad died three years ago today (and honestly, I would not have remembered the date except that my mom has brought it up every time we've talked for the last two months.) Dad was usually pretty low key, but had this crazy self-sufficient tough guy streak - he had been a Green Beret. I picked it up.
So as a memorial I decided to do something that seemed kind of crazy and tough to me, and took my single speed up a hill in the dark after work. Nothing too crazy - the road had a wide shoulder, and I use lights/reflective equipment but assume that the vehicles cannot see me. It was not as scary as I thought, and once the traffic quit...amazing. Definitely worth doing again.
I'm sorry to hear about your dad, that's still pretty recent for you. Unless such a date happens to coincide with a birthday or holiday, or unless somebody reminds you, in time it tends to slip away from memory. My dad died 47 years ago, the second month of my freshman year at college. He was a 100% disabled vet from WWII and so I went to college on the GI Bill because of that.
What hill did you go on? I would venture a guess after you posted a picture of the bridge because it's otherwise so flat here in the city. If that's the hill it is not a huge one but a tough one on a single speed bike and it's a nice coast down though.