Flow

In cadence we pedal, drifting in and out of the turns, the sound of near silence is deafening in its own right, breath and body in accord, we spin through the switchbacks setting the tire on the perfect line as we pass between the trees.
A hint of dew brushes my arm as we weave through the pine needles, a fawn, brown and white speckled, joins us for a moment before darting into the camouflage.Even the hills are obliged to let us climb up and over, on and on, down the trail we flow.




After ride eats;

Marinated Flank Steak Omelet with mushrooms


Grilled Mussels with red & green peppers, onions, and garlic in a Guinness broth.


Trifecta


Highland Brewing Co St. Terese's pale ale: 66%
Terrapin Beer Co Hop Karma Brown IPA: 92%
Troegs Pale Ale: 93%
(ratings at ratebeer respectively)

Ride...Eat...Repeat

Think of this as a recap of sorts, (some weeks are easier than others to sit down and post.)

My schedule at work can be “challenging” at times and we typically flex what we cook to accommodate those unforeseen changes. That being said, we were both feeling pizza about mid week.



Ash made the dough from scratch using white wheat, with turkey “pepperoni” to top it off.

Friday was another chance to get creative in the kitchen, and I came home from my evening ride to find six frosty soldiers in the fridge.


Stoudts American Pale Ale out of Adamstown PA. It has an 89 overall user rating over at “ratebeer” and is an excellent Pale.




Dinner started with an appetizer of clams in a Spanish style broth of roasted red peppers and paprika, with an entree of trout fillets and grilled sea scallops with a side of baked rutabaga fries.

I logged 3 rides for a total of around 25 miles staying well away from one of our premier trail systems which was host to the “Xterra” East Coast championships over the weekend.Some of the locals raced, and hats off to those guys because RVA weather was brutal this weekend.


As I was thrashing about at the farm a good sized barred owl swooped into view and glided down the trail coming to rest on a branch high above the single track. Predatory birds are amazing creatures to watch as you can almost see the confidence in their eyes as they sit comfortably at the top of their food chain.


Saturday morning saw me back on the lake with the same luck as previous weeks, but fishing will teach you patience if nothing else.




We’re going to round out the weekend with a “Father’s Day” lunch.
On the menu:
Grilled flank steak with corn, tomato and asparagus relish
Barbecue chicken wings
Country style pork ribs in an apple jelly barbecue glaze
With handmade oatmeal nut fruit tarts for dessert

Riders on the storm

So I'm running down I-95 on my way to Poor Farm and Ash gives me the news...
A good size thunderstorm is bearing down on the area, and the estimate is that the "farm" is going to get pummeled around 6:30pm.

My first thought was "I wish I had brought my camera, I bet I could get some choice storm shots".

My next thought was, "I hope I get some riding on before the storm rolls in".

35 minutes into the ride, the hot, sticky Virginia weather took a dramatic turn,
the trees started swaying in unison and the wind whipped onto the trail as the sky grew darker.

My thoughts turned to "Hell yeah, the ride might be short, but I'm in for an interesting evening".

I pulled out of the woods and across the lot to meet another rider as he appeared out of the trail with similar thoughts on his mind.

After a short exchange of "what da ya thinks", and amateur weather forecasting, we both made the decision to go our separate ways and try and get one last loop in...

We returned to our cars within minutes of one another, and as we were throwing our gear back into our vehicles the first rain drops started to fall from the impending front.

My truck passed in and out of heavy rain squalls as I weaved my way back home, and as I wobbled into the house feeling the ride in my legs, there was Ash waiting with a steaming hot dutch oven with some tasty vittles inside.



Mussels, shrimp, and crayfish tossed over whole wheat linguine in a tomato sauce.

Something she had "whipped up" for sure...

* On a side note; As I was typing this post round two of the storms showed up, and they are truly awe inspiring.