ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

At some point in my life my father used the phrase "Knee high by the 4th of July" to describe how high the corn in the local farmers fields should be by mid summer.  Its funny how little things like that stick in my head.  When I was young the summer seemed so endless.  Not so much anymore.  I love the gift of time that I receive each year...but unlike those summer days long ago...time no longer seems to stand still.   Coming back towards the town of Bedford, PA on Cumberland Road (County Home Road for those of us who grew up there) I paused to check just how high the corn was -- July 6, 2016 My favorite summer time wild flower is the blue chicory that grows along side of the roads and highways in Pennsylvania -- July 6, 2016 The 4th of July has come and gone this year and before you know it (for lack of any holiday to exploit until Labor Day) stores will begin their "Back To School" sales.  It's not that I dread going back to school ...

During the summers of 2011 and 2012, Tim Singlinger and I spent an awful lot of time in Patapsco Valley State Park near Baltimore, Maryland.  So much time that I have the trail system blazed into my memory.  Then, in 2013, my attention turned back to Michaux State Forest ...probably because of it's proximity, it's beauty, and the realization that there was so much at Michaux that needed to be explored and need to be ridden.  Since those particular summers, I, on average, return to Patapsco to mountain bike maybe twice a year.  The park, created in 1907 as the Patapsco State Forest Reserve, is designed to protect the valley's forest and water resources.  In the 1930s it was incorporated into the Civilian Conservation Corps .   The CCC workers created recreational facilities and planted vegetation to prevent erosion into the river.  During World War II it was converted into the nation's very first Civilian Public Service conscientious objector camp w...

I'm going to openly admit that I've done too much the past few weeks and it's taken a slight toll on my " recently operated on " back.  I arrived home from hiking in Arizona and camping in Ohiopyle feeling great and anxious to get on my bike.  Thing is...I have a problem with moderation...I always have.  I guess, fortunately for me, my drug of choice is the outdoors...or, more specifically, my mountain bike.  Unfortunately, like any drug that you take too much of...especially when you shouldn't...the outcome isn't always positive.   Celebrating the first day of summer and "National Selfie Day" with Matt Linnane & Tim Sindlinger  with a ride in Michaux -- June 21, 2016 Taking a break in Michaux (Tim Sindlinger, Dave Raymond, Matt Linnane) -- June 21, 2016 Timmy gliding over a newly created ramp on one of our favorite trails in Michaux State Forest -- June 21, 2016 Matt taking a post ride shower from the back of hi...

Ohiopyle isn't in Ohio.  The little Fayette County town, located in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, has been a family destination for a long time.  Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania gets it's unique name, most believe, from a combination of Native American words which come together as "Ohiopehelle" which, when translated, means "white, frothy water."  The main falls at Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania -- June 17, 2016 The town, itself, is complete engulfed by Ohiopyle State Park ...a sort of western Pennsylvania mecca for kayakers, rafters, hikers, campers, and cyclists.  The main feature of the park is the Youghiogheny River Gorge which meanders its way through the park.  The "Yough" offers some of the best whitewater rafting and sight seeing east of the Mississippi River.  That's me on the left with my mother, Kathy Raymond, and my brother, Jacob Raymond.  Based upon what I know from the background we were hiking the Fer...