rkj__
Adventurer
I only get 10 precious vacation days every year, and 5 must be taken consecutively. Last year I went camping in Killarney. This year I took my truck and my bike to Pensylvania.
It is a fairly scenic drive through from Niagara Falls ON, through NY and PA.
I arrived in Jonestown PA, and set up camp.
I did two MTB rides. The first was a fairly easy / short ride at Swatara State Park, on the same day I drove down. The trail was very well maintained, and flowed well. It is a system of stacked loops, so navigation is not a problem. I just made a right turn at every intersection. Though it was smooth, it was not uninteresting. There were a few fun little features. It was a perfect way to stretch the legs after a 6 hour drive.
Then back to camp for a beer by the creek and a fire.
The next day, I had a longer ride planned, the Rattling Creek IMBA Epic. This trail system was much more backwoods, and more typical of the riding in the area. Lots of rocks! There is a very good map of the trail system that I followed very carefully. I did accidentally miss a turn, which put me in a deep hollow. I did not see a sign post as I was descending. I then had a monster climb to get out of it. Doh! The trails were marked quite well though.
Some sections were a little overgrown by some people's standards, but not terribly so. Did I mention there were lots of rocks? Although challenging, there was always a good line to take you through. Never was there a section that I felt was impossible. Though I did not ride everything cleanly, it certainly seemed doable. I walked a few sections because I was either tired, or playing it safe, since I was all alone in the woods, quite far from home.
There were lots of Cicadas. Their song was incredibly loud all throughout the woods.
Dropping in...
There were some smooth sections, thankfully.
And rocky sections.
I may or may not have intentionally laid my bike down here...
Not a leaf.
I will admit, I bailed on two of the trail sections. I'm not in amazing shape right now, and I was just beat. No need to work too hard on vacation.
Stay tuned for part 2.
It is a fairly scenic drive through from Niagara Falls ON, through NY and PA.
I arrived in Jonestown PA, and set up camp.
I did two MTB rides. The first was a fairly easy / short ride at Swatara State Park, on the same day I drove down. The trail was very well maintained, and flowed well. It is a system of stacked loops, so navigation is not a problem. I just made a right turn at every intersection. Though it was smooth, it was not uninteresting. There were a few fun little features. It was a perfect way to stretch the legs after a 6 hour drive.
Then back to camp for a beer by the creek and a fire.
The next day, I had a longer ride planned, the Rattling Creek IMBA Epic. This trail system was much more backwoods, and more typical of the riding in the area. Lots of rocks! There is a very good map of the trail system that I followed very carefully. I did accidentally miss a turn, which put me in a deep hollow. I did not see a sign post as I was descending. I then had a monster climb to get out of it. Doh! The trails were marked quite well though.
Some sections were a little overgrown by some people's standards, but not terribly so. Did I mention there were lots of rocks? Although challenging, there was always a good line to take you through. Never was there a section that I felt was impossible. Though I did not ride everything cleanly, it certainly seemed doable. I walked a few sections because I was either tired, or playing it safe, since I was all alone in the woods, quite far from home.
There were lots of Cicadas. Their song was incredibly loud all throughout the woods.
Dropping in...
There were some smooth sections, thankfully.
And rocky sections.
I may or may not have intentionally laid my bike down here...
Not a leaf.
I will admit, I bailed on two of the trail sections. I'm not in amazing shape right now, and I was just beat. No need to work too hard on vacation.
Stay tuned for part 2.
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