Wow. I'm lucky to be alive. I mean, I guess we all are kind of lucky to be alive just from a philosophical point of view. But I just tempted fate in a major way (as if I don't regularly while hanging off 1/4 inch bolts stuck in a wall 60 feet off the cold, hard ground). I biked over to my friend's house, and about 2 blocks from my home, I realized I hadn't yet fixed my light onto my bike. Fuck it, I thought, I've come too far.
Turns out, my friend lives on a country road about 3 miles from where I stay. It was bright evening daylight when I left. A few hours, three beers, and a large glass of scotch later, it was nearly pitch-black.
I turned on my red rear light, hoping cars on my side of the road would see me with enough time to veer away into the ditch, sparing my selfish, foolish life, and took off into the dark night. Scorpio beckoned me home. I should, at this point, also mention I had taken my right contact out in the morning because it was irritating me. So I'm squinting along the road, trying to follow the faded or nonexistent white line indicating the shoulder. I'm glancing back every so often to check for approaching headlights. The alcohol is making me swerve ever so slightly. Plus, I can barely see the pavement. I turn off the country drive onto a sort-of main road and cross the bridge. Even the reflectors are invisible because I don't have a forward-facing light.
I thought for the briefest moment: Maybe I can hold my cell phone aloft and get some light that way, before realizing that would be stupidly pointless and would cause me to take one of my much-needed hands off the slightly misaligned handlebars (I'd forgotten I hadn't yet adjusted my bike handlebars and gears after getting new grips), so I abandoned the phone idea.
Every so often, I'd have to pull off the road to let a car zip past. They slowed down about two feet from me when they saw me. Did I mention I was wearing a black fleece jacket and no helmet? (Good lord, could I ask Death any more directly to sweep me away?)
Finally up ahead, I saw soft, orange illumination. But lo, it was only one street light before a lengthy stretch of curvy, shoulder-less road. The light served only to whisk away my precious night-vision, cultivated through decayards of perilous pedaling.
After a grim while, I got to the main road which was, thankfully, lighted well enough that I could see the road surface. I was also visible to cars from a good pace back. I finally felt safe. Sort of.