Night riding anyone?

[missliz]

I've always wondered about the light thing- My night riding has always been by ambient light, on a Mt bike with a fork to take up those nasties that throw you and break arms. Adjusting to night vision works well in a lot of contexts, and there's a lot of light pollution at night to light things up even in a lot of woods. And the riding by feel not sight is really interesting to me.
So the question- do you get visually stuck in the pool of light the system makes? Or is it dim enough to still see things around you?
I've used a flashlight in the teeth to get through really pitch dark patches, but then I have to stop and let the eyes readjust. A light makes sense safety wise, but if you can't look about you the whole magic of night riding would be lost. Especially at the full moon.
Care to explain it girls? I can't take a toss like I used to, and a light might be a good idea.

Lizzy