It's been dark and cold when I bike to Pullman early (6:30am), and it's increasingly darker and colder when I come home in the afternoon. I can be certain that it will only get darker and colder as winter approaches.
I added a new bike light to my arsenal against the Palouse darkness. My old light has a broken high beam; the low beam does little to penetrate the blackness. I mount this to the handlebars as a back up in case my fancy, new helmet light gives out on me. This light is about 180 lumens and lights the trail nicely. Because it's mounted to my helmet, I can easily view up the trail or to the sides, catching any suicidal bunnies, quail, ducks or other critters laying in the grass ready to spring out at me. This week's video shows me biking at night with my new light. When I put my hand in front of the light, I get a monster-hand effect. Notice the night-rider: someone biking in total darkness without a light. You'll have to look carefully to see him. I didn't see him until he was right in front of me.
I also bought a product to re-proof my wet weather gear against the rain. I made the mistake of washing Polartec with regular detergent. The material no longer repels water like it did when the clothes were new. We'll see if I've managed to rejuvinate the water proofing. I almost look forward to the next ride in the rain. I won't need to wait long...
