adventure daily.
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. …
I'd been to Rattling Creek, in Weiser State Forest, a couple months ago, and absolutely loved the rolling singletrack punctuated by fun rock gardens that the area offers. So, when some of our friends decided to head up that way again, I didn't hesitate to tag along. Lately, I haven't been wandering too far from …
Spring is in the air, I can feel it. Despite the fact that temperatures have still been way below freezing the past week, something seems a little bit different. The birds are chirping more, the sun feels warmer when it shines, and the weather report confirms that next week, it will indeed rise above freezing, …
It's been a cold winter. It started out rather mild, with days in the 50s through December, but the past month or so has been brutally chilly. There have been plenty of days with highs in the single digits, and it's been regularly dipping below zero at night. The snow is also just deep enough and just …
For the past few weeks, I've been really stoked on this loop in Rothrock State Forest---up Tussey Mountain Trail and along the ridge, then back down to Thickhead Mountain Road and John Wert Path. It's about 11 miles, doable in 2-3 hours, and is full of stunning views and challenging rock gardens. And, only about …
We woke up early on Thanksgiving morning, made coffee to take in the car, and drove to the trail to get a couple hours of riding in before the family festivities and gluttony that would commence later in the day. Though it was still rather wet and muddy, conditions were much better than the day …
That's what Evan said right before giving me a quick surprise kiss at the trailhead, immediately following a miserably soggy commute from his parents house to the snowy woods that we were so excited to ride. It was still snowing---wet, slushy flakes that turned the highways into a nasty stew of water, salt, and road …
Continue reading "If you can ride in this, you can ride in anything."
Well, we did it---the around-the-lake ride we'd been planning and anticipating for weeks. On Sunday, six of us ended up partaking in the day of grueling climbs, leaf-strewn descents, and all-around good times. It couldn't have been a better group---a fun and tight-knit bunch of like-minded individuals. For some, it was a harder ride than …
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 …
The next week of my life is going to be nuts. This coming weekend, Dirt Rag's Dirt Fest happens at the Allegrippis Trails, and a couple thousand mountain bike enthusiasts from all over the county will be traveling to our backyard. It's a truly wonderful and exciting event to see and help make happen, but …
helena kotala 