Night Riding

The dark days of winter are upon us. Okay, it's hard to call the weather conditions in Southern California "wintery." Warm Santa Ana-style high pressure kept our weather dry and warm for most of January and February. Many of the warm sunny days were followed by cloudless and temperate nights. If you can't get out during the day, these are ideal conditions for exploring trails at night. Yes, the weeks before the return of daylight savings are the perfect time for night rides or twilight/night rides. Invest in a light and rediscover your favorite trails. Night riding allows a whole new perspective - ride under the moon and the stars and take in everything the nocturnal world has to offer.
I particularly like riding narrow, canopied and confined trails with plenty of turns and surprises. The Lizard Trail is a great example. On trails like this, it's easy to get lost in the darkness and desolation. Even if you have ridden the trail countless times before, you tend to lose your bearings. As the cellular memory and the cognitive map gets lost in the darkness, the experience becomes completely immediate and absolutely sensory. For a few moments you forget where you are and forget where you are going. You just keep riding through the dark...and going along by dead reckoning.