Skip to content
to the nth degree

to the nth degree

every day's an adventure

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Best of the Blog
  • Published
    • Singletracks
    • Dirt Rag Mag Online
    • Bicycle Times
  • Gear Reviews
  • Cartography
    • Event Maps
    • Pennsylvania Environmental Council
Scroll down to content

Posts

Posted on February 7, 2020February 5, 2020

20 commutes in 2020 — #2: Unseasonable warmth.

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."

Posted on February 6, 2020February 4, 2020

20 commutes in 2020 — #1: Ice, ice baby.

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 …

Continue reading "20 commutes in 2020 — #1: Ice, ice baby."

Posted on February 5, 2020February 5, 2020

20 bike commutes in 2020.

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 …

Continue reading "20 bike commutes in 2020."

Posted on February 4, 2020February 4, 2020

On the Allegheny Front: Sandy Ridge to Blandburg

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"

Posted on January 23, 2020January 24, 2020

Morning meditation.

I love really cold runs. I'm not sure what it is about getting outside and exercising in the frigid air that is so exhilarating. Maybe it's the empowerment it brings to have beaten the temptation to stay hunkered down in a warm house. Maybe it's the fact that everything looks and feels so crisp. All …

Continue reading "Morning meditation."

Posted on January 10, 2020January 10, 2020

Fire towers and friends with a side of history.

The wind blew so hard that I was scared if I let go of the railing I might actually be swept off the small metal platform I was standing on. I'm not one for heights, and as I'd climbed towards the top of this fire tower, I felt my stomach turn a few times. Don't …

Continue reading "Fire towers and friends with a side of history."

Posted on January 6, 2020January 6, 2020

Adventures in Coal Country: Exploring the Houtzdale Line Trail.

*I started this post last spring but never published it. I found it as I was cleaning out old post drafts and figured it was worth a share, better late than never! Last spring, I was dealing with some hamstring injury issues, meaning I was forced to cut back on the intensity of my bike …

Continue reading "Adventures in Coal Country: Exploring the Houtzdale Line Trail."

Posted on August 13, 2019August 14, 2019

The Massanutten is calling.

I looked up from pushing my bike to see the jumble of rocks continuing as far as I could see. I'd try to ride for a bit, challenging myself to see how far I could make it before needing to dab, but the rocks would often win. Sometimes though, I'd have a good run, cleaning …

Continue reading "The Massanutten is calling."

Posted on August 5, 2019January 24, 2020

The Eastern PA traverse.

When I learned of a work commitment in Scranton the Thursday before a family commitment in Malvern, my brain that has been jonesing for another long ride adventure started scheming. The D&L Trail travels a big chunk of the length from northeast PA to southeast, and it just seemed silly to drive 3 hours back …

Continue reading "The Eastern PA traverse."

Posted on April 17, 2019April 17, 2019

Patience & perspective.

I've been struggling with a hamstring injury since the beginning of winter. For most of that time, I didn't even realize it was an issue. My hammie was tight and sore but I figured it was something that would work itself out. About a month ago, that dull soreness turned into a burning pain in …

Continue reading "Patience & perspective."

Posts navigation

Previous page Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 … Page 21 Next page

Helena Kotala

Lover of bikes, outdoor adventures & sharing my experiences. Map-maker & other duties as assigned at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Central PA based.

  • View helenakoala’s profile on Facebook
  • View helenakotala’s profile on Twitter
  • View helenakoala’s profile on Instagram
  • View helenadiana’s profile on Pinterest
  • View helena-kotala-ab860761’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View 104462377203830683438’s profile on Google+

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 294 other followers

Pick A Topic

Past Adventures

Snippets of Life

No Instagram images were found.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 294 other followers

Pick A Topic

Past Adventures

Snippets of Life

No Instagram images were found.

Tags

  • Adventure by bike
  • Adventures with E
  • Advocate Cycles
  • Advocate Watchman
  • Allegrippis
  • Allegrippis Trails
  • Amanda
  • Bald Eagle State Forest
  • best of
  • Big Valley
  • bikepacking
  • Black Moshannon
  • Camping
  • central PA
  • Central PA Back Roads
  • Coopers Gap
  • Dinah
  • Dirt Rag
  • Dirt Rag Dirt Fest
  • double century
  • endurance riding
  • Exploring
  • Fall Foliage
  • Fat Bike
  • Fatbike
  • Fat Bikes
  • Fat Front
  • Framed Marquette
  • Friends
  • Frozen Fat
  • Gravel
  • Greenwood Furnace State Park
  • Group Ride
  • Home
  • Homesteading
  • Huntingdon
  • Huntingdon County
  • Ice Riding
  • Jackson Corner
  • Juniata River
  • Martin Gap
  • Matsumoto
  • Morning
  • mountain biking
  • Norikura
  • penhale gypsy
  • Pennsylvania
  • Petersburg
  • Purple Lizard Maps
  • Raleigh Willard
  • Raystown Lake
  • ride central pa
  • Rothrock Outfitters
  • Rothrock State Forest
  • running
  • salsa beargrease
  • Salsa Cycles
  • Salsa El Mariachi
  • Salsa Fargo
  • Salsa Mukluk
  • salsa powderkeg
  • shingletown gap
  • Singletracks.com
  • Snow
  • Snow Biking
  • State Game Lands 322
  • stone valley
  • Sunday Funday
  • The Cabin
  • trail running
  • Trough Creek
  • Tussey Mountain
  • West Virginia
  • Winter
  • Winter Riding
Website Powered by WordPress.com.
Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×