Twilight in MTRP

I'd blame the rattlesnake, but it's not really his fault. A late start and the approaching autumn equinox are the real reasons I am on the trails after dark. Stopping to nudge the rattler off the trail only delayed me a few minutes.

Soaking in the last of the heat, this guy did not want to move.

I'm on the usual west side route at Mission Trails: Calle Vida to the Rim, out to Portobella, up the climbs beside 52 to the rock ledge below North Fortuna, down e-ticket, through Suycott wash, and up s-turns. The light is decent but fading for the climbs.

As I head down the fall-line fireroads toward e-ticket, the full moon is rising over the Fortunas. It's a dim mirror of early morning rides; the full moon following the sun on a 12-hour delay. I lose the moon as I descend into Suycott wash. No daylight left, either, so now I'm riding by feel and memory.

In the dark, it helps to know the trail.

I'm not alone tonight; a line of riders with lights is descending from the Fortuna saddle. I have a light too, just a little LED headlamp, but it seems like cheating to use it now. Plus, I'd have to stop and get it out of my pack. There's enough light to see the trail by, though not really enough to see rocks in the trail. It wasn't a crash, more of an abrupt dismount. 'Don't go fast at night without lights' shouldn't require an object lesson, but I guess it does. I pick my way through the rock garden.

As I climb s-curves, I make the moon rise again. I figure this is an omen, I am going to clean s-curves in the dark. My rear tire spins out almost immediately - stupid omen.

From the top of s-curves, it's just a little further, mostly fireroad. It's really dark now. Before I leave the park and get back on the roads, I put on my red blinker and headlamp. You'd be crazy to ride on the roads at night without lights.