We were rained out of our camping trip, but I happened to see that the weather at Assateague Island was supposed to be nice Saturday until the evening. We were able to book a last minute pet friendly hotel in Ocean City, NJ so we loaded up the bikes along with the Doggyride and the 3 of us headed to the beach!
Cycling
Ironton Rail Trail
The camping trip Kevin and I were planning in western PA got rained out (surprised? not really…). Kevin had taken the day off work, so we decided to head up to a rail trail I recently found out about in eastern PA to get a bike ride in before the weather turned. Continue reading
2 Boro Bike Tour
I was so excited that my friend Tracy and I snagged a spot in the 5 Boro Bike Tour this year because the spots sell out so fast! This bike ride’s route takes you all through NYC and weaves it’s way 40 miles through Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island where you then take the ferry back to Manhattan. Over 30,000 join this ride making it one of the largest cycling events in the USA.
Wine & Wheels
I noticed that my favorite winery was very close to the Schuylkill River Trail so I decided to see if I could get a group together to cycle to it. I called it the Wine & Wheels bike ride, and although the trip was spur of the moment I had 8 people interested in joining in. I picked the Brentwood trailhead which was a little over 3 miles away from Ridgewood Winery and told everyone to meet there. Due to various reasons everyone dropped out except my friend Tracy. We decided to go a little earlier because rain was expected in the late afternoon. We also decided to meet at a spot further up the trail to make our ride a little longer – the day was so gorgeous that it was an easy decision to cycle the whole way there!
Stony Valley Rail Trail
It has been a long time since I have hiked or cycled the Stony Valley Rail Trail. My friend, Laura, was the one who first showed me this trail and we explored various sections – especially the abandoned town of Rausch Gap. The Appalachian Trail also goes through this area so there are miles of hiking and cycling that can be done. I have been looking for new places to take my nephew bike camping so Kevin and I grabbed our bikes one sunny day and headed out to see if there were any campsites near the trail that we could get to with our bikes.
One Day Hike
I think I first heard of the One Day Hike from reading other blogs. It is a non-competitive hike that is held every year. People start at about 3 AM in Washington DC and hike up the C&O Canal ending just past Harpers Ferry, WV. They have until midnight to complete their hike. There is also a 30 mile option. I wasn’t feeling adventurous enough to try either of those yet, so I saw they needed bike patrol volunteers. This is something I wanted to try for a long time. I often see cyclists at races, biking the course with runners. Honestly, half the time that I am doing a race I am wishing for my bike anyway – so this seems like a pretty good compromise! I contacted Frank, the coordinator, and requested a shift.
ERRANDONNEE 2018
I was able to complete the Errandonnee 2018 challenge this year! Basically you need to complete 12 errands by bike from 7 different categories – while cycling a minimum of 30 miles. You have 12 days in March to complete this challenge – so of course I procrastinated and did it in 2 days!
I was a guest on The Joyride Podcast
EXCITING NEWS FRIENDS!!!
One of my favorite podcasts is The Joyride Podcast which focuses on women cyclists – and it is awesome. I have been an avid fan of the show since close to the start of the podcast when I binge listed to all the episodes.
I was delighted to be a guest on the show on the first episode of season 3! If you want to listen to me talk about bikes with Cat, the host, check out Episode 31 of The Joyrode Podcast here – or wherever you listen to your podcasts!
ENJOY!
Snowy Bike Ride
The day after the Merry Little Bike Ride, it snowed all day long and well into the night in PA. I have seen that people cycle when it snows and have been curious how my bike would handle it. Also, I have all those lights strung on my bike and thought it would look pretty awesome in the snow, but do I need studded tires for my bike like I have read about? Would I be slipping all over the road? Do I need a fat tire bike? I decided to see what would happen if I took my hybrid out for a spin.
First Annual Merry Little Bike Ride
When I saw the event on facebook for the first annual Merry Little Bike Ride – I knew I HAD to go. The free slow ride was organized by Lititz Bikeworks and the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department – they just asked that if you rode, you donated a gift to a child in need. A good cause where I can ride my bike and string lights all over it?!? DONE!
blisters and bug bites 