ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

Nature is amazing and mountain biking has given me an incredible mode in which to experience it.  I've seen an owl swoop down out of a tree and attempt to pick up a red fox.  I've seen a hawk come out of no where to snatch up a black snake that was sunning itself of the trail.  I've seen deer and black bears.  I've watched a snake eat a toad and wild turkeys run defiantly thought the woods. I've watched Tim play with turtles and Glenn throw rocks at rattlesnakes.  I've videoed dung beetles rolling a chunk of crap across a trail and even taken selfies with horses. I yielded the trail to this horse and it's rider.  After a nice conversation (with the rider) the horse seemed comfortable enough with me to take a selfie -- June 1, 2014 There is no shortage of deer in Potapsco Valley State Park , MD -- July 10, 2012 Timmy likes his turtles -- July 20, 2010 This black snake was so large (approximately 5 feet) that, until I ran over it while ri...

I do a lot of climbing for someone who is afraid of heights.  Nothing extreme...but when I'm biking or hiking and come across a bunch of boulders or a random structure that gives a view of the land below...I want to take a look.   I have a definite sense of fear...which is what keeps me alive.  I don't wander near the edge of a cliff and I always make sure that, before I make my way up, I have a plan on how to get back down.  My phobia isn't one that keeps me off of roller coasters or from visiting the Grand Canyon...I just hate standing at a precipice with nothing between myself and falling to my certain death.    It's peaceful when you climb to the top. If you climb high enough you sometimes can't even make out a building, a car, or another person.   The world below seems almost untouched by human beings. No car horns...no road side garbage...no construction noise.  Worries and stress of everyday life temporarily float away in the breeze. ...

 Let me first acknowledge that all credit for the title has to go to my college roommate, Chris Lowe.  I can remember him making the comment, over twenty years ago, that "The Diesel & The Dew" would make a great name for a country music song.  Thanks for the title, bud.   For the past two weeks I've been taking daily walks as my back continues to heal.  I began with walks around the block...but, about a week ago, I managed to bust out of the development for the first time.  My struggle has been trying to find a way to "mix" it up.  Walking the same sidewalks and loops is beginning to get old.   A little piece of nature and history tucked away in the industrial park directly behind my house--April 19, 2016 Today, I ventured down the sidewalks into the industrial park that is expanding in the fields behind our development.  I knew that there was a Friendly's distribution center and a Starbucks plant back there....but I ha...

Yes, it's true...you can fall in love with your bicycle.  It becomes and extension of your body, moving with you on the road or down the trail, becoming one with you...literally, becoming a part of you.  So much so, that if a friend offers to allow you to ride their bike, it feels odd...even foreign.  Your bike can actually develop a personality or reputation.   Often you find yourself talking to it, encouraging it, and maybe even swearing at it.  You go places with it...a companion that will help you navigate any road, trail, bog, or rock garden.   Heck, you may even name it!  And, if you are like me, you spend precious time carefully taking care of it. Top of Cooper Mill Road near Raymond B. Winter State Park .  My first big mountain bike trip after purchasing my 2011 Stumpjumper--July 13, 2011 For the past five years my 2011 Stumpjumper has been all of the above.  Reliable, trustworthy, and up to any task I put it to.  It's ...

Taking time for yourself isn't always the easiest thing to do.  It can be hard, actually.  The stress of everyday life can seem overwhelming and sometimes downright demoralizing.  My boss often talks about keeping your triangle balanced.  Making sure that you make time each day for family, work, and leisure.  I buy that....I've been burned out before and it sucks.  My "me" time is, more than often, spent on my bike.   When I mountain bike it is always with a friend.  I do that for my wife so that she doesn't worry about me when I'm in the woods.  There are times when we have a lot of conversation and there are times when we just ride and soak up the trail.  But ultimately, even though I'm with a friend or group of friends, there is "me" time.  Time spent with myself just "being."  Time for worries and stress to disappear with each passing tree...allowing life to slow down, triangles to come back into balance, & leaving me ...

"Squirrels with cameras."  That's the tongue in cheek answer I sometimes give when asked who takes the pictures of my friends and I mountain biking.  The real answer is, most of the time, I do. I often wonder if the guys I ride with are annoyed with my constant picture taking.  Every ride will be interrupted at least once and documented with, at minimum, a group shot.  It's how I make connections and memories...but by no standards whatsoever am I a professional photographer.  I have no real concept of the science, dedication, and hard work that goes into professional photography.  All that being said, I love love pictures...so I take a lot of them.   Back in 2006, when I first started riding with Mark, Tim, and the rest of the guys, I had the brainiac idea to go to Wal-Mart, purchase a couple disposable 35mm cameras, and shove them into my Camelbak with the rest of my gear.   I did this for about a year.  The end product being a bun...