As a kid, I loved snow days...they were a chance to hang out with the kids in the neighborhood and earn a little extra cash by shoveling sidewalks. As an adult, I'm typically not a fan. I like school, I like my job, and I like my summer vacation (which snow days eat into). Last week, Mark and I were both taken by surprise when we received the call from our school district cancelling school for the day because of the weather. We had talked the previous evening about the possiblity of a day off...and even decided that, if school was cancelled, we would get out and ride...but neither of us really expected it to happen.
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| Mark and I pausing at the top of Reservoir Park overlooking York City before descending down the hill and wrapping up our snow day ride. -- January 30, 2018 |
Mark was already at school before he knew we had the day off. To keep things easy (and relatively safe) I met him at his house in York City...figuring we could do a little urban mountain bike riding. With the wind whipping around and the temps in the upper teens, the two of us headed throught the campus of York College and to the York Heritage Rail Trail. The great thing about riding with Mark is that he always has something new to show me. We didn't stay on the Rail Trail for long. Before I knew it we were riding a path though a frozed golf course, we climbed to the summit of Hilltop Place (providing us with an amazing view of the city of York), and then we navigated some snowcovered trails in Reservoir Park that I didn't even know existed.
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| Figuring it was a safe bet that we were the only two crazies out in the cold and wind...Mark led me off of the York Heritage Rail Trail for a beautiful ride though the golf course. -- January 30, 2018 |
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| My Stumpjumper after climbing to the summit of Hilltop Place. Even though the road up was paved...the hill would be challenging on a road bike in normal conditions. -- January 30, 2018 |
The most amazing part of our ride (and the part that I keep reliving in my head) was the descent off of Reservoir Park. Usually, this huge and grassy hill is used, on days like this, by sled riders...but on this particular day, the only tracks in the snow belonged to our bikes. When all was said and done, Mark and I had pieced together a seriously fun 12+ mile snow day mountain bike ride. Like those snow days of my childhood, our surprise day off of school was full of fun, adventure, and a big dose of nature. This is a day I won't mind making up for in June.
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| Enjoying a snow day when I was 10 years old. -- January 1984 |
Life is a journey...not a destination.
David A. Raymond -- February 7, 2018
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| Yep...you know it's cold outside when there are icicles dangling from your bottom bracket after a ride! -- (Mark Lentz) January 30, 2018 |
Here are the GARMIN maps and data from the rides featured in this post...
Interested in biking or hiking some of the trails featured in this post? Check out the TRAIL MAPS and TRAIL HEADS tabs on the ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM website.
All of my posts are available at ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM and, if you get the chance, be sure to visit HIGHPEAKSHIKING.COM and
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