ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

The ride winds down...the bikes are loaded up...ice cream is on our minds...but the day's adventure isn't always over.  So many times we find ourselves mountain biking in locations that are full of history, beautiful scenery, and hidden surprises.  These post-ride field trips add to the mountain biking experience, form lasting memories, and strengthen bonds of friendship. They are proof that there is more to see beyond the trail and, just because the the ride has ended...the adventure doesn't have to.  Here are just a FEW of the excursions, sights, and "nerdiness" that have highlighted our mountain biking trips over the years.  Enjoy! After riding some pretty swampy and humid trails (Plantation Trail comes to mind), Mikey, Glenn, Billy, Mark and I took in the sights of the waterfalls near our campsite at Blackwater Falls, West Virgina -- June 2008 Wrapping up a cold, January ride in Governor Dick park near Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania, Mark and I took ...

Sometimes the ride gets tough...and often virtually impossible.  Mark often says that it's not a ride unless there's at least one "hike-a-bike."  Yeah...that part of the trail that just can't be ridden (well...at least by me!)  That part of the trail that requires you to get out of the saddle and push.  Over the years, as my skill level has improved, the trails have to be more steep and more difficult to coax me off of my bike...but, sometimes it just can't be avoided.   On our annual Columbus Day " exploration ride,"  Mark and I rode some pretty awesome stuff.  We also hiked quite a few hills...like the one behind me! -- October 10, 2016 Often, the hike-a-bike isn't caused by some obnoxious hill...but instead, it's the result of the unexpected obstacles thrown into our path.  It could be debris from a storm, a rock garden that just CANNOT be navigated, or mud pits that sink your bike "bottom bracket deep."  It's obst...

I'm  not sure if he heard the phrase somewhere or if he made it up...but when Mark Lentz first uttered the words "signs of maintenance" he expanded our mountain biking vocabulary.  These three words forever changed our idea of what a trail could be.  Let's use them in a sentence:  "Looks like there are signs of maintenance."  Meaning...at some time during the history of the planet earth...some person has walked, hiked, or ridden a bike (or horse) in this a general place.  When spoken, these three words can stir up a multitude of emotions.  When we're tired, and we've already spend a day of muddling through the muck and mud, the words can bring a string of curse words to our lips.  The few times we've been lost (as lost as we've ever been) hearing the words can bring a sense of relief.  The thing is...no matter what emotions we feel when we hear them...they've always provided a way to the ice cream at the end of the ride.  Who doesn't...