ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

I gave Tim options today.  We got to a point in our afternoon ride at Rocky Ridge when a decision would have to be made about which direction we would go and...ultimately, what kind of ride we wanted to have.  Did we want to double back and ride the same trails in the opposite direction?  Did we want to make a left and take the upper trails to the other side of the park?  Or...did we want to head down to "the Gut."   Tim (in the background) and I enjoying the ride down into "the Gut" -- October 14, 2016 Rocky Ridge County Park is known for a lot of things....it's rocks, the miles kool single track packed into such a small area, the amount of climbing you will do, and yes...an area of the park called "the Gut."  You've really got to be in the correct frame of mind to ride "the Gut."  The descent down into it is blast...but be prepared for a rocky, eroded, and technical ride out which climbs approximately 300 feet in 0.9 miles....

It's pretty well known that Christopher Columbus didn't actually "discover" America.  Heck...he never even made it to the mainland (although who can fault him for hanging out  in the Bahamas?) I have this belief that you can't really discover something that's already well known to other people.  Yeah...there were others who came to the western hemisphere well before Columbus.  Native people came here anywhere from 40,000 to 13,000 years ago.  It possible that St. Brendan the Navigator , doing missionary work, traveled to the New World 1,000 years prior to Columbus.  There are some who believe, based on a map of Chinese origin, that Chinese explorer, Zheng He , may have made it as far as the Americas during one of his seven voyages between the years 1405 and 1433.  And yes...evidence has proven that Leif Erikson traveled to Newfoundland around 1,000 A.D...a full 500 years before Christopher Columbus "Sailed the Ocean Blue."   In the spirit of...

My emotions, yesterday afternoon, ran the gamut...ranging from anger, depression, and fear. When I got on my bike after school, for what I knew would be a very quick ride , I conscientiously began to try to keep track of how long it would take for those emotions and feelings to dissipate and fade into the background.  I wanted to see how long it took for the negative thoughts I was having to be replaced by something so much better.  Clipped in, and with Springsteen in my right ear, I began down the road. A guy and his bike.  Just what I need after a rough day. I never regret a ride ...even when I feel horrible...and I was feeling pretty horrible.  So, as I watched the gray road pass beneath my front tires the white lines blur in my peripheral vision...I waited for the voices in my head to change.  My mind drifted to The Price You Pay ....one of my favorite Springsteen songs...and then, silence.  I assumed that it was the pharmacy calling me to ...

On Monday morning I opened the calendar on my phone and saw that I have some sort of appointment or meeting after school every single day this week.  Yep...one of those weeks when it's hard to find time to get out and do the stuff we love to do.  But somehow, I've managed to get out and slow things down a bit.  I haven't ridden anything difficult...and my rides haven't been long (they were all under 45 minutes)...but they've allowed me get out, spin my legs, clear my head, recharge my batteries, and enjoy this beautiful October weather here in south-central Pennsylvania. A quick ride around Lake Williams today was just what I needed -- October 5, 2016 I squeezed a road ride in on Tuesday .  I passed this sunflower field just west of Manchester, PA -- October 4, 2016 Lake Williams on a beautiful October afternoon -- October 5, 2016 I just couldn't pass this up today! -- October 5, 2016 The hardest part about riding during these busy...

I've had FRESH 'N TWISTY on the brain since Brent, Tim, Kristian and I rode Rocky Ridge County Park last Friday .  Yeah...that new trail on the southern side of the park really got my juices flowing and turned an ordinary afternoon ride into  SOMETHING AWESOME .  I was hoping to be able to get out on the trails again this week for an after school ride before the weather took a downward turn...but neither Mark nor Kristian were able to get out.  So... with CRYSTAL BLUE SKIES  overhead on  Tuesday...and with the local weather guys predicting a wash out for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...and even though I had been planning on just doing an afternoon road ride...I threw my Stumpjumper up on top of the Cruz and headed over to Rocky Ridge.  I just couldn't help myself! Instead of a road ride I threw my Stumpjumper on top of the car and drove out to Rocky Ridge to enjoy a perfect September evening -- September 27, 2016 This would be my second ...

I might anger a few of local mountain bikers in York County by saying this...mountain biking at Rocky Ridge, at least for me, is kind of like eating frozen pizza:  it's never my first choice, but it's convenient when in a pinch.  And it's not that Rocky Ridge County Park isn't amazing...it is.  I always tell people that, if I lived far away from York, I would drive hours to ride there.  It's some of the most technical and challenging riding around.  If you like rocks and hills and single track...Rocky  Ridge is your place.  If you can mountain bike here...you can mountain bike anywhere!  I really believe that. Friday's ride introduced a completely new dynamic...it was the first that this group...Brent, Kristian, myself, and Timmy...had ever ridden together.  It was a great afternoon on the trails at Rocky Ridge County  Park -- September 23, 2016 Why is it never my first choice?  I guess it's because...after 20+ years of ...