Happy Holidays

It’s been 2 months since my last post. There are several reasons for that. The seasons are changing and it’s become increasingly uncomfortable to go out riding. But the real reason is that I’ve returned to the workforce. My new job is located in one of the most beautiful places in the United States; Napa Valley. I’ve begun working at Trinchero Family Estates located in St. Helena, CA. My residence is located in Napa which I am discovering is a very bike-friendly place. I’ve had the opportunity to begin riding again, having had my Trek bike shipped out here. During the winter months there is frequent rain but I’ve been able to get out on two occasions and it’s been just fantastic. At this time I’m not sure if I will continue this blog or begin a new blog for this new adventure. Stay tuned. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Glen Onoko, Lehigh Gorge State Park Trail, and Jim Thorpe

Saturday, October 2nd was another beautiful day. We met our 4 friends in the Glen Onoko parking lot at 8:40a. The first thing we had decided to do was hike the Glen Onoko Falls. After a false start we asked a kind woman for directions. She got us back on track. Everything you read about this trail is pretty much true. It can be treacherous and you need proper footwear but the rewards are worth it. Our experience was further enhanced because of a storm 2 days earlier which caused the water flow to be spectacular. We took our time and paused often to take in the wonder of these falls. It was a steep climb to the top. We followed the trail (mostly marked in orange) across the top and then proceeded down the trail away from the falls. This part of the trail was not as dangerous but was still a challenge to our legs. Once at the bottom we wandered along the Lehigh River for a bit and then sat down at a picnic table and had our lunch. I think we all had a sense of accomplishment at having made this wonderful and challenging hike. After lunch, we got out our bikes, got our gear ready, and then rode north on the Lehigh Gorge State Park Trail; also know as the D & L Trail. There was so much to see and appreciate. There were scores of people navigating the Lehigh River and riding the trail. The trail follows the river as do the rail road tracks, which is still active. We rode as far as the Rockport trailhead. The round trip was a little over 25 miles. Now it was dinner time so we headed into Jim Thorpe. We parked our cars in the lot behind the train station and headed to Molly Maguires where we had a pint or 2 and real burgers and fries. After dinner we took a brief walk around town. By now we realized our adventure was coming to an end so we said goodbye to our friends and set off for home.

Keep on trekkin'

Assateague Island National Seashore / Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Recently, friends of ours talked enthusiastically about this place so we decided to check it out. It's more than a 4 hour drive from our home but it is sure worth it. At this time of year there aren't as many visitors and many shops are closed for the season but we think this added to it's beauty. The ocean water temperature was comfortable and the few days we were there the weather was gorgeous.

We left early in the morning on Thursday, September 29th with the idea we would picnic at the north end of Assateague Island National Seashore. Entering the park we saw our first of many wild horses right by the road side. We made our way to an area on the bay side where we ate our lunch. While there, wild horses appeared and gathered around a water pump. One of them was scratching it's back against it. We thought this was odd until this activity flipped the pump handle up and turned on the water. How clever. They now took turns drinking, except for one horse which they were obviously preventing from approaching the pump. This was great theatre for us.

After lunch, we drove to the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge. After exploring and getting our bearings we decided to get our bikes out and ride the trails. We parked at the Woodland Trail parking lot. Then rode the Woodland Trail, the Beach Road, the Black Duck Trail, the Wildlife Loop, and then back to our car. Just beautiful. Wildlife was all around us.

We then checked into our hotel, unloaded our bags and headed to dinner at AJ's. Very good food, moderately priced.

We were up early Friday as we had an appointment with park ranger, Alex at 9a. We were the only ones who had signed up for a kayak adventure on Little Toms Cove. Alex made it interesting and we came away with a greater appreciation of this natural area. Afterwards, we headed to the beach where we had our picnic lunch, swam in the ocean and generally daydreamed. Just an idyllic day. Friday evening we ate at Famous Pizza and ice cream cones at Island Creamery Ice Cream. Then we walked around town and watched the sunset.

Saturday morning, we drove back to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. We had decided on an early morning bike ride. We were richly rewarded. The air was cool, the sun was warm, and everything was alive. We checked out of the hotel by 11a and began the journey home. We just loved this place. Can't wait to go back.

Keep on Trekkin'

Heritage Rail Trail County Park - Part 2

Thursday, September 16th, was an absolutely gorgeous day, so we decided to continue our exploration of the Heritage Rail Trail County Park which starts in York, PA and connects with the Northern Central Railroad Trail in Maryland. Please see our previous posting, Heritage Rail Trail County Park - Part 1, for our initial adventure last year.

