hikes, bikes, and beyond
December 21st will be a busy night for sky viewing. This date is when the winter solstice occurs in 2010. It also happens to be the date of a full moon. The December full moon is often called the Cold Moon or Long Night’s Moon, both are appropriate names for those of us in the...
"December Solstice"Continue reading
Hike Trip #204 (PDF) This month’s featured hike trip is #204 from the Uwharrie Lakes Region Trail Guide. This 9.17 mile hike starts at the Wood Run Trailhead on NC24-27 and combines parts of the Uwharrie and Keyauwee Trails to form a “lollipop” route. The “lollipop” loop itself is just over 5 miles around. Along...
Any trip deserves at least some thought about what was learned from the experience. On a really high level, I learned I need to pack lighter and go slower. Ok, so I (and most of my friends) already knew I had a problem with packing too much stuff. Always have and probably always will. I’ll...
"Post-trip Update: Four Corners"Continue reading
Friday, July 17th Friday morning dawned a bit gray. But at least it wasn’t raining. We packed up quickly, partly because we had done this every day for almost two weeks now, and partly because it was going home day. I could suggest that Brian was looking forward to getting home more than me because...
"Homeward Bound"Continue reading
Thursday, July 16th We got up early and hit the road in an attempt to miss the morning rush-hour traffic of St. Louis. By early, I’m talking about on the road at 7-ish. It went fairly well until I had a momentary brain lapse and did not register part of a three-lane-wide road sign. It...
"Back Across the Mississippi"Continue reading
Wednesday, July 15th It was still lightly raining when we woke up on Wednesday morning. We packed our gear and headed to the campground building for an “all you can eat” pancake breakfast. The only other patrons there were three older couples from the RV crowd. I think the staff knew them all from previous...
"Busting Out Miles"Continue reading
Tuesday, July 14th We got up and ate a quick cold breakfast and hit the road. We soon discovered that this campground was just a few miles outside of a fairly suburban area. That might explain why I had seen some joggers on the road by the campground. Along the way, we got our first...
"Pikes Peak"Continue reading
Monday, July 13th From Gunnison, we rode further east on Hwy 50. Once again this road showed its scenic qualities. While we were stopped to take this picture, a fellow on a Harley pulled over to do the same. He noticed our NC tags and said he was from High Point! He and some buddies...
"Mt. Evans"Continue reading
Sunday, July 12th We got up on Sunday morning, broke camp, and headed out before 7 am. We rode through the town of Ouray, which is tucked in a tight mountain valley, and stopped on the side of the road at the south end of town before we started climbing further into the mountains. Where...
"Sneffels"Continue reading
Saturday, July 11th We got up on Saturday morning, broke camp, and headed back down. The ride down felt easier than climbing up the night before, but I guess downhill should be easier. Gravity is on your side going downhill. Our plan was to head back to Moab and then over to Arches National Park....
"Arches"Continue reading