Thursday Night Lights Foggy Delights

Caught up to Nelson as we were both driving up Mt Pleasant Rd. Parked on Parkridge. Fog was building on the top of Mt Pleasant, half way down Britten (whereas the rest of the hills were clear, d'oh)  

Got riding up the tarmac and in through the Upper Major Hornbrook entrance into Britten, good climb up here, into the fog, amazing light as the sun was setting as we rode, glowing through the fog behind the Macrocarpas as we cruised around the front.  Dusty.  Across the road and up over the fence above the cutting, dropping down to Cavendish Saddle, getting confused by trails here, but taking the non-zigzag Crater Rim trail (that i rode last time i was up here) behind the Gondola.  Down the steps, blop blop blop blop, then rocky tech fun down and along fencelines etc to the top of the Bridle Path top.  

Up the Crater Rim walk track, climbing til we couldn't anymore, then walking a bit, then riding like being drunk through lack of light induced loss of balance.  Light finally failing when we stopped for a break at the peak.  Fog had followed us to here, making it super moody.  

Lights on, low (to save battery I didn't know how much of I'd have), and down the poppity steppy rocks, baulking on one, but rolling the rest nicely...  Into the climb, I think I made about the same progress as Tuesday, heigh-wise, meanwhile Nelson clambered right up to the corner...  Rolling again, trying to use minimal light, and thereby failing a bunch, finally lighting up good and rolling down around and up to the entrance from Castle.  Into the Tors descent, fun times, dabbing a couple extra times to Tuesday, Nelson blasting out ahead.  Definitely bonier than the past.  

Up the road and into Castle Rock.  Excellent blast down this, not quite as raily as Tuesday but not far off.  Climb was slower but smoother.  Out onto the road, no lights for a while, just basking in the glow of the city, but under the Gondola we started seeing things and so lit the scene for the rest of the way to avoid riding off the cliff.  Through into Cavendish Saddle, and up the trail towards Mt Pleasant, dropping down to the road where we'd come up earlier.  

Around original line of Britten staying below the road, then into the descending blast.  Dust and fog, left at the hairpin across the face and dropping funtimes down down rocky tech at the bottom and out to the cars...  

Good spin, 12kms, worthy 455m climbed

Let it be noted here that I had not a single night ride in 2020 (due to my back).  This was the first since September 2019