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IT IS BEAUTIFUL BACK HERE

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I could hear Ben's voice behind me as I was navigating down one of my favorite trails in Michaux State Forest .  Tim had a flat and we needed to stop.  Of all the places in the forest where Tim could possibly had flatted...he chose one of the most beautiful.  The trail isn't identified on the official map of the forest and I'm not sure if it has an official name...but it's an absolute jewel of a trail to ride.  It's been nearly two years (and one back surgery) ago since I'd last been on it...and I was loving every second of it!  After hearing Ben call out, I walked my bike back to the sight of Tim and Ben on top of a huge boulder...Tim's bike turned upside-down...working to fix Tim's flat.  I had never paused here...and why would I?  The trail, in this particular section of the forest skirts the boundary of Tumbling Run Game Preserve , weaves in and out of tall pines, flows past an endless sea of green ferns, and rolls over...and around...boulders the...

HOME AWAY FROM HOME, Pt. 3 (SHARING THE LOVE)

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With a huge smile on her face and a look of amazement in her eyes, my 12 year old neice, Jackie, explored the area around Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle State Park .  Jackie had never been to a place like this and she was absolutely loving it. My wife, Robin, and I had a camping trip planned (my third in the past five weeks) for the last weekend of June.  This also coincided with when our nieces, Jackie & Sophie, and my nephew, Isaac, would be visiting from Arizona.  So...instead of just the two of us...Robin and I thought we'd share our love of camping and nature with the kids. My niece, Jackie Raymond, taking in the beauty of Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle State Park. -- June 30, 2018 It's been quite a while since I've been camping with kids...so this time around there were no ambitious hikes planned, no white water rafting trips down the Youghiogheny, and no mountain biking involved.  Instead, Robin and I packed a few games, a frisbee, and a ton of gr...

HOME AWAY FROM HOME, Pt. 2 (DOWN TO THE RIVER)

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In 1754, frustrated with the tediously slow progress of his men as they hacked their way westward through the Appalachian Mountains to capture Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh), Colonel George Washington broke off from the main group and, along with a handful of men, began exploring the Youghiogheny River as a possible water route through the mountains.  The group made it as far as present day Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania where, legend has it, Colonel Washington stood on a rock overlooking a 40 foot waterfall and decided to abandon the plan when he came to the realization that the rapids of the Youghiogheny would not be a viable means of transporting men and artillery westward.  It's this very waterfall, and system of rapids, that makes the Youghiogheny River the focal point of any visit to Ohiopyle State Park . My son, Alex, and I standing on the west bank of the Youghiogheny River...possibly the same rock that George Washington stood on in 1754. -- June 20, 2018 ...