Riding the rivers…

Autumn… cycling the upstate NY river valleys with foliage painting the rolling hills! Saturday provided the perfect opportunity to pedal 25 miles with friends and family on the annual Rotary River Ride from Bainbridge, NY.  While we weren’t traveling too fast, we were really enjoying our surroundings… taking in the fall foliage and enjoying the warmth of an early autumn day.

Little Thaddeus negotiated the ride just fine in his little trailer behind Mom & Dad’s tandem. A special thanks to the Bainbridge Rotary for fine 25, 50 & 100 mile routes for the ride, along with some great homemade eats under the pavilion at General Clinton Park at ride’s end.

Dutcher’s Notch

Since Wednesday this week I’ve been cycling with our Youth Bike Tour through the upper Catskill Mountains here in New York state. It has been an incredible week of cycling, service and faith sharing. Today we deviated from our daily cycling routine and climbed to Dutcher’s Notch and on to the summit of Blackhead Mountain.

The 4.4 mile climb up to the summit was a challenge, amply repaid by an incredible vista with thunderheads rolling, dark to the north and sunshine filtering through the light rain. Even after the climb down I’ve got enough energy to post this from my iPod Touch using the new WordPress mobile app. Great stuff… Awesome teens… and an able crew of adults bringing it all together.