The Moonlight Ramble is one of the coolest things to do in St. Louis. It’s a late night bike ride from Downtown to Forest Park and back and the two times we have done it have been so much fun. Last year was the first time and we definitely learned from the experience. This time around, we snuck our way to the front of the pack instead of waiting at the rear and we got out quite a bit sooner than if we had waited. There were are lot of people behind us:
The route this year took us from the Solider’s Memorial, down Market, onto the Forest Park Parkway, into the park, over the new Tamm Avenue (gasp — a north/south avenue in STL!?!?!) Bridge, down Oakland Ave., back over the Hampton Bridge, through the park, through the Wash U. Medical School Campus, back onto the Parkway, and back to the Memorial. It was a little bit shorter than last year, but I must say that the ride was much easier — probably a factor of all that exercise we’ve been punishing ourselves with. Art Hill wasn’t nearly as bad as I remember, in fact, I’d go so far as to say that Art Hill was positively Greenbergian. We did stop by the Grand Basin to get a nice picture of the Art Museum though:
The one downside to this year’s event was the massive wreck at the junction between the Parkway and Market Street. We had to dismount and walk our bikes past the accident, which left a woman on the side of the road with serious road rash on her face. Thankfully, the paramedics were on the scene, but that area was dangerous last year as well. Perhaps the organizers will look at a different route to avoid the hilly, narrow, curvy part with numerous storm grates that are perfect for snagging front tires.
Also this year, the weather was fantastic. It was a little bit cooler than last year, but that just made the ride more comfortable. You couldn’t ask for a better scene, and the ability to explore the city by bike is perfect for a STL junkie like myself. A trip to Uncle Bill’s afterwards is always nice.
If you like riding bikes, I definitely recommend it. Hopefully, we can see you at the Ramble next year! Click here for all the pictures.