ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

Robin and I took a hike at Rocky Ridge County Park on Saturday.  Typical of my usual self, I started us on a path that lead into the valley and away from the more populated part of the park.  Purposefully, I chose to lead Robin down some of the more technical trails to avoid other hikers and bikers.  Not too far into our trek we were commenting on both the beauty of the exposed forest and just how careful we needed to be as we made our way down the rocky trails which were now covered by all of the recently fallen leaves. Taking a hike with Robin at Rocky Ridge County Park. -- November 23, 2019 Fall in Pennsylvania is absolutely beautiful...probably my favorite season of the year.  The color of the foliage...the low sun angle...and the crisp autumn air are all things that I love and look forward to.  Fall is also a time for those who hike and mountain bike in Penn's Woods to tread just a little more carefully. As beautiful as those freshly fallen leave...

One of my college professors once said that the three best perks about being a teacher are June, July, and August.  I'm not sure if that is true...there are so many aspects of my job that are incredibly rewarding...but I have to admit that I do love my summers.  My boss likes tells us to use our summers for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.  The amount of actual "rest and relaxation" I gave myself the past few months is up for debate...but I can definitely check off the rejuvenate box.  And so, with August rapidly coming to a close, Labor Day just around the corner, and the 2019/2020 school year already in full swing...I'm beginning to take stock of just how many ways I've had to rejuvenate mind and body over the past three months. .   Enjoying an amazing hike to Black Rock Summit near Skyline Drive in Virginia. -- July 20, 2019 It's a poorly kept secret that I ride my bike as much as I can during the summer months...but there are so many ot...

Spring is, believe it or not, is the most difficult time of the year for me to get out and mountain bike and hike.  A lot of factors...the inevitable rainy weather, muddy trail conditions (which end up closing the trails at the local county parks), and the end of the school year activities and field trips that all happen in April and May...are in play here and, especially last year, put a damper on the amount of time I'm able to enjoy the outdoors the way that I would like to.  I'm almost embarrassed to say that (for all the reasons previously listed) I didn't ride my mountain bike even once in May of 2018.  This Spring, thankfully, has proven to be much more "trail" friendly than last. Yes...I took a pic of my bike surrounded by wildflowers (Dame's Rockets) at Lake Kain County Park. -- May 18, 2019  My wife, Robin, and I have continued our commitment to at least one hike a week.  Rocky Ridge County Park is our default location to hike if we are pr...