ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

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 ...

The "Month of Gray" (formerly known here in south central Pennsylvania as the month of May) has finally come and gone.  The end of yet another successful school year has ushered in my unofficial start of summer, and along with it, a string of nice weather.  Actually, we've had some amazingly nice weather...low humidity, blue skies, and high temps around 80 degrees.  I couldn't have asked for conditions to be any more perfect for my first summer ride in Michaux State Forest . On our first Michaux ride of the summer, Tim and I headed to my favorite vista to catch the amazing view of the forest below. -- June 12, 2018 Tim's bike (you can also see mine leaning on the rock in the distance) resting along the trail a few feet away from the vista.  The mountain laurel, Pennsylvania's State Flower, is in full bloom on the left of the trail. -- June 12, 2018 A perfect day for a ride in Michaux State Forest. -- June 12, 2018 Enjoying the cool waters ...

My parents first took my brother and I camping in 1981.  The preparation involved for our family camping trips was a sight to see.  Dad had a 1976 Subaru, in which he and my mom seemingly packed half of our household belongings.  On those first camping trips, my mom and dad really made sure that our campsite would literally be a "home away from home."  On the Coleman grill (while listening to her Neil Diamond tapes), my mom made pancakes for breakfast and dinners that consisted of meals such as spaghetti and beef stew.  It was like we were at home...but in some ways better.  It was on these trips, at the age of 7, that I was introduced to campfire food...hot dogs roasted over the fire, smores, and my all-time favorite, mountain pies. My mother, Kathy Raymond, preparing dinner for us at Rocky Gap State Park. -- 1981 Left to right:  My father, Dave Raymond, me (age 7), and my younger brother, Jacob at Rocky Gap State Park. -- 1981 Our family...

Mark has this saying.  Actually, it's a line form an obscure John Mellencamp song... "When it's too tough for everyone else...it's just right for us."  It's a mantra that encapsulates a certain kind of mountain biking that he and I both love.  It's the kind of mountain biking that has no real destination.  It's the ride that possibly requires a GPS, a map, or at the very least...cell reception.  This particular kind of mountain biking demands that there be no real time constraints.  Inevitably, on this ride there will be a ton of backtracking, a climbing to mileage ration that is completely obnoxious, and yes...it will include the infamous " hike-a-bike ."  The final component of this ride is a friend who knows more about mountain biking than I do and can navigate his way out of just about anything.  A friend who finds craziness just a fun as I do. Mark Lentz and David Raymond exploring parts of Michaux State Forest that were not famili...

I have this nice little memory of my mother that is uniquely mine.  I don't have any pics of it...just the memory.  I really don't remember the year or exactly how old I was (but I can guess I was around seven or eight years old).  The memory is of my mom waking me up early in the morning so we could take a bike ride together. My mom, Kathy Raymond.  This pic was taken in Ohiopyle State Park . -- November 1980 My mom, if my memory serves me correctly, rode a super cool 5-speed bike that she and my dad got at the JCPenney's in Altoona, PA.  No gears for me...my first real bike was old school...a single speed with a sparkly blue paint job and a banana seat!  I have no clue how many times mom and I got up early to do this and why my brother and my dad weren't involved...but I know she and I did this more than once.  Here, however, is what I do remember...vividly.  I remember riding down South Juliana Street with the cool morning mist hitting ...