Ride Report: Mid-Fall Celebration Night Ride

“Did anybody see a guy on a horse with a pumpkin!”

“Hey!  It’s really dark out here!”

“This is great!”

“Do not say the word that starts with R!”

Eight of us met in Hollonville to do the annual Mid-Fall (Samhain) Celebration Night Ride.  I love this one.  It’s Fall.  It’s dark.  It’s a real “Sleepy Hollow” ride.

Before I go any farther, I’d like to make an observation, in the form of a question.  Has anyone else noticed that Flat Shoals Road is uphill in both directions?

Speaking of hills…  It’s an interesting phenomenon, hills don’t seem to be so bad at night.  Perhaps this is because we can’t see them ahead, can not see how tall they are, can’t anticipate how long or how bad the hill will be.

All that said, there were eight of us, and everyone was grinning at the start.  There would be no moon during the time we would be out, and the sky was completely overcast.  Add to that, the country we rode through is more remote, less populated.  It was dark out!

We saw very little traffic, and what little we encountered treated us well, gave us a good respectful amount of room.

We proceeded out of Hollonville and down to Concord with little trouble.  This part of the ride was more quiet, as folks were warming up to the ride.  By the time we left Concord there were conversations and laughter going on throughout the group.

Eventually we got down into Flat Shoals Road.  Just after crossing the Flint River, we climbed a bit and then made the turn onto Covered Bridge Road.  From that turn it is three and a half miles of unpaved road.  The road surface varied from good firm easy hard pack , to gravel covered somewhat sketchy, washboard.  I will state here that everyone present was on some kind of road bike, and no one burst into flames, or crashed, on the dirt road part of the ride.  Some of the less experienced got a bit quiet, but all made it through this ordeal with flying colors.  Some of us (most) were laughing and joking all the way along this section.

The dirt road part of this ride is wonderful.  You can’t see a light anywhere.  There are no illuminated houses, no dogs, and no cars!

The weather cooperated with us marvelously too.  It was cool, but not cold, and everyone seemed to have dressed exactly right for the conditions.  Yes, we experienced an occasional drop of moisture falling from the sky, but the rain waited until we finished the ride!

Present were Jim, Kelvin, Dan, Travis, Courtenay, Scott, Chris,  and your correspondent.  Two of our group had not done this ride before.  Six of us were repeaters.  Interesting thing that.  Seems like there actually are folks (other than me) who actually enjoy this kind of challenge.

I love the night, and had a great time with this group.  I’d do it again tomorrow, and the comments I got seemed to echo that sentiment.

P.S.  For those detail oriented among us...
Distance:  32.5 miles
Time:  2:29
Rolling Average:  13.0 mph