ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

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...

There's a fire road over in Michaux State Forest named Dead Woman's Hollow Road.  It's tough.  I'll never forget the first time I rode up it with Mark.  It seemed impossible...but I just put my head down and pedalled. To this day...I always approach Dead Woman's Hollow with the mindset that "this hill will NEVER end."  As long as I do that...I don't get disappointed with each false horizon.  I don't hate the hill...actually, I love riding up it.  An incredible sense of accomplishment engulfs me each time I conquer that road. Taking a breather at the top of Dead Woman's Hollow Trail -- June 23, 2012 I've accomplished a number of goals and passed a lot of milestones while biking and hiking.  Most of them personal and relatively small...but each had their own special meaning to me.  Sometimes those goals are things I set out to do at the beginning of the calendar year...such as distances I want to ride or hike.  Sometimes I simply set...

A few February's ago, my wife and I stepped out of Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport and into the warm dessert air.  Robin looked at me with a smile on her face.  When I inquired about the big smile she respond that she was reacting to my smile.  Six hours previous to that moment we boarded a plane at BWI and escaped the deep freeze of winter.  I couldn't help but be excited about being outside...and apparently, the expression on my face said it all. I've been doing a lot of solo mountain biking after school this year.  Last week, while riding the Lakes , I paused to  the appreciate the amazing Autumn Pennsylvania weather and take in some Vitamin N. -- October 19, 2017 I crave nature and I crave being outdoors.  I don't know the science behind it but I feel better and I'm happier when I'm outside.  There are plenty of studies out there that say that exposure to nature helps with depression, high blood pressure, anxiety, ADD, and just about a...