ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

  Typically, the most picturesque time in my neck of the woods tends to be around the end of October and the beginning of November.  It was just about that time that Matt joined me for one of my post-surgery walks over in Michaux State Forest.  At that time, I still couldn’t do any trail hikes…so we walked around Laurel Lake and followed the access road up to Fuller Lake.  The pictures that I took that day are some of the best I’ve taken in a while.  Matt joined me for a five mile walk in Michaux State Forest.  The pictures that I took on this day were some of my favorite of the year.  -- October 26, 2022 The view from the boat dock at Laurel Lake.  -- October 26, 2022 Making our way around Laurel Lake, I snapped this picture of the Fall foliage reflecting in the still water.  -- October 26, 2022 Another amazing picture of the foliage reflecting in the water of Fuller Lake in Pine Grove Furnace State Park.  -- October 26, 2022 A cabin hi...

The idea began after one of those Scholastic Book Fairs that we all remember from our childhood.  Elementary and Middle School libraries, all across the nation, were converted into mini-store promoting reading and selling books and other knickknacks to school aged children.  (As a side note...as times have changed these Scholastic Book fairs have gone the way of the Dodo bird.)  Sometime during my first few years of teaching I escorted a group of kiddos down to the mobile trailer that was temporarily serving as our school's library while the building was under construction and I spied a book of recipes.  What caught my eye was a children's book that outlined basic items that Lewis and Clark (and the Corps of Discovery) packed and ate while on their epic journey.  The seed for what would become one of my favorite parts of my school year was planted that day at the Scholastic Book Fair. Three very nerdy middle school teachers...Eric Gimbi, Dave Raymond, and Mike G...

Last weekend, completely unexpectedly, I found myself putting my Roubaix on top of the car and driving 70 miles east to Valley Forge National Historical Park .  I've always wanted to take my bike there and ride through the park...and, with my Saturday completely wide open, I snagged the opportunity.  Granted...I wish my wife could have been with me...or, for that matter, any of my riding friends...but I was perfectly content to be there by myself.  Just me and my bike and a whole lot of nerdiness.  I've been to Valley Forge quite a few times...but never on my bike.  The thing that amazed me about my bike ride through the area used as a winter encampment by General George Washington and the Continental Army in 1777 and 1778 was how much of more of the park I was able to see by riding my bike as opposed to driving through.  I saw entrenchments, land formations, and smaller monuments and markers that I had never noticed.  So cool...and yes, very nerdy....