ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

Recently, an article I was reading in a cycling magazine grabbed my attention.  It was all about the "why?"  Why do you ride your bike?  I read on as people from all over the country chimed in and shared their own personal "why."  It really got me thinking about all the reasons why I ride.  Narrowing it down to one thing...one overriding reason as to WHY I love to ride my bike...has proven difficult.  Some reasons why, like overall health, have been a constant and others, like training for races, have ceased to be important to me. Enjoying the view at the top of Baughman Trail from Baughman Rock Overlook in Ohiopyle State Park . -- June 13, 2017 I have this internal desire to ride my bike all of the time.  My brain is always trying to find a time slot in the day for me to turn the pedals.  Just this morning, prior to coming to school, I was in the rain putting my bike in the back of my truck, with the optimistic feeling that the weathe...

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...

I take thousands of pictures every year.  It's kind of my thing...along with mountain biking, hiking, and  teaching history.  I have absolutely no formal training in the art of photography...so when I take (what I think is a really cool photo) it is simply by chance.  Picture taking while mountain biking and hiking serves the duel purpose of allowing me to slow down and rest my "recently operated on" back while also helping me to preserve some really awesome memories.  After looking through all of the pictures that I've taken while biking and hiking over the past year I found a baker's dozen that I am particularly proud of.  These thirteen pictures, in my opinion, are the ones that best highlight and preserve the beauty and awesomeness of the outdoors in which I love to spend so much of my time.  So...here are (in no special order) my favorite pictures of 2017. Enjoy! I took this ultra cool pic of my Stumpjumper while riding Ridgeline Trail in...