By Brandon Case
Pratt columnist and bicycle rider
Special to the Tribune

It’s wintertime and, with a canopy of stars visible overhead on clear nights, rural Pratt County beckons me to come hither.

On those calm—sometimes even on sub-freezing—nights, an after work, dirt-road bicycle ride recharges the body and soul.

As dusk settles or after darkness envelopes the land is a great time to catch glimpses (or hear the serenade) of deer, coyotes, jack rabbits, raccoons, skunks (on warmer nights), hawks, and sometimes even wild turkeys. You will sometimes hear the flight of Canada geese overhead or, at times, Sandhill cranes, up high.

On a recent ride northwest of Pratt, I was startled by dogs barking at an unexpected location, with no houses nearby. The dogs were friendly enough and began following me after I talked to them in a friendly voice. Unfortunately, this happens sometimes, so I did my best to outrun them. I thought I had done so, until, after stopping to snap a photograph of a beautiful Pratt sandhills sunset, the duo came loping over one of the hills. The bloodhound, whom I recognized once he came up to greet me, lives at a residence on NW 30th St. I’ve stopped there previously and given him dog treats when riding by his owner’s house.

Another curiosity that sometimes appears on nighttime rides are Starlink satellites. I have seen these twice now, when I happened to be looking in the right direction. Both times, the satellites arose from the southwest and traveled northeast. On New Year’s Eve, I watched, northeast of Pratt, a string of tightly spaced lights gradually stretch into a Starlink chariot. In wonderment, I observed this man-made phenomenon float overhead and then disappear into the void (or maybe it was just high-altitude clouds).

After dark winter cycling offers a quietude and peacefulness that is truly a balm for the soul.

The stars, the sand, the solitude, and the silence: those are the four Ss that make winter riding such a joy.