Slab avalanche at Wisp (in Maryland!)

story here

Turns is Turns

A skillz session with MBM on Saturday.

a little of this on Sunday
Seven Springs
2 kids
no poles
no buckles
felt great to get that Keystone White coursing through my veins,
into the nervous system,
and straight to the brain
first turns out of the way
and
set the downhill hook a little deeper into unsuspecting kids.

Tiffany had just discussed alternative energy sources this week in school

I like the looks of this

where else

southerners to the Arctic

Plan was Hamburg > Grebeci > Salamander > Ijsberg> Hamburg

I took a lot more photos today, but for some reason, not many heads were captured in pixels. I wasn't just trying to protect the innocent. We sessioned Dirt Rag Rock for a while, though I wonder if it's also called Vulture Rock, since a very large one just sat on a rock about 15 yards away the whole time we messed around there.

Tom was the first single-speeder I ever rode with. Would that have been around 1998? I know it was in the Fridley Gap area of the GW. It was probably on that same bike. I think that was also the first day I rode with Glenn W, and remember thinking, holy shit, who in the world is this hammer??

On our Grebeci run, we encountered a group of riders at the Blue/Grebeci junction. They said/asked something about that being the exit. As we rode Grebeci (without that group), we encountered many many other groups, including a group containing 3/5 of the 2008 SM 100 podium. There was a DCNR Flagman out working the Table Rock section. We all had to wait our respective turns for a clean shot. Lots of giggles and gasps, a couple crashes, a flat, and lots of compliments to whatever mountain/trail/geologic meteorlogic or fuzzy logic force combined to arrange so many rocks in such a way. What was once the sole domain of raptors, rattlers, and bears is now attracting species from NUE studs to Sunday tourists.

So, we didn't make it back to Ijsberg the return way. Took Salamander to Sand Flats and worked back from there. These southerners will be back at the trough soon to try the other direction.

One other thing about the Shed: The fun:grunt ratio is so much better than Michaux or the GW. I always leave that place with a week-long grin. Almost as giddy as Raystown.
.

Pump Track mashup

I'm gonna leave that map up on the right for a while.
If anyone can help me fill out the map with more public pump tracks, let me know. Send me a town name, address, website or whatever and I'll add it.

Why? I don't really know why. It seems like an interesting use of Google, and I know I asked that question at least once myself.

Raystrack

View Larger Map
This map breathes. Push your mouse around a bit. Thanks SSO for the GPX.

A Day Squandered

Raystrack Lake trails
hard to describe

possum playin'

now this is a fast berm

I like how there's no bottom flat to ride. You're either on the wall, or you're not riding it.

Cartograms

Edit: I did not make the cartograms shown below. I found them on the site of Mark Newman from the Univ. of Michigan Physics Dept. His site has had 500,000 hits this week, and he included an FAQ, as well as a link to the free software he used to make these. If I get any data, maybe I'll try to make that education map that Darius mentioned. I've been curious about that variable as well.




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The only 3 precincts in Franklin County

Popular vote cartogram above

Electoral College above

by County


2004 Popular Vote

we found another interesting contribution

there goes my excuse

sessioning Ego Rock

Uncle Don found an interesting line on this rock,
with more rock time