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SURVIVING SNOWMAGEDDON--January 30, 2016

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My sixteen year old son, Alex, said that he had never seen anything like it.  The last time I had seen something on this scale was in 1996.   No one living in the Northeast missed the blizzard of 2016.  According to the local weather guys , last weekend's storm ranks 4th worst among all Northeast snowstorms.  When I woke up on Saturday morning and saw the snow on the back porch piled up chest high... it became pretty clear that this was no ordinary event.   People will be talking about it for years.  It also became pretty clear to me that, for the time being, my cycling would be put on hold for a while. Surviving Snowmageddon.   Took a ride to NMS on my 2011 Stumpjumper -- January 26, 2016 I spend Saturday hunkered down with my wife and my son.   A lazy day of watching movies and eating crock pot food.  By Sunday morning, the storm had passed, the sun was out in it's full glory, and the shoveling began.  On Monday, more movies a...

THE LEGEND OF THE WHITE SQUIRREL, Vol. 1: FRIENDS

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I learned about the White Squirrel in August of 2008.  That year I spent the last week of July doing some nerdy history stuff at George Washington's Mount Vernon .   I left Alexandria, VA and, instead of heading back north to Pennsylvania, I drove to Brevard, North Carolina .  The previous year, my friends, Mark, Glenn, Mikey, and I spent four days mountain biking near Blackwater Falls , West Virginia.   On the way home from that trip we began to plan what we would do the next summer.   Mark steered us towards Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina.   This post card of the "White Squirrel" was purchased in Brevard, NC in 2008.   The mask was added by Kristian Haines--2008 Mikey didn't make it on this trip (his responsibilities to his little ones kept him at home)....but Kristian did.   Mark, Glenn, and Kristian picked up my mountain biking gear for me before heading out of Pennsylvania.  They ended up beating me to the cam...

A VIGOROUS BODY HELPS CREATE A VIGOROUS MIND -- January 16, 2016

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Thomas Jefferson prescribed to the belief that a "vigorous body helped to create a vigorous mind."  Each day, with no concern of the weather, he would walk or ride (a horse...not a bike).   "No less than two hours a day should be devoted to exercise, and the weather should be of little regard." Thomas Jefferson He actually believed that the colder and wetter the weather was, the better.   "A person not sick will not be injured by getting wet.  It is but taking a cold bath, which never gives a cold to anyone.   Brute animals are the most healthy, and they are exposed to all weather, and of men, those are healthiest who are the most exposed."  Thomas Jefferson Overcast and 40 degrees.   Not a bad day for a January bike ride -- January 16, 2016 It's a pretty safe bet that Mr. Jefferson would be out riding or walking today.  As far as January weather is concerned, today's damp forty degrees is a significant upgrade over the...

THE KING'S BOTANIST - January 2, 2016

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I can tell you, from experience, that very few people know neither who Andre Michaux was nor the contributions that he made to the United States.   Yet, one of my favorite places on the face of the earth bares his name... a forest in south central Pennsylvania that holds so much beauty...and for me nothing but good memories and experiences.   It is in this forest that I truly learned how to mountain bike.   It is in this forest that one of my best friends, Mark Lentz, taught me so much about nature and how to identify landmarks, both natural and man made.  It is in this forest that I always find happiness and peace.   It is in this forest that I proposed to my wife....and it is in this forest that she said "yes."  Yet, nobody knows seems to know who this man from France was.   My 2011 Stumpjumper in Michaux State Forest -- January 2, 2016 Michaux State Forest has been my favorite place to mountain bike since Mark Lentz first brought me her...

STEPPING INTO THE NEW YEAR -- January 1, 2016

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Happy new year!   With 2015 safely in the rear view mirror it's time to get started on all I want to do in the next 365 days.  All around me I hear people making resolutions for the new year...and I can't help but wonder how they will fit all the things they want to do into a 24 hour period.   Personally, I've never been one to proclaim a resolution for the new year.  I do set goals.   Most of the time they are mileage goals for my bike riding. This year my mileage goal is 2,500 all purpose cycling miles.   This would be an increase of almost 300 miles over what I rode in 2015.  I managed to get a jump start on that today by taking a short eight mile New Year's Day ride  through the neighborhood.  But, I don't think a mileage goal is any more of a  true resolution than losing weight, working out more, saving money, or eating less ice cream (perish the thought!)  I think...and I may be wrong...but I think a true resolution needs ...

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW -- December 30, 2015

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I managed to get out for a quick ten mile ride today in between a doctor appointment and a marvelous lunch date with my wife at the Accomac Inn .  I'm pretty sure that I'll get out for a ride at some point tomorrow...and, if I do, I don't know where that ride will take me...but I couldn't help thinking that today's short ride could possibly be the last ride of 2015.  All things considered, 2015 has been a pretty good year for me on the bike.   I managed to get in 2,207 miles of road and mountain biking.  I've ridden more miles in other years...but considering some challenges I faced this year...I'm proud of those 2,207 miles.   Swatara Gap:  David Raymond, Tim Sindlinger, Matt Linanne, & Brent Shirk--September 15, 2015 I tend to be one of those people who is very "past" oriented.   I guess, being a history teacher, that is a good quality to have.   But until my wife brought it to my attention, I never realized just how "past...

A LITTLE MUD, A LITTLE MUCK, A LOT OF FUN -- December 28, 2015

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It's become a tradition for my neighbor, Brent, and I, to head down to Potapsco Valley State Park in Maryland to hit the trails for some post-Christmas mountain biking.  We've been planning this ride for a few weeks and have been watching the weather closely.   It's been very warm on the east coast the past few weeks...but also extremely wet and rainy.   Today was the only day of the week that didn't include raindrops in the forecast. The suspension bridge at Potapsco Valley State Park -- December 28, 2015 Brent and I planned to leave home around 7:30 today...which gave me plenty of time to get up and make breakfast for Robin.   Coffee with my wife is my favorite way to start each day.   Heading down Interstate 83, Brent and I stopped at the South York Diner for breakfast.   As I ordered my typical two eggs (over-medium), bacon, home fries, and toast, I felt very unhealthy next to Brent who ordered his veggie omelet. Brent commented, "How are you ...