This past weekend my brother Jason came into town for a visit. Since this was his first visit to State College I decided to give him the standard tour with a few add-ons. Jay is a little more low-key than I am so I figured a nice hike would be a good way to start things off. The weather was absolutely spectacular and the fall colors are becoming a cornucopia of reds, yellows, and oranges. I decided to hike Shingletown as it gets more attention from hikers than mountain bikers and seemed like the safe choice.
Things started off agreeable enough, but the trail we were following to get up on the ridge disappeared amidst some logging activity so we had to bushwhack our way through t
he forest to reach the top. It took a little more work than anticipated, but when we reached the top the views were like staring at a postcard. The valley was practically glowing from the seasonal colors and you could see for miles under a sky that was so impeccably blue it almost seemed fake.
After getting our fill of nature we decided it would be wise to refuel and rehydrate so it was off to the sleepy town of Millheim to patronize their local brewery. The Elk Creek Café is a quality establishment that is worth the drive if you’re into incredible food and spectacular hand crafted beers. It will not disappoint. After getting our fill of the local food and drink we decided to return to the house and relax for the evening.
The next day I continued to show Jay around town including a few stops along the way for true culinary staples such as ice cream. After all, there are two creameries here so why not, right? Once I had supplied my brother with enough frozen dairy treats to make a kid a fat camp jealous, I bid him farewell. Since it was still relatively early in the day, I geared up for some mountain bike action with a few friends.
Six of us went out for a mild ride along the Tussey Mountain Ridge. It was probably one of the best rides I’ve been on in a long time. I didn’t set the world on fire with my riding skills, but between the weather, the views, the trail conditions, and the company, I didn’t care if I couldn’t clear a single rock garden (which wasn’t too far from the truth). What really mattered was that I was out having fun and enjoying one of the great reasons to live in Central Pennsylvania during the fall. It’s going to be hard to top this past weekend, but I’m definitely going to try.
Things started off agreeable enough, but the trail we were following to get up on the ridge disappeared amidst some logging activity so we had to bushwhack our way through t
he forest to reach the top. It took a little more work than anticipated, but when we reached the top the views were like staring at a postcard. The valley was practically glowing from the seasonal colors and you could see for miles under a sky that was so impeccably blue it almost seemed fake.After getting our fill of nature we decided it would be wise to refuel and rehydrate so it was off to the sleepy town of Millheim to patronize their local brewery. The Elk Creek Café is a quality establishment that is worth the drive if you’re into incredible food and spectacular hand crafted beers. It will not disappoint. After getting our fill of the local food and drink we decided to return to the house and relax for the evening.
The next day I continued to show Jay around town including a few stops along the way for true culinary staples such as ice cream. After all, there are two creameries here so why not, right? Once I had supplied my brother with enough frozen dairy treats to make a kid a fat camp jealous, I bid him farewell. Since it was still relatively early in the day, I geared up for some mountain bike action with a few friends.
Six of us went out for a mild ride along the Tussey Mountain Ridge. It was probably one of the best rides I’ve been on in a long time. I didn’t set the world on fire with my riding skills, but between the weather, the views, the trail conditions, and the company, I didn’t care if I couldn’t clear a single rock garden (which wasn’t too far from the truth). What really mattered was that I was out having fun and enjoying one of the great reasons to live in Central Pennsylvania during the fall. It’s going to be hard to top this past weekend, but I’m definitely going to try.
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1 comment:
You forgot to mention how utterly dominant I was as a technical rider. How I floated over the rock gardens like a flaming dirigible with a cargo of hippos and grand pianos. How I vaulted over waist high logs with the grace of a hungover Latvian with no technical riding skills and a holy horror of falling off her bicycle.
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