morning commuters, trapped in their cars on Crowchild Trail as it passes the main university campus.

I passed the 5000km mark for distance ridden since Jan 1, 2009 this morning as I rode through Scenic Acres before sunrise.

it was tricky to get this shot – a 30s long exposure – without a tripod. I used the rear rack of my bike, with a glove propping the camera into roughly estimated position. It’s hard to aim a 50mm lens accurately by guessing (I couldn’t see through the viewfinder because the saddle was in the way…)

anonymous blurs of light stream toward the downtown core during the morning commute.

darkness.

the stars were still out, with Orion clearly visible to the south.

predawn colours were building to the east, and the rest of the early morning sky was a rich, deep gradient from black, through indigo, touching on pink and red toward the rapidly approaching terminator to the east.

I don’t know what it is, but there’s something magical about riding in the darkness, and something even more magical and amazing about riding into a building sunrise.

I love this time of year.