DKVMBR

The Dirt Kurt Virginia Mountain Bike Route is now officially under way. It will entail a bit more dirt road than the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail but roughly follow much of the same beautiful terrain.

A big thanx to these guys for hooking it up.

Virginia is for MTB lovers

 A morning on the Patomac

 Old habits die hard. I spent the night ready to jump up and run every time a heard a train slow down on its way into the near by yard.  

 This shelter was amazing to stumble into the evening before in a howling ice storm. This morning was so warm and sunny its hard to believe the icicles coming off the roof were almost a foot long a few hours before. Needless to stay I didn't get an early start. More than a few cups were sipped enjoying the sun and view.  

 Drying out after an all day wash.

 They can't all be this good but one can hope.

 I some how feel a connection.

A little Recat.

Re- prefix; indicating repetition of action
Catapult (kat-uh-puhlt); an ancient military engine for hurling stones, arrows, etc

As structured as it is I see this blog as fairly atypical. So I'm gonna write this recat in a no nonsense, nonsensical kind of way. Don't say "get er' done" I hate that.

-I met Mark at the butt-crack of dawn for a coffee, chat and Beacon roll out. 
-On to Garrison to meet a bit of THX (Team Highland Extreme) consisting of Clemson, Fredrika and Ray. 
- A stop at Gypsy Donut in Nyack
-Over the George Washington bridge and into NYC that Night.
- Stayed up late with Sarah and friends
- Had coffee with Robert Olson (thanx for the book)
- Met Sadie and went to a NYC transit exhibit
- Stayed with Greg and Chloe and got a late start blabbing away about traveling with Greg.
- Took the Path train across the river and rode through Hoboken, Jersey city and out to Newark to get properly lost in the hood.
- Finally found and camped on the D&R canal path. (85 miles of urban cycling hell was well worth it for that 25 miles of dirt town path)
- Battled traffic from Trenton to Philly
- Had a great time in Philly. Fantastic to hang out with Dan, Nathalie, Willum, and the Curtises. (Jon and Sarah also came down from Beacon to hang out, some truly great buddys that were really difficult to say good-bye to)
- I rode north west out of Philly on the trail to Valley Forge. Also well worth putting myself back north for the niceness of avoiding the city traffic wrestle.
-Then started a fantastic lostness. A kind of directional meandering. Vague directions and instinctual winging it. I think only years of bike touring has gotten me comfortable in doing this. Riding with no map or directions. Its funny how I yearn for a contradictory time. Where there are no roads or barbed wire fences but mountain bikes somehow exist. I know I'm not alone in this thought. 
- The smallest roads I could find got me slantways across Pennsylvania into maryland. I sure don't mind sharing the route with horses and buggies.

- I'm in Maryland now butted up against the Blue Ridge Mountains. With the rolling hills and farmland out of the way. I'm doing a bit more navigation so I can crash neck-long into the less-populated and forested world without a pavemental accident. 

   

If I've said it once? I'll say it again... Those travelin' undies sure are comfy.

A Tarzan swing from the Beacon

It was a mad, distracted, focused and distorted flip flop to get out of Beacon. Galloping about in circles, mumbling, tweaking things with wrenches and sewing my fingers bloody. I was my own ball boy in the volley between productive buckle down and fuck all good times.
 In the end it was a tidy mess and I was sad and excited to leave. I will certainly miss that pubescent flower of a fantastic community. To save myself the typing of a long credits list and the embarrassment of getting all gushy. I'll just say thanx and cheers to everyone. Friends and good places are not easy to leave. 

The Beacon beacon

Beacon, NY is a lot like the name suggests. A signal buoy to guide large vessels. Its also a shining community with lots of great folks and good things afoot. I've been lurking in its shadows, suckling from its bosom and eating corn without chewing. (i.e  hanging out, drinking and goofing off). Its been a few days and the itch is itching.  Time to get serious, tie up loose ends and hit the road.