After a long day of riding, we all stand around the fire, commune in exhausted happiness, and take part in random bicycle-related debauchery. This years feature was the ski chariot pull.
The Cabin—Part 1: Beginnings
Yesterday marked the ceremonial end of an era, in a sense. Though in actuality it was an era that ended several months ago, when we moved from the tiny cabin where we had been living for about a year to the full-size house that we currently call home. But yesterday afternoon, we prepared the cabin …
Happy New Year!
I can't believe its a new year already. 2014 seemed to fly by, and here we are, once again looking back on one year and ahead to the next. It's a natural time to reflect---on the good, the bad, and what we've learned and experienced in the last 365 days. And it's a time to …
First snow.
I awoke to a slightly different light coming through our bedroom window, and I had a hunch. I sat up, peering into the outside world. My hunch was right---a thin layer of white powder covered the ground. We had received the first snow of the season, the first snow in our new house. Evan and …
Leaves and woodsmoke.
It's that time of year. Mornings are chilly, and smell like leaves and woodsmoke. I can see my breath as I sip coffee on the porch, hands and feet numbing in the cold air but myself unable to step back inside. It is too crisp and beautiful, and that smell of leaves and woodsmoke---it's my …
Riding new trails around Jim Thorpe.
The weekend began with a driving excursion east, mountain bikes spilling out the back of my Ford Ranger, and an eclectic musical mix that included Adele and Barry White spilling from my speakers. I took us the "fun route"---one that minimized highway time and maximized miles on back roads---my general road trip MO. At the …
Earning breakfast.
This morning, I gave up my day to sleep in to meet my friend Marci for an early bike ride. Coffee mugs in hand, music in the background, we drove the quick commute to her parents house, where we would begin our ride. The plan was to ride from their place in Williamsburg to a …
An evening on the river.
Often times, those of us who are active, healthy, and fit tend to take our bodies for granted. We assume that we will wake up every day and we'll be able to do what we want to do (within reason). It's only when illness or injury sets in that we realize just how lucky we …
Broken.
About an hour after this photo was taken, I found myself lying in the middle of an alley, curled up in pain, hyperventilating, my elbow screaming, Evan standing over me, telling me to get out of the street. It had been a simple curb ride---nothing out of the ordinary or spectacular that had caused some …
Staycation.
We were supposed to be on vacation this week. We were supposed to load up bikes with touring gear and hit the road, going somewhere we'd never been, exploring unfamiliar territory. First the plan was somewhere in West Virginia, then northern Pennsylvania's Elk Country, then the burning ghost-town of Centralia, a place we have both …
helena kotala 