Life of the Party

This was a good weekend. While I managed to log some miles on my bike, I also went to a birthday party. This wasn’t a standard birthday party, but the first birthday for Sergio (the son of my friends Brittany and Jordyn). The first birthday is always special because you finally get to have an age that is measured in years instead of months. You also get to smash your hands into cake, throw it around the room, make a complete mess, and no one cares. In fact, people find it cute. When I turned 28 I had a little too much to drink and did the same thing at a restaurant except no one found it cute or funny, but I digress.

Since this was a birthday party for a one-year-old there were a lot of other kids there, which made sense. Kids are fun. They’re just miniature people that need a little extra attention. While I don’t have any of my own, I do have seven nieces and nephews (with number eight on the way). Also, several of my friends have either just recently had kids or are expecting.

It’s interesting because this influx of shorties didn’t happen overnight. The stork brought the oldest of my nieces and nephews almost eight years ago so this isn’t new to me. I think I’m noticing it more because the people I spend the majority of my free time with are having kids; therefore it’s becoming more a part of my day-to-day.

Overall, I think it’s fantastic. Kids are great because the most pedestrian activities are new and exciting to them. There’s also all the different experiences you can introduce them to such as riding a bike, seeing the ocean for the first time, going camping, or just getting to stay up “past their bedtime.” I imagine there are also some things that aren’t fun but I try not to get involved with that part because after all, I’m not one of the parents.

Miles & Miles of Miles & Miles

Pain hurts. Usually it comes with a hefty price that no one wants to pay because it’s bad. For me however, this weekend brought about a lot of pain that I inflicted on myself, and it all revolved around riding bicycles. Oh yeah, Brian was included to make sure the suffer-fest actually occurred because suffering is right up his alley.

I haven’t done a century yet this year so I decided it should be included in the weekend’s agenda. As I talked about it with Brian he suggested we do the Renovo loop. Brian and I did this same ride last year and it was fast but that was last year and I was in much better shape. Unfortunately I thought it would be a similar ride, but I was wicked wrong. Without getting into the details I’ll say this: I was glad we departed from Bellefonte because I might not have completed the ride if it was longer than the 101 miles we did. Even though it was a fast ride (by my standards) I was happy to be off the bike.

Apparently I didn’t get enough riding in during the death march that occurred on Saturday because I thought it would be a grand idea to ride trails on Sunday. Granted, my legs felt like sticks of butter that had been sitting out in the sun all day but I still wanted to ride. Needless to say, Brian was more than happy to get back out and that meant I was going to suffer again.

We ended up doing about four hours on the trails which as about three hours and fifty-nine minutes more than I should have done. This became blatantly obvious when I was struggling to turn over my easiest gear; regardless of the trail. Lucky for me the route we picked included lots of climbing on double track and fire-roads. Oh yeah, the hike-a-bike we did was also a world of fun.

I spent a lot of time on my bikes this weekend. It hurt. I suffered through hot and humid conditions while slogging along on a bicycle with only myself to supply the motor. I have cuts, scrapes, bruises, sore everything, and lots of pain, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Fill it to the Top

A lot happened this weekend. The weather was pretty good (for the most part) so I spent just about all of it outdoors. Saturday I finally got to enjoy some time outside climbing. It was the first time this year I’ve been on real rocks. I haven’t had much time to climb at all lately, let alone outside so I was really looking forward to this.

I met up with Scott, Ieva, and Cathy at the “Power Cut” in the lower reaches of Rothrock. As its name indicates, the Power Cut is an outcropping of rocks at the top of clearing for an electric transmission line. The rocks are nice but it was a little humid so lots of chalk was needed. After about two hours I managed to cut my hand and that marked the end of my climbing for the day. I was okay with that because I needed to get some supplies out to Brian’s cabin for an impending pig roast.

Brian’s cabin is a rustic little place on some acreage with a pond. It’s out of the way and has a great porch for sitting. Saturday turned out to be the perfect day for doing just that. By mid afternoon a rainstorm rolled through and the heavy drops on the tin roof mixed with a group of friends and some sweet tunes made the day just about ideal. Things went on like that into the night and a good time was had by all.

Sunday brought about some cooler temperatures which was a recipe for an afternoon of mountain biking. Fly Scott, Betty, Cathy, iScott, and I went out to Rothrock to ride the Coopers Gap area. We did a loop that included some of my favorite singletrack. It was a little wet in spots but that didn’t bother me. I was just happy to be out on my bike enjoying a day in the woods. We rode for about three hours and I felt good (except for the two times I went down).

It’s weekends like this that make me realize just how fortunate I am. Sure there are some aspects that I might change, but let’s be honest; I have no room to complain. At times I even feel a bit guilty. I’m lucky enough to have so much happening on the weekends the biggest part I seem to be missing is sleep.

A Tale of Two Trails

This weekend marked the grand opening of a new trail system at Raystown Lake so Scott, Ieva, Cathy, and I decided to go for a ride. The Allegrippis Trails were built for multiple uses but on Saturday it was all about mountain biking. Amid much fanfare (which I didn’t get to see) the thirty plus miles of buffed out singletrack officially opened for use.

The Allegrippis Trails are unique in that they are nothing like the trails we normally ride in Rothrock. They were designed with the mountain bike in mind. There are lots of wooptie doops, banked turns, and swoopy stuff that make it wicked fun and super fast. There are no rocks, logs, or roots to slow you down. The trailhead is only about an hour away but it felt like we were riding out west.

We ended up riding for about three hours and while it wasn’t the usual rock-fest I’m use to, it was still more of a workout than I expected. I was dirty, my bike was dirty, and my back was sore from hitting all the kickers. I have to say though, it was totally worth it. It’s amazing that Central Pennsylvania can have such a diverse and exciting mix and variety of trail options that are so close. I have a feeling this is going to be a fun summer in the woods.

So Long and Goodbye

It’s that time of year again when things start to quite down in the SC. That’s right, it’s finals week and slowly but surely the students will be dispersing. Some will graduate and leave for good, some will go home to live with their parents, others will depart for internships, and a scant few will stay around for the summer. Regardless of where they go, the important thing is they will not be here.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy having 42,000 students infused into the community. They provide an energy that wouldn’t otherwise be here. Without the students, there wouldn’t be a university and therefore a “Happy Valley.” Without the students this would just be another stop on the railroad. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the students are an integral part of this town.

For the next three months however, the streets will be easy to navigate and relatively free of traffic. Getting a table at a downtown watering hole at 10:00pm on a Friday night won’t be an issue. Parking spaces will be plentiful. Waiting in line won’t be necessary. Lazy days will be the norm.

Eventually though, the quite will change. People will begin talking about the upcoming football season and tailgating. Hot weather on the trails will turn to thoughts of fall mountain biking. Before you know it, the students will be returning and it will start all over again except there will be a new group of freshman that have no idea what they’re really getting into. Either way, I’m going to enjoy the next three months and soak in as much of the quite times ahead.