Wednesday Road Ride - Rileyville Loop

Ominous looking gray clouds were swirling over head as Gary, Linda and I saddled up and headed out on our favorite short road loop to the little village of Rileyville. I had just spoken with Andy (who was prepping for a night shift) and she told me it was pouring rain in Rileyville (where we live). There were only light drops of rain as the three of us headed north. Sure enough, the roads in Rileyville were soaked and we could tell it had rained quite hard earlier and it was starting to drizzle a little. The light rain actually felt nice and we maintained a good pace for the entire ride. As is the case with trail running, we are all getting stronger on the bike. I always try to catch photos as riders crest the top of the hill on Vaughn Summit road and I managed to get Gary and Linda this time. Side note: I finally figured out how to make images come out properly (not reversed) so this will be the last time backward photos will be posted. We are always looking for new riders and runners to join us! Just check the store web site or our Facebook page for up-coming events. "Thrive Outside"

Sunday Road Ride - SRO & Back

Gary, Linda, Andy and I hopped aboard our road bikes and headed out to Shenandoah River Outfitters for a quick Sunday evening ride. This is a route that Gary and I rode a little earlier in the season, while the native Redbud trees were in full bloom. No photos were taken on this trip and the ride was fast, fun and most importantly, safe! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. "Thrive Outside"

Saturday Mountain Ride - SRSP 2

It seems that we just cannot get enough of that park on the river. This morning Gary and I headed out there to explore more of the single track trails. I have been riding a full suspension Cannondale Scalpel this season (which my friend and adventure race team-mate Kris has been letting me demo) I fell in love with this bike the first time I hopped on and it seems to fit me well. This is the first bike I have ridden that has tubeless tires. My buddy Kris has never had a flat on this fine, two wheeled machine. It should also be noted that maintaining proper tire pressure on this bike is VERY important. Why do I bring up these mundane details? Well...............the front tire on the bike was too low. As I rounded a corner, I hit a slight incline and caught a tiny bit of air...........as the front tire made c0ntact with the earth again, it rolled sideways.........and off the rim. A quick rush and release of air was the last thing I heard as I augured into the ground. My ride was over, unceremonious and fast. Without a tube (which is the quick way to fix a tubeless tire flat) you're pretty much in for a walk. Gary did get a slight kick out of my less than graceful dismount.........after he realized I wasn't injured, of course. The ride was short and we got to walk with our bikes for a mile or so. Still not a bad way to start the day in my book. I will also mention that taking the photo of multiple riders is way more difficult while riding single track trails. "Thrive Outside"

Friday Trail Run - Shenandoah River State Park 3

I guess I should open this entry by apologizing to the two or three people who read this blog for my regrettable slack in making my regular posts. The aforementioned slack has given me a lot to catch up on. Enough groveling. On with the adventure!

By the title you can already tell that we went back to the lovely park on the river...............again. The trails are just plain fun to run on and the views of the river cannot be beat! This time it was just four runners and three happy dogs. Gary, Linda, Andy (who came again straight from a 12 hour night shift!) and I hit the trail with the wonder mutts. The weather was picture perfect and the hour we spent on the rolling shale and clay covered trails flew by. Something else that makes the time slip by so quickly is the fact that we are all getting stronger. The intensity of the run is a nice reflection of everyone's confidence and strength. Truth be told, I would personally rather ride my bike than run............that's probably the case for Linda too. Of the group, it's safe to say that Gary and Andy are the strongest runners (when Bob S. is not present). Andy actually challenged Gary to a race on the Appalachian Trail and they plan to square off some time in mid June. That should be a good one! Andy managed to snap a few photos with her phone this time. "Thrive Outside"

