Into the Dark

As I headed back to work this week, there were record breaking warm weather days for January in Philadelphia. There is something unfair about that. Not to worry, I made sufficient use of the beautiful weather, riding into work one day, running at lunch most days.

Riding in the Dark
With newly acquired bike helmet mounted headlamp (Headtrip 3.0), I left my house at 6am. The darkness was solid given a 7:23am sunrise forecast. A patch of fog 50 meters from my home colludes with my Headtrip to excessively illuminate the immediate 4 feet in front of me, turning the rest of the world into an unseen chasm of darkness. My sleepy dull senses sharpened quickly as my bicycle, responding to gravity, pulled me quickly downhill through the chilling fog. Further jolted awake by an undetected pothole, I make a wide, gradual turn on to more downhill darkness. I strain my eyes through my mist covered glasses in an effort to survey the road for critters which would not show themselves through the fog until the last possible moment. After less than 1/2 mile of a 20 mile ride, logic and instinct send signals to turn around and give up this venture, but the fog begins to clear as I begin to climb out of this swale into the warm morning air.