We drove to the Glatfelters Station Trailhead to begin our ride south. The landscape surrounding this part of the trail is rural wide open spaces. The trail is shaded in parts and open in others; a very pleasant mix. We stopped at the Railroad Trailhead to eat our picnic lunch. We had ridden 10.5 miles. Reflecting on our ride we thought we had been laboring harder than usual. We thought we were out of shape. But on our return trip we realized that we had been riding on a gradual uphill grade. The ride back was much easier as now we were traveling back on a downhill grade.

As mentioned in our previous post, Heritage Rail Trail County Park - Part 1, this trail connects with the Northern Central Railroad Trail in Maryland. Our ride had brought us to within 3 miles of the border. This will be the starting point for our next adventure.

Keep on Trekkin'

Mohonk Preserve - Mohonk Mountain House - New Paltz

Friday, September 10th, my wife and I drove to Bangor, PA where we gathered at our friend's home. Saturday, September 11th, 6 of us left Bangor at 7a and drove to New Paltz, NY. We stopped at the local Subway to pick up some sandwiches for our planned picnic lunch and then drove 6 miles west to the Mohonk Preserve.

There is a $10 admission fee for hikers and bikers and $15 for climbers. We were warned that the West Trapps Trailhead parking lot fills up fast because it is favored by the rock climbers. We arrived at 9:30a and found the lot nearly full. After us, only 3 cars were admitted to the parking lot.

Once we were geared up we rode along a trail that hugged the cliffs. Here there were numerous rock climbers scattered along the trail in various states of ascent or descent. We continued on through the woods into grassy fields (we got lost but we won't get into that here) where we found a bike rack to lock up our bikes.

We hiked through the woods until we came upon this amazing sight; a grand old hotel, the Mohonk Mountain House, on the cliffs of Mohonk Lake. We really felt like we stepped back in time. We found a nice spot in their gardens to eat our lunch. While we ate we kept hearing music in a secluded section of the garden. We soon realized we were witnessing a wedding. What a beautiful setting for such an event.

After lunch we hiked to the summit of a nearby mountain for a fabulous view of the surrounding area. After a brief rest we hiked back to our bikes and rode back to the West Trapps Trailhead where we loaded up our gear. We then traveled west on Route 44-55 to Minnewaska State Park Preserve where we took in the sights from the cliffs of Lake Minnewaska.

By now it was dinner time so we drove back to New Paltz where we dined at the Gilded Otter. The food was delicious and capped off a great adventure. After dinner we were sad to say goodbye to our friends because of the good times we had had and it was such a long drive home. This was an outstanding adventure for us, not soon to be forgotten.

Keep on trekkin'

Lebanon Valley Rail Trail - Part 3 and Conewago Recreational Trail

Yesterday, Saturday, September 5th, we decided to complete our investigation of the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail starting at the Colebrook trailhead and biking west. Arriving at the Colebrook trailhead we found the parking lot fairly full of cars. We were disappointed thinking there would be a lot of traffic to deal with on the trail.

As we headed west we found that most, if not all of the people had traveled east because we found few people on this section of the trail. After 4 miles this trail ends at the county border and there the Conewago Recreational Trail begins and travels for another 5 miles to Elizabethtown. There are beautiful country sights all along this mostly shaded trail. The only distraction we found was that the trail is raised for most of it's length and this forces you to not let your mind wander because if you drift off the trail you will surely have a rough landing. At the trail head in Elizabethtown we ate our snacks and had a brief rest and then headed back to Colebrook. Once there we had an "interesting" lunch at the Twin Kiss. For us, this was another great ride.

Please see my other posts for reviews of other sections of the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail:
Lebanon Valley Rail Trail - Part 1 and Lebanon Valley Rail Trail - Part 2.

Keep on Trekkin'

Ricketts Glen State Park

It has been on my bucket list for 35 years. Ever since some college buddies raved about this place I have been wanting to go here. Well, Friday, August 27th, my wife and I finally did it! After spending Thursday night at Yellow Gables bed and breakfast in Bloomsburg we set out early Friday morning. (I don't plan to review the bed and breakfast here but George and Camille were just great.) It was a beautiful day, low humidity, clear skies, and moderate temperatures for this time of year. If you decide to hike here you definitely want to follow the recommendations about footwear. Hiking the Falls trail can be treacherous.

It was about a 30 minute drive from Bloomsburg. We entered the park and proceeded to the Lake Rose Trailhead. Looking at our trail map we chose to walk down the Ganoga Glen. Then at Waters Meet we walked up the Glen Leigh. We finished up by walking the Highland Trail back to the Lake Rose Trailhead. What a fantastic adventure. We took lots of photos.

We drove to the Beach Lot #2 parking lot by Lake Jean. Here we had our picnic lunch. Then we rented kayaks for an hour. Being on the lake with clear sunny skies was just beautiful and so peaceful.

This is just one of the most beautiful places in Pennsylvania. I am so glad we have finally made the journey here.

Keep on Trekkin'