Beautiful clear Indian Summer weather tonight, in the 80's, dropping down only to the 70's.  This month's Evanston Critical Mass was 100 per cent larger than last month's: Tank-Ridin' Ryan graciously joined me on this October version of Evanston Critical Mass.  We met up at Fountain Square, where the fountains were all drained in anticipation of winter, the square looking a little forlorn.  Surely summer can't really be over...

By 7:00 it became clear that tonight's Mass would consist of two cyclists, so we set off up Sherman, east on Church and north on the Northwestern campus trail system along the lake.  It was much darker this month at 7:00 than it was in September, leaving some of the bends and turns in the path a little difficult to see at times.  I've gotta get a better headlight.  We rode to the northern portion of campus, then headed west to Sheridan Road.  We rode north past Wilmette harbor, still full of boats, and past the magnificent Baha'i Temple, glowing white in the lights against the darkened sky.

When we reached the Plaza del Lago Shopping Center, we headed west across the Metra tracks, then headed north on Green Bay Road to my favorite ice cream stop in Wilmette: Homer's.  I've now got my legal staff writing up a clause in my Critical Mass contract, that states that from now on, I'm required to stop for really good ice cream at the halfway point in every Mass I ride, from now until eternity.  Really.

Surprisingly, the serviceable bike rack in front of the yoga studio a few doors south of Homer's had vanished, leaving only two small marks in the sidewalk to indicate it had ever existed.  What's the matter with these yogis, don't they ride bikes?  Do they now all arrive on flying carpets?  No parking meters to be found, no bike rack in Homer's dark parking lot.  No other option but to lock up to a park bench out front.

I got a scoop of cappucino chip ice cream, Ryan a milk shake--I'm not sure what flavor, but he seemed happy enough with it.  We sat outside for a short while, watching families and groups of high school kids come and go in the summer-like weather.

When it became time for the return trip, we set off southbound on Green Bay, then as soon as possible, east across the tracks to the dark sidestreets of Wilmette.  As the rattling along on the brickwork roads was unpleasant to part of the Mass, we headed west along Lake, which is paved in standard asphalt.  Then Ridge south to Central, to Sherman, to Church, east again to Judson, then south through most of southern Evanston to Main.  Finally, over to Custer, ending at Howard, on the Chicago-Evanston border.  The Mass shook hands, agreed it had been a fine ride and set off on our separate ways: Ryan south to Rogers Park, and me west to Asbury for the trip back north to downtown Evanston.