Stories from a HUSBAND - FATHER - SON - GRANDFATHER - UNCLE - BROTHER - FRIEND - TEACHER
GRAVE RIDGE -- August 9, 2016
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Just the name of the trail makes anyone who loves mountain biking want to ride it. Grave Ridge. Rocks emerging from the top of the ridge resemble tombstones of all shapes and sizes. Labeled for ATV riders as "Most Difficult"...the trail is a mile of technical mayhem! Mark Lentz first took me there in 2006 but I haven't been back since 2010. Grave Ridge, which is located in the heart of Michaux State Forest, straddles the boundary of a recent timber sale. Logging, which closed the trail for public use, began in December of 2010. Today, Tim and I found our way back for the first time since the trail reopened last year.
Taking a breather with Tim halfway through our ride today -- August 9, 2016
Tim snaking his way through the ferns in Michaux State Forest -- August 9, 2016
I had a couple of routes mapped out in my head for how to get there today. I really did have to think about it. It's been over five years since I've ridden that part of the forest. Tim and I opted to start our ride on Tom's Run, make our way across the ridge, ride the fun rocks on the west side of Woodrow Road, which then would dump us off near the base of today's ultimate destination: Grave Ridge.
Yep...Grave Ridge is labeled with a Black Diamond. That's for ATV riders, though! As Mark Lentz says: "If it's too tough for everyone else...it's just right for us!" -- August 9, 2016
Don't let this pic fool you! A brief reprieve from the technicality of Grave Ridge. The unusually cool breeze felt amazing! -- August 9, 2016
This rock looks huge...but it's actually about a thin as my bike! It's sticking out of the ground like a huge grave marker. So cool! Got to love Michaux! -- August 9, 2016
Even the best of bikes will take a beating in Michaux. At least I had what I needed to keep things moving forward! -- August 9, 2016
Descending from the top of Grave Ridge down towards highway 233 -- August 9, 2016
I was pleasantly surprised that the mile long trail had once again regained the appearance it had before the area was logged. It was also reassuring that, even after all the logging, Grave Ridge was just as technical, rocky, difficult, and fun as I remember. Honestly, after not riding it for so long, I couldn't remember which direction it flows the best. Today, Tim and I rode it from north to south and then doubled back on the snake like trail that meanders between Grave Ridge and highway 233. From there we found familiar single track that would quickly take us back to Pine Grove Furnace.
For me, the best part of today's ride was connecting the old and the new...riding trails that we rode ten years ago in combination with trails we've more recently found. I think it's safe to say that it won't be too long before the two of us are back in that neck of the woods taking on Grave Ridge again.
Life is a journey...not a destination.
David A. Raymond -- August 9, 2016
After a ride at Michaux the Stumpjumper's going to have a sleep over at the shop. Thanks to Jay and Clark for keeping things moving! -- August 9, 2016
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...
For centuries, people from all over the world have traveled to the Bedford Springs for different reasons...each hoping to find their idea of treasure. Some came for rejuvenation, others for healing, some for escape...but for me and the kids I grew with, Davey Lewis' Cave is what first lured us there. The story of Davey Lewis fascinated me as a kid..."the Robin Hood of Pennsylvania"...who robbed from the rich to help the poor. Some saw him as a criminal..others as an "equalizer." Legend has it that he would hide out and escape through a series of caves located near the Bedford Springs Hotel and that part of his treasure might still be there. What kid wouldn't want to search that cave? On more than one occasion, I've visited Davey's cave in woods on the other side of Shober's Run with Jake, Robbie, Beau, and other neighborhood kids hoping (but never finding) whatever it might have been that Davey Lewis left behind. Taking a break and do...
