ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

It really meant a lot to me that my wife told me to go biking with the guys and enjoy myself today.  I'm equally appreciative that Mark changed his plans to join Kristain and I.  I've been hanging out in Michaux State Forest now for almost 10 years and, until  today, I never  managed to get there when the foliage was at it's peak.  Today it happened...and it was nothing short of  amazing. Taking in the view from the vista in Michaux State Forest.  Check out this ultra kool photosphere of the view -- October 30, 2016 Mark and Kristain met me this morning at 9.  If I'd of known that it was going to be 65 degrees at 6 AM today we would have left earlier.  Today was just one of those late autumn days here in Pennsylvania that make you happy to just be alive...and I was happy to spend it mountain biking in Michaux.   Today's ride  somehow combined the destination ride, the  exploratory ride , and the "let's just take ou...

On those days that I ride my bike to school my students often notice that it doesn't have a kickstand.  That kind of boggles their mind.  Then they ask..."How come you just lean it against the wall?"  My corny response is that "my bike is tired....actually, it's two tired."  Before you roll your eyes, please understand that I work with 140 8th graders each day (and this is my 22nd year !)  Please cut me some slack...those corny jokes get me some street cred. It's October and I'm no longer KEEPING AN EYE ON THE CORN .  The scenery; however, is just as amazing! -- October 28, 2016 The reality is...as anyone who rides a bicycle can tell you...when I'm on my bike it becomes a living part of me.  No matter how tired I am after a day of teaching my butt off, once I get on my bike I feel like a new person.  It literally energizes me.  So, on a Friday afternoon, as I walked up the driveway and into my garage after a long week of teaching...

First came the rain, then the wind, then the temperature drop.  There's no doubt that Fall has finally arrived in south central Pennsylvania.   Yesterday was the first day that I pulled on my white biking jacket to keep me warm.  (Halfway up Starview Road I realized that I probably didn't need it.)  The foliage, here in York County, is just about at it's peak. Like the the temperature, the leaves too are changing...but this year (I'm not sure if it was the above average heat of the summer or the lack of rain in the area) the colors aren't as spectacular as last year...maybe it's just my imagination, but that's my perspective. My bike parked under the same KEEP PENNSYLVANIA BEAUTIFUL sign as it was on September 2, 2016.  The sunflower fields east of Mount Wolf have changed significantly, yet Pennsylvania is still Beautiful -- October 24, 2016 What remains of the sunflower fields along N Sherman Street Ext just east of Mount Wolf -- October 2...

I have ADD.  Hell, at this very moment, I can feel my attention being pulled in about six different directions.  (I literally had to delete and retype that last sentence four times!)  Now...I didn't know I had ADD until my lovely wife, Robin, suggested that I go see the doctor.  Apparently I had the incredibly annoying habit of looking at everything around me ("Oh, look!  Squirrels!) instead of the person who was talking.  Even though I may be completely paying attention to the conversation, my behavior gave the appearance to others that I really didn't give a sh*t.  Not a good impression to leave.   This pic, which shows the positive effects that exercise has on the human brain, is in The Atlantic 's article " Exercise Is ADHD Medicine ."  ( Hillman et al,  Pediatrics / The Atlantic)  I survived childhood with a lot of structure...a very loving (but strict) mother, Catholic school up to and through 8th grade, then footb...

Kristian had never ridden Patapsco Valley State Park in Maryland...so we had to go.  The trip down Interstate 83 to Arbutus, Maryland takes a little more than an hour...but the drive and the traffic was worth it.  The two of us experienced, possibly, one of the best rides I've had in a while.  It was typical Patapsco...twisty single track, log build ups, scattered rock gardens, "Blair Witch Houses," challenging climbs, and "hold on tight" downhills!  All in all, 15 miles and 1,600 feet of climbing of mountain biking bliss!  It was, in Kristian's words, "Awesome Sauce!"   David Raymond & Kristain Haines.  "FRIENDZ" -- October 15, 2016 So...Kristian confided in me today that he's not a big reader and, when I send him my my blog, he really only looks at the pictures.  So...let's let the pictures tell the story of today's ride .  It really was "Awesome Sauce!" Kristian Hains & David Raymond takin...