ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

Just a little less than a month ago I said goodbye to another group of history students .  My parting, end-of-the-school-year advice changes from year to year...but this year it seemed very relevant and well received.  I basically just reminded my students that they only have one life to live.  I asked them to make a commitment over the summer to go outside and watch life through their own eyes...not someone else's life through a screen.  I asked them to go outside and create their own story...don't sit and binge watch someone else's story on Netflix.  Just days after school let out I was completely stoked when I crossed paths with one of my students (on his bicycle) while I was riding Rocky Ridge with Chris Keller.  Personally, I love when parents of my students tag me in photos of super cool places they visit over summer break.  After a year of seemingly non-stop testing (tests, by the way, most adults would have trouble passing) it's great to see ...

Visiting Ohiopyle State Park is a tradition that spans generations in my family...and I'm so happy to be able to keep the tradition alive.  It's quite possibly one of the most beautiful State Parks in Pennsylvania .  There's no doubt in my mind that it is probably the most unique of our State Parks.  The beauty and uniqueness of Ohiopyle can be observed around every corner, between every rock, over every rapid, and on every trail.   After the riding up the most obnoxious hill ever...I took time to take in the view from just outside of Kentuck Campgrounds in Ohiopyle State Park -- June 15, 2017 Thursday morning I was relaxing on the banks of the Youghiogheny River  when I decided to stretch my legs, take a walk, and check out the visitor center located near the main falls which makes up the heart of the town.  As I toured the visitor center my attention drifted towards a t-shirt with the words ADVICE FROM OHIOPYLE  followed by seven short ...

Halfway down trail A at Swatara State Park , Matt stopped and pointed out that the fungus growing on a nearby tree was the same color as my florescent orange bike.  Naturally, I stopped to take a look and to take a picture (I obviously don't care about Strava segments).  Matt was right...it was darn near the same color.  I never would ever have believed that florescent orange could be found naturally...but there it was....growing on a tree.  That wasn't the last of the orange today.  Not too much further up the trail I nearly ran over my new friend....a florescent orange turtle sitting in the middle of the trail.  I'm not a biologist by trade (I leave that to Mark).  I've no clue what the name of the fungus is or what type of turtle it was that I saw.  I just think that it's super cool that, while pedaling among all the huge rocks and trees, I was able to take a moment to brake for a few of  the small things.  Cool. My 2016 Stumpju...

It's become tradition for my wife and I to RETURN TO ROCKY GAP State Park near Cumberland, Maryland every Memorial Day weekend.  The park holds special meaning for me because my mother and father would take my brother, Jake, and me there to camp when we were kids.  It's a beautiful place and it's the one of the few trips that Robin and I take that has traditionally just been the two of us.  It's a great place for us to connect and enjoy each other's company.   Hiking around Lake Habeeb at Rocky Gap State Park -- May 27, 2017 This year, however, to keep the tradition alive a few things would have to change.  Robin and I always book the weekend a year in advance in order to secure a camping spot for the holiday weekend..which leaves open the possibility for life to throw in a few curve balls.  Not that the curve balls that came our way this year were bad (actually, quite the opposite)...they just forced us to adapt.  So...on Friday afternoon,...

  I discovered my love and passion for mountain biking when I moved to York County, Pennsylvania in 1995.  That love and passion was born and nurtured, in no small way, by the availability of nearby parks that provided me with the opportunity to ride.  With multiple State and County Parks, providing miles and miles of trails, York has become a main destination for mountain bikers in South-Central Pennsylvania.  Here are just a few of my favorite places to mountain bike in York County! ROCKY RIDGE PARK Trail Rating:  INTERMEDIATE/DIFFICULT Probably the most popular mountain biking destination in York County, Rocky Ridge (located northwest of Hellam) offers 750 acres of forest and over 12 miles of fun, technical, and challenging mountain bike riding.  This York county park features a multitude of rock gardens and super cool trails with names like Broken Arrow, Rusty Chair, and The Gut ...just to name a few.  On the most challenging of the t...

If we didn't live in York County my friends and I would probably would drive for hours on a summer day to mountain bike at Rocky Ridge County Park or the Lakes .  Actually, another riding buddy, Matt, who lives in the Harrisburg area, thinks nothing of the sometimes nearly hour long drive down Interstate 83 (depending on traffic) to ride the trails at Rocky Ridge .  Having places like the Lakes and Rocky Ridge County Park in my own back yard makes mountain biking an every day possibility. Chris Keller, Glenn Medice, and Dave Raymond taking a break after riding up THE GUT at Rocky Ridge County Park -- April 27, 2017 The option to ride locally makes it easy for us to meet up after work, in between our kid's baseball games, and family responsibilities.  It gives us the chance to unwind, decompress, catch up with each other, ride our bikes and be home in time to maintain domestic tranquility.  Glenn and I managed to squeeze in three local rides after school wit...

Late last week I got the news I'd been waiting (and hoping) for.  With the blessing of my surgeon and family doctor I was given permission to get back on my bicycle!  I'll admit that I've been just as nervous as I've been excited.  I was told that I could "ease back into it" by my surgeon, Dr. Salotto.  My wife, who is pretty convinced that I'm incapable of easing into anything, held her breath as I clipped in for the first time in six months. A little pre-ride celebration!  My first ride since October...and I wouldn't have done it with anyone else!  Thanks for coming with me, Sweetheart! -- April 9, 2017 I think she was surprised when I suggested a short 3 mile ride home from the middle school where I teach after we dropped my truck off for my son.  As far as I'm concerned...that's "easing into it."  What a feeling it was getting back on my bike.  I really missed this...the sense of freedom...the wind in my face...the simpl...