Stories from a HUSBAND - FATHER - SON - GRANDFATHER - UNCLE - BROTHER - FRIEND - TEACHER
MOMENTARY LAPSE IN GRACE -- May 12, 2016
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Mountain biking is a beautiful thing...but inevitably someone will fall off of their bike. Then it can get ugly. Glenn once said of me, "Davy doesn't crash much, but when he does the ground shakes." Apparently, I hit the ground like a sand bag! That being said, I, and the guys I ride with, are fortunate that none of us have ever been seriously hurt.
I don't wreck often, but when I do I hit the ground like a sand bag. Thanks for watching over me, Tim, while I gain my senses back! -- The Lakes, October 14, 2014
Not that we haven't had scary moments. We've all wrecked...except Tim, that is. How is that? I've never seen the man wreck! Now that I think about it...I don't think I've ever seen Timmy fall off his bike.* The rest of us have, though. I've witnessed Mark wipe out really hard at Blue Marsh Lake. I've remember Glenn going down hard in a ditch underneath the power lines at Rocky Ridge. Mikey...(oh, where do I begin?)...poor Mikey has put his body on the line more times than I can count. Mikey doesn't wreck half-assed either. He puts all he has into it...and it's epic! Personally, I've gone down more times than I care to count. My worst crash ever was at Potapsco Valley State Park in 2012. I tried to ride a rock face near the base of Cascade Trail. I had ridden it dozens of times...but it only takes one slip up to tumble 20 feet backwards down the rock. I've not ridden it since...and the park has now put some very mountain bike friendly steps around the rock. Thank you Maryland DNR!
Glenn's epic stream crossing crash at the top of Triple Falls in North Carolina. It's was a relief to see the thumbs up and the smile when it was all over. The video below was the first video I ever uploaded to YouTube -- August 2008
Chris Keller is all smiles after going down at the Lakes -- May 18, 2014
A big smile from Jon after going over the handle bars on trail 8 at Rocky Ridge County Park -- August 10, 2011
What an epic crash at Patapsco Valley State Park. Mikey was the only one of us brave enough to try to ride over this log build up. At least he was able to get up and walk away from it. I should note that he hasn't had any more children since this incident! -- August 9, 2011
The Squirrels With Cameras who take these photos are instructed to make sure that everyone is okay before we laugh (seriously, it's only funny if people aren't hurt). That's what makes mountain biking with friends so awesome. We talk, we ride, we look after each other, and then laugh at our escapades after the fact. Luckily, up to this point, none of us have been so badly hurt that that we couldn't fix things with some post ride ice cream...and maybe a trip to the bike shop.
Life is a journey, not a destination.
David A. Raymond -- May 12, 2016
*Well...I stand corrected. Tim reminded me that he DID wreck...and how could I possibly forget this? Back in 2006, when we first started riding in Michaux State Forest, Tim went over his handle bars about 50 yards from the conclusion of our ride. He landed landed on his right side and tore the labrum in shoulder. He was on the shelf for almost a year.
A day off of the bicycle doesn't mean a day spent inside. With the end of summer in view, and the school year encroaching soon, I took my sixteen year old son, Alex, and his buddies (Robby and Austin) to Michaux State Forest for a day of hiking, picnicking, and exploring. Our day today was split into three parts. We planned to hike up through Tumbling Run Game Preserve, have a picnic lunch at the furnace stack in Pine Grove Furnace State Park , and then hike up to the top of Pole Steeple. Although the trail head at Tumbling Run is not marked, it is easy to get to if you know what you are looking for. After passing Pine Grove Furnace State Park on state route 233 (headed South) you will be looking for a obvious gravel parking area located on the right between Woodrow Road and Dead Woman's Hollow Road. It is important to know that the last "nice" bathrooms are located at the furnace stack at Pine Grove Furnace ...
Back in July, my wife, Robin, and I visited the city of my birth...Cumberland, Maryland...and spent some time riding on the C & O Tow Path. It was a really neat experience. I was born there and grew up thirty miles north in Bedford, Pennsylvania...but the extent of my time in Cumberland was limited to hanging out at the mall when I was a teenager. Robin and I had a great time...riding south out of Cumberland and then turning off of the C & O Tow Path, through Knobley Tunnel...straight into West Virginia and then crossing back into Maryland. Our ride got super nerdy when as we passed the spot of Fort Ohio and Fort Cumberland...both French and Indian War outposts...and then to an old wooden house that served as the headquarters for Colonel George Washington while he was stationed in Cumberland during the French and Indian War. Not far away, on the sight of what was once Fort Cumberland I paused for a photo with a statue of young Washington. It w...
Upside-Down covered bridges, canals, flamingos, nuclear power plants, paper mills, Underground Railroad Stations, battlefields, National Parks, gnomes, wild turkeys, deer, lighthouses, airplanes, snow, rattlesnakes, Mountain Laurel, museums, ugly sweaters, rivers, rocks, the ocean, spectacular views, great company, and of course...ice cream. These are just a fraction of the things I’ve experienced along the trails in 2024. What follows is a synopsis of my favorite bike rides and hikes of the past year. Happy New Year and see you along the trails in 2025! David Raymond in Ohiopyle State Park. -- June 10, 2024 SWATARA RAIL TRAIL FEBRUARY 11, 2024 Swatara State park has been a mountain biking destination for me for over 15 years (and it was again for Ben and I this year)... but, in 2024, I decided to check out the rail trail that runs through the 3,520 acre park. The Swatara Creek meanders its way through forests and wetlands of the park....
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