Dawn. Venus was still bright.
Reminiscent of nights gone by
Once again, riding in the dark
Eyes shine ahead
Coyotes and cows are split
By a sharp beam of light
Scamper into darkness
Only owls break the silence
As cold air rolls off the mountains
Splashing over the levee
Drenched in frigid air
Consumed by darkness
Sagebrush, cottonwood, and Jupiter rising.
Cottonwoods reach down and grab at you in the dark.
Light from a creature or spirit up ahead.
Dusk with lots of colorful particulate in the air.
Off Center & Not Even 
I love these nighttime view with the beam of light showing the way and lighting the sides up like that. Wonderful shots.
Thanks, Dale.
Like being there! I can smell the sagebrush. Thanks for sharing your night adventure!
Thanks, Michele.
Your poem reminds me of driving back to game lodges in the dark after a bush drive.
Thanks, Roberta.
Wonderful words and pics.
Highly atmospheric pictures and words……
Thanks, Janet.
I really like your poem. It’s so vivid.
Thanks, Liz.
You’re welcome, Tim.
I loved this Timothy, words and images!
Thanks, Sylvia.
wow I could feel the poem, the cold, the fleeting of the coyotes and cows. Great pis to captures the feelings, Tim💕
Thanks, Cindy.
you’re so welcome Tim
💕
Riding a bike at night has its advantages! 😉
Poem and shots are exceptional.
It does. Thanks, Marina.
That must be a nuclear-powered bike light. I like that you captured Venus as a crescent.
And that’s on the second lowest setting. The brightest setting is 1200 lumens. I have used NightRider bike lights since the 90s. They have gotten much smaller, and a lot brighter, at a fraction of the cost of days of old. Thanks, Brad.
I may have to upgrade my light. The one I have only lasts about 30 minutes on a moderate/high setting, maybe 45 on a more modest setting.
Here are the run times on my NR Lumina 1200 boost:
Low – 6:00h at 275 Lumens
Med – 3:00h at 550 Lumens
High – 1:30h at 1000 Lumens
Boost – 1:00h at 1200 Lumens
The light retails for $170. I got mine new for $70 on eBay.
Wow! My current one is a 600 lumen light, which is usually strobing for my daytime riding.
Here’s the run times for you flashers:
Pulse Flash – 10:00h at 1000 Lumens
Fast Flash – 6:30h at 1000 Lumens
S.O.S. – 18:00h at 1000 Lumens
Beacon – 18:00h at 1000 Lumens
Feels about right. That’s how often I have to charge it up.
Very nice bike light! Now, some say running at night among the TRoAE is dangerous, but taking shots while riding at night…even I’m not that crazy ha!
Still Crazy after all these years. It’s amazing how quite it becomes in the darkness. Thanks, Brian.
I think I would be a little too spooked to go out riding in the night, you are a brave man, Tim!
It is a little bit spooky with the bosque right there. Thanks, Tiffany.
Cracking shots, Tim. Never stop impressing me, mate.
Thanks, Inchie.
A beautiful dawn sky and poem, Tim. I like these scenes from your bike. Is your ride a daily routine? Seems like a great time to see all kinds of things. Looks like a relatively safe place to ride and not get run over by cars and trucks. We have that problem living off of a state road. We gave up the bikes.
Thanks, Lavinia. I’ve been riding every afternoon/evening since July. My hips and back were bothering me from walking, so I got back into biking on a mountain bike. No vehicular traffic on the levee and ditch banks, except for the occasional fire truck monitoring the Bosque. It’s so dry and sandy the riding is getting to be quite difficult.
Tim on his Astrobike, pedalling through the galaxies.
Hahaha! Thanks, Geoff.
So cool where you live!
Thanks for the pics, Tim! Love ’em! xx
OH, it sure looks spooky to ride your bike!
Lots of darkness all around. Thanks, Resa.
It’s an excellent time for a ride… and the poetry matches the scene. This scene and your words also remind me of my hometown, “Coyotes and cows are split by a sharp beam of light…” is a scene I’ve had back home!
Coyotes and cows are fixtures in rural, wild areas. Thanks, Randall.
Great post Tim!
Thanks, Julie.