There’s a 1.3-mile stretch of curvy downhill road on our mountain that’s closed to cars from dawn to dusk. There’s been a local tradition dating back to the ’70s of kids skating it on full-moon nights. Since I can’t skate as well as the kids (can’t slow down enough on steep parts to avoid getting out of control), I use a Carveboard, a very large skateboard with pneumatic tires and a deck that tilts way over so that you can carve deep corners and slow down. I’ve done it before, but not for a few years.
Fall seemed to arrive yesterday, after months of fog, and skies were clear all day long. I got up at 4:30 and drove to the bottom of the hill. I tied a rope around the Carveboard and towed it up like a dog on a leash. The moon was one day past full (left of center in pic above), and going down over the ocean, as dawn lit up the hills. There was a cottony blanket of fog over the ocean and San Francisco. At one place the side of the road looked like it was painted a vivid yellow. I took off and immediately wondered why I don’t do this more often. It doesn’t cost anything. It’s just right here and available all the time, like the mountain trails and waterfalls and the beach. Towards the bottom, a car was coming up and I was, um, on the wrong side of the road, but all was well.
I may get my GoPro camera more securely attached to my helmet and do it again tomorrow. Fun!
Lloyd, my brother, you have more soul than you know how to control!