Each personal social circle is different; the folks/family with whom I spend time generally think I’m at least a little crazy for riding my bicycle places. That sentiment of crazy is pretty much never expressed until it comes to me riding at night. Then the “I can put your bike in my truck and take you home” question/suggestion is sure to arrive, like nocturnal clockwork, every single time.

And every time, as it did last night near Coors and Montano getting ready for the ride back home to the South Valley, I respond with “Night time is the BEST time to ride a bike.” And the questioner/suggestor tries real hard not to look at me like I’m crazy and we soundlessly get on with our parting good-byes.

But it’s true. Night time is the best time. In particular, it’s the absolute best time to ride the Paseo del Bosque (aka “Bosque”) trail, which so very fortunately happens to be near both my South Valley farmette and Coors and Montaño. Why is this the best ride at the best time, you ask?

• It’s not crowded
• I.e., your chances of having to say “On your left” or get passed by someone who does, or doesn’t, say “On your left” is basically zero
• The only “crowd” is the occasional porcupine, coyote, skunk, raccoon
• You just ride faster when the skunk appears
• There’s no blinding sun, which is something you don’t think about much, usually, until you notice how much greater it is to ride without a blinding sun
• The wind has usually died down
• The very, very few walkers/rollers/cyclists you see tend to be just as wary of you as you might be of them
• And, of course, there are no drivers.

I realize that riding the Bosque Trail at night isn’t for everyone, and I also very much realize that as a man I don’t have to tend to worry about men as much. Which is a huge, powerful shame that maybe this species will get over at some point of our hopeful evolution (the man part, I mean). For those who wish they could feel comfortable enough to do it, all I can say is that it’s absoulely the best.

Speaking of best, I am not the best photographer at any time of the day, and offer the following photos from last evening with that caveat, as well as the fact that it was dark and getting darker.

If you do feel comfortable enough, and haven’t had the experience, BB strongly recommends you head out there at your next opportunity. There’s apparently a vague rule that the Trail is only open sunrise to sunset, and I think I saw a sign once, amid the many, many signs one tends to ignore on the Trail, that it’s only open from sunrise to sunset, but the City’s page on the Trail doesn’t mention any time limitation, and, besides, it’s more fun if it’s perhaps vaguely “illegal” anyway.

If BB had 100,000 impressionable readers who actually listened to/followed my recommendations (the number in that subset is fortunately almost precisely zero), riding the Bosque Trail at night wouldn’t be the same, and I could start whining about how “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too popular” ala Yogi, but that outcome is lottery-level unlikely.

Check it out, and give riding at night in general a try if you haven’t before. Just ignore and/or smile at the silent look of “crazy” from those in your social circle.