ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

When I was a child, my parents often would take my brother and I to the water slides at Raystown Lake .  It was always something I looked forward to.  As an adult, I usually make the 2+ hour drive back to Raystown...not for the water slides (I'm not even sure if they are still there)...but to ride the Allegrippis Trail system on the northwest side of the lake. Dave Raymond riding along Hydo Loop near Raystown Lake -- July 11, 2017 The most important thing I've learned on my four trips to ride Allegrippis is that...with more than thirty miles of trails, created as a series of stacked loops in a collaborative between the Army Corps of of Engineers and the International Mounain Bike Association , and designed specifically for mountain bikers...it's super easy to get carried away!  Tim found this out first hand when, while riding Ray's Revenge, his tires kicked out from underneath him shooting him a few feet down the embankment.  It's not for a lack of warni...

It's been exactly two months since I've been on either of my bicycles.  That's quite the cycling hiatus for me.  I'll always remember 2016 as the year of my two back surgeries...the first in March and the second in November . I am, however; pretty amazed at all I've been able to do and see and experience in 2016 considering the amount of time I've been relegated to my couch the last nine months.  In between two significant recovery periods I purchased a new mountain bike, made almost a dozen trips to Michaux State Forest, hiked (and biked) some pretty amazing stuff in Arizona, made a couple trips to Patapsco Valley State Park, returned to Rattling Creek for the first time in five years, toured the Gettysburg National Military Park, hiked in the mountains of North Carolina and western Maryland with my wife, made numerous trips to Rocky Ridge County Park, and played on the Allegrippis Trail System at Raystown Lake. One of my favorite pics of the past ...

Ten years ago, when I first started riding in Michaux State Forest , Mark, Glenn, Tim, and the rest of the group were kind enough to accommodate me by riding extremely early in the morning so I wouldn't take too much time away from my son who, at the time, was only seven years old.  I'm beyond that stage in life now...but now it's Timmy's turn.  With his hectic work and family schedule he's only able to get about one ride in a week.  Now it's my turn accommodate him.  So...for the past few years during the summer months...we have a standing Tuesday mountain bike date each week.  Sometimes it's just Tim and I...but this summer was special.  The summer of 2016 saw the return of Glenn, Kristian, Mikey, & Bill...Mark was able to make most of the rides...and Matt was able to get time away and join us a couple of times.  Regardless of who is in the group, our Tuesday rides have become one of the things I look forward to each and every week...and I'm hap...

"I love this place!"  The exact words muttered over and over again by my good friend, Kristian Hains, as we navigated the Allegrippis Trails near Raystown Lake in Huntington County, Pennsylvania on Tuesday.   Ranked as Pennsylvania's #1 mountain bike destination by Singletracks.com ...the Allegrippis Trail system was created by the Army Corps of Engineers in tandem with the International Mountain Biking Association .  All this is possible because the land around Raystown Lake (which was created in 1973 for the purpose of controlling floods, providing electricity, and supporting recreational activities) is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and has never been privately developed.  Literally, it's 30+ miles of trails that are a series of stacked loops (which can provide for seemingly endless trail combinations ) created BY mountain bikers FOR mountain bikers!   Kristian Hains riding Ray's Revenge -- August 2, 2016 "I'm sure I've had more...