When I am mentally tired and not functioning properly, a good ride can set it all straight again. Riding bikes is like a reset button for my brain and my soul. And no matter how many other things I “should” be doing, I never, ever regret going on that ride. Read the full version of …
Snow on the shore.
I find snow to be very comforting. Somehow, when the desolate winter world is suddenly encased in white, it seems a lot less barren and lonely. The night looks a little brighter. Everything feels softer. The sensation of delicate snowflakes hitting my face. The satisfaction of creating the first tracks in fresh powder, whether is …
Florescent forest.
Despite a dry summer, Pennsylvania has really been delivering on the fall foliage this year. Maybe it's just me, and I'm just outside and noticing it more, but it actually seems like this has been one of the best years for autumn colors in a while. Earlier this week, in Coopers Gap, I was simply in …
Fox tail.
Summer evenings are my favorite. The heat fades, the sun becomes less intense, and, my favorite piece of all, it's light until 9pm (or later, around the solstice). I love daylight. When I was in Alaska in the summer and it was light almost all the time, it was heaven. I know they make lights …
Frozen Fat, Part 2: The Purple Dragon.
The morning began with coffee and bagels at Rothrock Outfitters. Then a drive out to Allegrippis, where fat bikes just kept pouring into the parking lot as we suited up for the second day of Frozen Fat: Sunday Funday. Sunday's ride focuses much more on silliness than endurance. It's a rolling party. Costumes are generally …
Berries, splashes, giggles.
The day was clear, sunny. Warm, but not too hot. Friends arrived just as I was finishing up my morning coffee. Brent, ready to go as usual, in all his cycling garb. Jake, still clad in the flannel that he slept in, the alpacas running down the hill to greet this strange-looking, long-bearded, plaid creature. …
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 …