Starting in the dark
The weather midweek was so nice, I started thinking that I needed to get out and camp over the weekend. Maybe this was the time to check out Butler State Fishing Lake, we'd passed by the turnoff many times on our rides out to Latham but I had never gone there. So after work Wed. I pulled together my gear and got the bike ready, put the touring tires and front rack on and rode it to work Thursday and Friday to catch any rattles.
Friday I tried to get out of work a little early, knowing that it was going to take a little while getting everything loaded, but I still didn't get home until about 5:30. My wife and daughter were just a bit worried as I said I was leaving that evening.
"You're riding in the dark?"
Of course not, I had my generator head and tail lights, a couple of rear blinkies, and my 6v battery and headlight. That meant I couldn't use my regular touring handlebar pack, but I did a quick test and saw my favorite fanny pack would hook on to the handlebars OK for the majority of the ride when I didn't need my headlights visible.
So I loaded up and got on the road at about 6:30, well past Wichita's "rush minute". But there was still plenty of traffic heading out of town, I was really glad to get out past the 'burbs to the familiar 2 lane road out toward Sante Fe Lake.
The sky was beautiful as I got out into the country, the cresent moon and Venus made an incredible pairing.
The cresent moon and Venus were an enchanting site, a good start to a lovely weekend.
Once I got to the gravel road leading back into the park there was not much light beyond my headlights, it was quiet except for the crunching of the gravel. At that point it was clear that this was the right time to be riding!
I got to the park and checked in home, then set up camp and had a quick dinner. I started my book, The Fixer, and soon enough it was time to crawl into my sleeping bag. The night was getting chilly, reminding me that this was indeed November.
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