ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

The earliest picture I have of me on a bicycle was taken when I was one year old.  It's of my father holding me steady on a ten speed bike.  I think it's safe to say that neither my mom, nor my dad, would have ever thought I would one day grow up to be an adult who would derive so much joy and inspiration from riding a bike. As always...thank you to YOUR TRUE NATURE for the super cool bookmarks and magnets.  Your gifts and work continue to inspire me. Hanging on the refrigerator in my kitchen is a magnet that the good people at  Your True Nature  sent me a few months ago.  It reads:  ADVICE FROM A BICYCLE.  Just one of a few gifts that they sent me after reading my post,  OBSERVATIONS FROM OHIOPYLE .  The folks at YOUR TRUE NATURE also inspired me to write ADVICE FROM A SQUIRREL and, one of my favorite posts, ADVICE FROM A MOUNTAIN .  Decades of bike riding have taught me a lot of lessons. Some of those lessons were t...

There's a fire road over in Michaux State Forest named Dead Woman's Hollow Road.  It's tough.  I'll never forget the first time I rode up it with Mark.  It seemed impossible...but I just put my head down and pedalled. To this day...I always approach Dead Woman's Hollow with the mindset that "this hill will NEVER end."  As long as I do that...I don't get disappointed with each false horizon.  I don't hate the hill...actually, I love riding up it.  An incredible sense of accomplishment engulfs me each time I conquer that road. Taking a breather at the top of Dead Woman's Hollow Trail -- June 23, 2012 I've accomplished a number of goals and passed a lot of milestones while biking and hiking.  Most of them personal and relatively small...but each had their own special meaning to me.  Sometimes those goals are things I set out to do at the beginning of the calendar year...such as distances I want to ride or hike.  Sometimes I simply set...

Glenn and I met for dinner at a local Thai place this past Tuesday.  It was great to get together and catch up with each other.  I've not seen Glenn (and most of the other guys...with the exception of Mark) since my surgery in November.  Dinner with Glenn is always a good time and the conversation is easy.  On Tuesday we talked about school (we're both teachers), about our health, and...surprise, surprise...Glenn's new mountain bike. (We all knew, after he rode Kristain's bike for short while back in August, that Glenn would be upgrading!) As we talked mountain biking the conversation naturally included a lot of reminiscing about places we've been and the amazing friends who shared those experiences with us. Without friends there would be no mountain biking...for me, the two things go hand in hand and it's why I love it so much.   Yes... GROUP THERAPY  is, in my opinion, the best kind of therapy. Almost a year ago I wrote about this subject and I post...