Night Falls On The Monon

The Monon is a greenway/trail, which I had never biked on until Thursday evening. The plan was to meet Candy at 96th Street at 6 p.m. and then proceed north on our bikes. I arrived at 5:45 and spent time testing my brand new pedals and derailleur for the first time before the "official" start of our ride. Candy arrived at 6 and shortly thereafter we were en route.

I asked Candy about the route in a conversation a few days prior to our ride to find out if there would be any potential obstacles. If you know me, you know that occasionally I require a "workaround". Outdoor activities such as biking, hiking (OK, perhaps I should just call it walking) are prime examples of times when I might require a workaround in the form of a detour. On the up side, it adds more miles to a bike ride or walk, which is good in terms of physical fitness, but on the downside it has the potential to inconvenience others. That is why I always make the attempt to discuss this matter beforehand.

Our ride started out simply enough, we rode while chatting and admiring the scenery. An obstacle did appear that required a detour. I thought Candy would notice, I had stopped biking. I waited several minutes to see if she would notice and return. Then, I picked up my cell to call her, and at the same time she was calling me.

I waited for her to ride back to my location. I was in the exact same spot I was as when she left. We resolved my concerns and were on our way once again.

Candy thought it would be nice to stop to eat. Generally, I prefer to eat after a bike ride or other physical activity has ended, but I wanted a cola and to try Bub's Burgers & Ice Cream restaurant in Carmel. I do not eat burgers, but thankfully Bub's has a good grilled chicken sandwich and very fresh sandwich bread (something that I do not encounter often in casual dining establishments).

I would say that this delayed us more than anything else that occurred during our ride, and led to us biking on the Monon in near darkness. There was one point where we rode through a brightly lit tunnel and the contrast between that and the darkness that was directly outside the tunnel's opening was dramatic. I am a night person, but I try to avoid biking at night. On this ride, part of me felt at one with the night and with nature (well, except for the bugs). It was creepy at times, but it also was exciting.

Before concluding, I must add I was impressed with the care the developers put into the Carmel section of the Monon.
I've driven by parts of the Monon in Indy and I don't recall any looking as good as the sections in Carmel and beyond. I will definitely ride there again, but will make sure I start out early enough. Oh, and there will still be a meal, it just will occur after the ride.