ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

Just a little less than a month ago I said goodbye to another group of history students .  My parting, end-of-the-school-year advice changes from year to year...but this year it seemed very relevant and well received.  I basically just reminded my students that they only have one life to live.  I asked them to make a commitment over the summer to go outside and watch life through their own eyes...not someone else's life through a screen.  I asked them to go outside and create their own story...don't sit and binge watch someone else's story on Netflix.  Just days after school let out I was completely stoked when I crossed paths with one of my students (on his bicycle) while I was riding Rocky Ridge with Chris Keller.  Personally, I love when parents of my students tag me in photos of super cool places they visit over summer break.  After a year of seemingly non-stop testing (tests, by the way, most adults would have trouble passing) it's great to see ...

  I discovered my love and passion for mountain biking when I moved to York County, Pennsylvania in 1995.  That love and passion was born and nurtured, in no small way, by the availability of nearby parks that provided me with the opportunity to ride.  With multiple State and County Parks, providing miles and miles of trails, York has become a main destination for mountain bikers in South-Central Pennsylvania.  Here are just a few of my favorite places to mountain bike in York County! ROCKY RIDGE PARK Trail Rating:  INTERMEDIATE/DIFFICULT Probably the most popular mountain biking destination in York County, Rocky Ridge (located northwest of Hellam) offers 750 acres of forest and over 12 miles of fun, technical, and challenging mountain bike riding.  This York county park features a multitude of rock gardens and super cool trails with names like Broken Arrow, Rusty Chair, and The Gut ...just to name a few.  On the most challenging of the t...

If we didn't live in York County my friends and I would probably would drive for hours on a summer day to mountain bike at Rocky Ridge County Park or the Lakes .  Actually, another riding buddy, Matt, who lives in the Harrisburg area, thinks nothing of the sometimes nearly hour long drive down Interstate 83 (depending on traffic) to ride the trails at Rocky Ridge .  Having places like the Lakes and Rocky Ridge County Park in my own back yard makes mountain biking an every day possibility. Chris Keller, Glenn Medice, and Dave Raymond taking a break after riding up THE GUT at Rocky Ridge County Park -- April 27, 2017 The option to ride locally makes it easy for us to meet up after work, in between our kid's baseball games, and family responsibilities.  It gives us the chance to unwind, decompress, catch up with each other, ride our bikes and be home in time to maintain domestic tranquility.  Glenn and I managed to squeeze in three local rides after school wit...

"Bike Envy" isn't something that I get.  Sure...I might do a double take at the latest bikes on the floor of Gung Ho Bikes ...but it's not like I ever get that "I need to have that and I need to have it now" feeling.  If you are that person (Glenn, I'm speaking to you) then March and April, when all the new bikes are on the floor of the shop, have the potential to be better than Christmas.  Last March (2016), for the first time in five years, I purchased a new mountain bike...and I love it: 29 inch wheels, hard tail, carbon fiber, and orange.  No sir...I don't think I'll be experiencing any bike envy this year.  My 2016 Stumpjumper on it's maiden ride in Swatara State Park -- March 5, 2016 That's not to say that I haven't had my fair share of mountain bikes over the past 22+ years.  They haven't all been Specialized ...but they ALL have been purchased at GUNG HO BIKES ...the BEST BIKE SHOP AROUND .  Over the years, my b...

It's no secret that I love mountain biking.  It's also not a secret that like to ride in Michaux State Forest and that ultimately, no matter where I ride, all trails will lead me to ice cream.  Not just me though.   SOLO RIDES are few and far between...I love riding with friends. They are the ones that make every ride special...and over the years, their friendship, their personalities, their love of the outdoors, and their love for mountain biking have helped turned a hobby into a passion.  I'm so fortunate and privileged to have them in my life and out on the trails with me. All the links of the chain:  Mark Lentz, Kristian Hains, Glenn Medice, Timmy  Sindlinger, Mikey Nardelli, Kevin Hardy, Bill Graves, Mike Alicea, Matt Linnane, Brent Shirk, & Chris Keller Without my friends I'm not sure I would mountain bike nearly as much as I do...I'd be just one link of the chain. All of us, together, keep this thing moving.  I love Michaux, I l...

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...