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...

Backtracking is something that use to bother me...especially when mountain biking.  I'm not sure if it was a sense of failure..."Crap...we went the wrong way...we need to head back"...or if I just simply liked looking at my Garmin and Strava maps and seeing a big loop tracing my route.  Backtracking, however, can be helpful.  By teaching me where NOT to ride, that sense of "failure" that I mentioned earlier can also serve as a learning tool...or, in some cases, it can even introduce a whole new path that can be taken on future rides and hikes.  As of recently, backtracking has become increasingly part of my rides.  Riding the same trail in opposite directions changes everything about it...the view is different, the ups and downs are reversed, and the twists and turns flow differently...completely altering the usual dynamic of the trail. Taking a break during an incredibly peaceful solo ride at Rocky Ridge County Park . -- December 23, 2019 As 2019 sl...