Weekend in the Pocono's

I spent last weekend with my sister Jamie and my non sister Steve. We meet up in Jim Thorpe, PA on Saturday. Funny, we got there @ exactly the same time. We passed each in the middle of town. Anywho..... here's some pics with descriptions to follow.

An old Harley military bike.

My next bike..... single cylinder BMW love... I believe it to be a R29, of 60's vintage. But I'm a little rusty on my BMW History. What a shame..... it's only got 22,000 miles on it..... much to nice to be sittin' round collecting dust.

Here's a nice little Cafe on the Main Drag.. we didn't eat here, but next time I'd like to.

A little camp fire magic.... doesn't get better than this....... We stayed at Hickory Run State Park Campground. I must say it's been awhile since I've been to a place with reservations. I didn't like it. There were seemingly lots-o-good sites, but alas, it was not meant to be. Though we did score a rather nice spot, if not somewhat rocky.


























We hiked up to Hawk Falls...... Crowded but beautiful.

























Hey Guys....
watch your step.










"Shades of Death" trail. The trail guide called the hike difficult, I suspect more than anything else because the trail was so poorly marked, but we figured it out, and Steve passed his survival test with flying colors.
























































At about this time the battery died in my camera. Sorry folks, I forget to charge it before I left. Anywho..... after we found our way back to the pick up point (where Blue was waiting patiently to drive us back to the trailhead, to where Jamie's car was parked), we headed over to the Lehigh River to check out the rails-to-trails section. We walked about 2 miles and turned around. Funk on a bike, kinda dull at the pace of a stride. Though we did see many unusual figures riding what where seemingly bicycles. It's no wonder that more people don't ride, 90% of these people looked terribly uncomfortable. Either on Crappy Mt. Bikes with rusty chains, one guy one a 24" childs bike, or hybrid bike with handlebars almost up to their owners chins. I suppose all of these people were yes, "riding a bike," but really, they would never consider it a form of transportation. The roads around the Pocono's are ripe for some serious cycling, yet I saw none. Perhaps I'll have to show them what it's all about shortly.

Some funnies

Here's a site with a marvelouos idea
•••The WalMart Shopper•••

Work.....

This is the 1st image that came up for a search on "Philadelphia in the rain." I guess it does kinda look like this in the rain.


















Working overtime when you're paid salary isn't much fun. Time-and-a-half tends to make up for missing life, somewhat anyway.

The Rain has been beautiful today... though the temperature is really fluctuating, boy does it remind me of Seattle. Drizzly rain drops...... the sound of your tires on wet pavement. People seem to give cyclists a bit more respect when they see you out there in this kinda weather. What they don't understand is... This is what makes bicycle commuting so spectacular. You experience what is going on around you... you become one with nature.... at least for the few too brief moments that you spend getting to and from. I'm really looking forward to winter commuting. I should move further away so I can get more of a bike ride every day. Philadelphia doesn't exactly make one want to go out and ride...... crappy roads, crappy drivers, few places to go to. I'm sure there has got to be more places to explore... I've just got to get out there and do it. Commit myself to at least two rides a week. I just really miss Seattle, and the options it provids for outside activity and scenic wonder.

Spew fourth

Sometimes I feel like a volcano.

New Beard..... on the way.

Stay tuned........... beard to follow.

up, UP, and AWAY

Seems to be going well...... after a little tinkering..... I'm up and running. Stay tuned for all the great news from life in phil-a-delphia.

Reflections of 9.11.

What a bunch of crap. Seems that things have really gone downhill in the past 5 years. The terror in my life happens on my daily commute. Where is my freedom to ride a freakin' bike from day to day. Society @ large in the states has done nothing to relieve it's dependence on oil. Sure there has been a small increase in the amount of people using public transportation, but seriously... How about some serious legislature and tax breaks for non-motorized forms of transport. And Fuck everyone that thinks they own the road!

I'm beginning to think the insular bubble of the northwest has a got the right idea (well, I always knew they did, but when you're caught up in it, sometimes it's easy to forget). Anywho... enough raving... I want to post a few images and a link or two... just to get a feel for this blog thing.... it's been a long time coming.