Biking in Bend.

Ok, too much stuff is happening in life for a really good write up on this....but there was a Bend trip.  There was a good amount of biking involved.  I'll try to do it justice later, but for now here are some pics.

There was general biking around town....in this case over to Deschutes for the brewery tour.  Note the buffered bike lane!

There was mountain biking on great single track.

There were hot toddies at the electric bike shop!

Before we headed out on the hot toddy Christmas ride.

Everybody had the bikes decked out with lights, bells, tinsel, etc.

The ride ended under the Hwy 20 bridge...which seems lame, until you are told there was a cargo bike with a very large sound system on it.  This turned into a bike light dance party.  The culvert acted as a nice base amplifier!

Verdi Loop Night ride....well, kinda.

This was the route I took home last night from a house warming party out in Mogel.  Basically, it's a portion of the Verdi loop.  I had the advantage of driving out in the car with Wifey.  However, she headed out a bit early because she has been power working (20 hours) over the weekend and was ready for bed.  I stayed on to enjoy the home brewed hard cider and company.  Fortunately, this problem had been anticipated and I had strategically stashed a bike in the back of the car for the trip home.  I ended up departing about 8:15 just as it was going from dusk to dark.

Fortunately there are really good bike lanes along the entire route.

It was actually fun and relaxing to do a solo night ride.  The bike lanes are great in this section and with good front and rear lights and light traffic it's kind of a zen ride.

A blurry picture that illustrates you are definitely riding in a non-lighted area.  A good front (and rear) light makes this a non-issue.

 

Good light or not...there are some really dark areas out here.  However, the bike lane makes it a little better.

And just so you don't feel alone while riding at night....you get to pass this other rider every 1000ft or so!

So don't let the early darkness keep you from sneaking in that late evening ride.  You might be surprise how enjoyable it can be!

Bikes, lights, and beer....1st annual Blinky ride in Carson.

Just saw this over at BikeCarson.com.  Check out his site for details on the start location, time, and stop offs.  Sounds like a good time!