ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

Life is hectic and oftentimes overwhelming.  But if 2020 has taught us anything....it's that sometimes we need to pause and appreciate the good that is all around us.  As imperative as it is that we focus our attention on the trail or road in front of us...it is also just as beneficial to slow down and take in the natural world that surrounds us.  With all of the challenges that every single one of us have faced this past year, taking a moment to appreciate all that is good on planet Earth can be quite rewarding...mentally, physically, and spiritually.  To quote a famous movie..."Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around you might miss it." What follows is a series my favorite pictures that I captured in 2020....each taken at a moment of time when I paused and took time to look around do a little sightseeing.  Enjoy! This spectacular view of Michaux State Forest can be found a few hundred yards from the where Blueberry Trail and Dead Woman...

  Thomas Jefferson described Meriwether Lewis (Jefferson's personal secretary and man chosen to lead the Corps of Discovery) as having undaunted courage and "firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from it's direction..."  I tell kids that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were  ordinary people who did extraordinary things.  Their story is one of perseverance, determination, and courage.  For that reason, Lewis, Clark, and the Corps of Discovery has always been a favorite of my history students.  On a personal level, I enjoy the story of Lewis and Clark because it focuses on exploring, learning about, and enjoying the natural world around us.  There is a lot that we, over two hundred years later, can still learn from the Corps of Discovery.  Thanks, once again, to the good people at YOUR TRUE NATURE , those lessons can be learned through seven pieces of simple advice.  So here is my own personal t...

Life is one step in front of the other.  For those of us who mountain bike life can be described as the the continuous cranking of the pedals.  No matter if you choose to take a hike or to ride a bike...it's that sense of beauty, exhilaration, fun, and inspiration that propels us forward down the trail.  But...what about that trail that passes beneath our feet and disappears under our rolling tires?  I can't believe that I'm the only person who has ever paused to wonder who originally blazed it?  Who maintains it?  What historic figures may have traveled on it?  And...if the trail could talk...what would it say?... what stories could it tell?... and what advice would it give? Possibly something as simple as this: WALK INTO BEAUTY STAY ON YOUR PATH FIND INSPIRATION AROUND EVERY TURN TREAD LIGHTLY PACK LIFE WITH GOOD MEMORIES EVERY DAY HAS IT'S UPS AND DOWNS WATCH YOUR STEP! Enjoy! ADVICE FROM A TRAIL -- YOUR TRUE NATURE WALK I...