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BACKTRACKING 2025 -- TURNING THE PAGE

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  2025 was a year for making tough decisions and ultimately deciding to turn the page to something new.  For personal reasons I made the tough and decisive decision to quit mountain biking… something that has defined who I am for the past 30 years.  In the process, I sold three of my bikes and purchased a new Specialized Diverge and bike rack for my truck, committing to riding as many rail trails and gravel roads as possible.  I feel good about this knowing that I can still bike and explore new parts of the country… just in a different way.  I’ve discovered that rail trails are kind of like riding Amtrak allowing me to see different towns from a new perspective.  What follows are my favorite hikes and bike rides of 2025 (in no particular order).  I appreciate my friends who’ve supported me, accepted my new limitations,  and agreed to accommodate me on these rides.  I hope to see you out on the trails in 2026! Matt took this picture of me whil...
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BACTRACKING 2024

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  Upside-Down covered bridges, canals, flamingos, nuclear power plants, paper mills, Underground Railroad Stations,  battlefields, National Parks, gnomes, wild turkeys, deer, lighthouses, airplanes, snow, rattlesnakes, Mountain Laurel, museums, ugly sweaters, rivers, rocks, the ocean, spectacular views, great company, and of course...ice cream.  These are just a fraction of the things I’ve experienced along the trails in 2024.  What follows is a synopsis of my favorite bike rides and hikes of the past year.  Happy New Year and see you along the trails in 2025! David Raymond in Ohiopyle State Park. -- June 10, 2024 SWATARA RAIL TRAIL FEBRUARY 11, 2024 Swatara State park has been a mountain biking destination for me  for over 15 years (and it was again for Ben and I this year)... but, in 2024, I decided to check out the rail trail that runs through the 3,520 acre park.   The Swatara Creek meanders its way through forests and wetlands of the park....
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