A return to town this evening found me on the Vespa after dark. I realized that there is another world to explore with the camera at night. As the weather warms I’ll be heading out in the evenings for some night rides and night photography. It means dragging the tripod along and perhaps a bigger camera but I think it will be worth it.
And I love riding at night through open fields and valleys, especially now when the moon is near full.
I do alot of night scootering. I get off at midnight. My ride home can get to be pretty long, depending on the weather. Same with flying at night. It was nice to sit back and just look at the stars and feel like your the only one on this earth.
I thought about your recent picture of you checking the condition of the street as I rode to work this morning. It was 33 degrees with fog and light drizzle. I was super careful, took an alternate route downtown with less traffic, made ridiculously slow turns, and made it to work just fine. I debated hard in my own mind whether to attempt the ride after, like you, testing the street conditions.
I have a real fond memory of a night ride last summer. I was riding home after teaching a class at about 10:00pm. I passed by the local minor league ballpark on my way home. The game had just finished and they were shooting off some fireworks after the game. The night was crisp and clear and I stopped the scooter for awhile to watch the fireworks. Riding at night is a lot of fun, fireworks or not. Wished I had my camera with me at the time.
Once again, great pictures!!
There are people afraid to travel the Overseas Highway at night, I have no idea why. I enjoy late night overtime as it gives me one more reason to ride Highway One in the dead of night, justme and the Bonneville.
Anonymous: Your thought of feeling like you’re the only one on this earth is exactly right. And I mean that in a good way. There is an amazing connection that happens.
cpa3485: Sounds like you understand the needs of riding in those near freezing conditions. Just be careful. I know that the more experienced I got under my belt the bolder I became in cutting it even closer until I ended up in suddenly changing conditions that I would have never attempted to start with. I’ve stepped back and changed how close I get to the edge.
Your summer night ride sounds fantastic. I can’t wait for that kind of warm night.
conchscooter: Riding at night with water all around must be magic. I envy you.
Night riding certainly has its own set of risks but it is not something I dismiss out of hand. Managed properly it is an acceptable risk.
My biggest concern around is hitting a deer. Or having one hit me.
I knew that eventually I was going to recognize a place where I’ve been in one of your photos! I didn’t actually remember the name of “The Artisan Connection” but when I followed the URL in their window in your shot and saw the inside of the place on their website I remembered being there last year right around this time.
– Joe at Scootin’ da Valley