Friday Trail Run - Jeremy's Run - Part Deux

The conditions for a trail run really don't get any better than what we had this morning. Blue skies and 48 degrees with low humidity as we took on Jeremy's Run for the second time this season. The usual Friday crowd was there, bright and early - Gary, Linda, Andy (who came straight from a 12 hour night shift), Bob and myself. We all missed Val this morning! As always, Athena, Lilly and Martha led the way. The creek crossings this time involved rock hopping as opposed to calf-deep traverses and the trail was clear of downed trees. Along with a few good photos, I managed to capture some video of the last down-hill on the way out. There are some pretty challenging climbs on this trail, but it still remains one of our favorites and I like the fact that the dogs can drink and cool off whenever they need to. Everyone seemed strong this morning and I bet we could have just kept on going, but duty calls and we have a very busy weekend ahead at the shop. Tomorrow is the 6th annual Festival of Spring in downtown Luray. Along with all kinds of great food and craft vendors, live entertainment, a beer garden and wine tasting area, there will be a dog frisbee competition. For the third year Appalachian Air Canines will put on this fun event out at Bulldog field at 1:00 P.M. I plan to enter my dog Lilly again this year and she's already excited! Come on out and see us at the shop, and while you are here, pick up a cup of the best coffee in town! "Thrive Outside"

Wednesday Road Ride - Thornton Gap

Five brave souls showed up at Ruffner Plaza in Luray Wednesday evening for a road bike ride. They were Gary, Linda, Bob, Andy and myself. Four of the five riders knew our destination (Thornton Gap) - a mere ten miles from the shop. Four of those miles are up-hill to the top of the mountain. Just about the time that we were riding by Brookside restaurant, Andy (unaware of the destination) finally figured out where we were headed. Okay.........so I did intentionally fail to mention the fact that we were in for some climbing. I figured that the burden of that knowledge before the ride would only serve to induce unnecessary worry and perhaps even a little panic. After a few choice words for me (which I won't repeat here) we were all climbing the winding road to the top. It really wasn't so bad. The climbing is steady for a solid four miles, but never really steep and I did manage a few shots from my phone. We all made it to the top in pretty good form and everyone was smiling. Or were those grimaces? After a 40 plus m.p.h. descent and a nice flat stretch back to Luray, four of us (five including CFM) headed out to a great local Mexican restaurant (Rancho Viejo) to celebrate cinco de Mayo. Later in the evening, Andy confessed to me that she would not have thought that she could make it to the top of that climb. She was proud that she did make it..............and I was proud of her too. "Thrive Outside"

Saturday Mountain Ride - SRSP

This morning Gary and I met two customers (and friends of the shop) at Shenandoah River State Park for a quick mountain bike ride. They had been planning to camp at the park and caught a post Gary put on Facebook about our impending ride. Gary recently purchased a GT Zaskar 29" mountain bike. 29" is the diameter of the wheels on the bike, and I only point this out because for many, many years the standard was 26" (which I still ride). The larger wheel provides less rolling resistance and the ability to cross obstacles (like rocks and downed trees) easier. At least that's the general theory. I am fairly certain that Gary would agree with that theory. Today we primarily stuck to the fast, rolling trail that parallels the river. We did take one side trail that had a pretty nice little climb. Due to time constraints, we had to cut the ride short and head back to prepare to open the shop. Still lots more left for us to explore in the Park, to include the more "technical" single-track trails. "Thrive Outside"

Friday Trail Run - Thornton Gap - AT North

Friday found me free of any obligations involving hot tub deliveries to West Virginia, so six of us met for an early morning run on the Appalachian Trail. We parked near Thornton Gap and headed north on the AT. This time out we had Gary, Bob, Val, Linda, Andy and me, plus three awesome trail dogs. The weather was ideal when we started and rapidly approaching warm as we finished. From Thornton Gap the trail climbs steadily up to a smooth, fast rolling section, lined and shaded by Pine trees. About two miles in there is a marker pointing the way to Pass Mountain Hut, where we stopped for a quick group photo. Less than a half mile later we were taking a quick break at the Hut, giving the dogs and ourselves some water. On our way into the Hut, we encountered three AT hikers who had apparently spent the night there. A well groomed service road was what we chose as the return route back to Thornton Gap. The road meanders gently downhill for most of the way, so all you have to do is pay attention to your footing and let gravity do all the work. Everyone seemed to enjoy this trail and I would have to personally rate it as one of my favorites. Another fantastic Friday trail run under our belts. "Thrive Outside"