every day's an adventure
Increasingly, I am finding meaning in the milestones marked by the turning of the earth more than those rooted in human culture. While Christmas and the 4th of July offer a day off from work to adventure, the solstices and equinoxes are what I actually feel the need to mark in some worthwhile way. I […]
Obviously this isn't technically a "commute," but I've been getting out before work a lot to ride -- often a similar distance or duration as I would if I were riding to the office -- so I'm going to count these rides as one towards my goal of 20 commutes for this year. Due to …
Continue reading "20 commutes in 2020 — #3: Work from home."
If you missed them, catch Part 1 here and Part 2 here! I forced myself out of my sleeping bag as morning's first light was creeping in the tiny window of the RV. A conversation ensued in my head: I am so tired... I should sleep a while longer... I need it... This is your …
Catch Part 1 here if you missed it! Sleep didn't come easily. After my first race lap, my adrenaline was skyrocketing, but I wanted to try to get some amount of rest before I'd have to head back out for lap two sometime between 3 and 5 am. There were still a few teammates who …
The sun was just setting as I began my first lap, casting shades of orange across the sky and bathing the desert in a beautiful warm light. I was excited to finally be on my bike after an afternoon of waiting for my teammates to complete their laps, and I was gunning to see just …
An interesting conversation ensued between a friend and I a couple weeks ago as we were in the car driving home from a ride. I mentioned how I was glad she was willing to ride with me again -- at times in the past she said that she felt too out of shape to do …
It was 60 degrees in February, a perfect opportunity to make the most of the waning light of the day by riding my bike home. I got to work early and managed to leave at 3:30, squeezing in some time pedaling in full sun before it got low on the horizon. The clothes I'd brought …
Continue reading "20 commutes in 2020 — #2: Unseasonable warmth."
I was sure glad I had studs because Kepler was a sheet of ice. Not a smooth sheet, but one that had been churned up by car tires and turned by the daily freeze-thaw cycle into a jumble of babyhead-sized lumps. It was like riding on slippery cobbles. I knew it would be a little …
This year, I'd like to bike to or from work at least 20 times. This sounds like a very "low hanging fruit" goal -- especially considering how much I ride -- except for the fact that last year I know that I did it less than 10. For those who don't know of my bike …
A couple weeks ago, Evan mentioned that he caught wind of a new snowmobile route from Prince Gallitzin State Park to Black Moshannon State Park, traversing the Allegheny Front through mostly Game Lands on a mix of dirt roads and doubletrack trails. We did some research and found a GPX file. Time to go explore. …
Continue reading "On the Allegheny Front: Sandy Ridge to Blandburg"
