With all the changes in our lives in 2009, I rode less than usual. I also lacked a commute until the last couple of months, and the miles in Pennsylvania were a lot harder earned, so there were fewer of them. Here are some stats for 2009:

Total miles: 2628.91
Road biking: 2016.74
Mountain biking: 301.32
Mixed terrain: 1447.62
S24O: 99.59

In 2008, I rode over 3000 miles; in 2007, it was over 3500 miles. So these stats aren’t that great overall, but they do show a lot of variety. In particular, I did a lot more mixed-terrain riding in 2009 than ever before, and I absolutely loved it.  I also had variety in that I got to ride in various places in Pennsylvania and Indiana. And there was a lot of beautiful scenery in both states. It appears I  also took over 20,000 photographs in the process (OK, a lot of those are duplicates).

I also got a new commuter (for $40!), and a new mountain bike toward the end of the year, though I did not get to try it on any serious trails until January 2010.

I usually do a “top 10 rides of the year” — I’ll try to write that post soon.

It’s been tough choosing my favorite rides of 2008. At first I came up with a few favorites, and realized that “a few” was 35. I narrowed it down, counted, and I was down to 28. Eventually, I whittled the list down to 10 rides. I left a lot of great rides out — I had no choice, there were just too many incredible rides to fit them all into one post.

Here they are, in chronological order. This is highly subjective — I have no specific criteria, so each ride might be memorable in a different way.

1. An Unintentionally Epic Ride
   
   This ride was in Fort Wayne. I intended to ride about 40 miles, and ended up going close to 70. I rode from Fort Wayne up to Chain O’ Lakes State Park, expl0red the park, and rode back. One of my first mixed terrain rides, and it was on the road bike. A little sketchy and a lot of fun.
2. First Bicycle Camping Trip (S24O)
   
   My first bicycle camping trip. And sadly, the only one I did this year. It was great, and I hope to do more trips like this when time permits.
3. Mixed Media Ride
   
   This ended up being a defining ride for me. Probably my first intentional/serious mixed-terrain ride, I rode from Bloomington out to Yellowwood State Forest, and through the State Forest lands on gravel roads. I intended to ride back, but a sidewall blowout stopped me. Sarah saved the day. This experience was a revelation: riding on platform pedals, wearing sandals, stopping to wade in the creek to cool off, taking in the gravel roads — all these things made me rethink how I approach my rides.
4. Bloomington to Jackson-Washington State Forest
   
   This was an experiment. Sarah and I were going camping at Jackson-Washington State Forest. I rode there, she drove, and we met once we arrived. It was a fun trip and a great ride.
5. Brown County Breakdown
   
   This has been my favorite ride of the year the past two years, and the same was true this year. It covers a lot of fantastic trails, and it’s a great way to spend all day out mountain biking.
6. Lehigh Gorge
   
   This was the most fantastically gorgeous ride of the whole year. I loved the rushing Lehigh River, the brilliant fall foliage, the mountains, and 40 miles of rather easy yet very enjoyable riding.
7. Bunker Hill, Mt. Zion, Lake Louise, etc.
   
   My first longish road ride in Pennsylvania, this was a real eye-opener. I saw a lot of beautiful scenery, but this ride really reinforced for me how much more difficult the riding is in this area.
8. Harvey’s Lake
   
   Even though I had to ride a shorter distance than I had hoped, this was a breathtakingly beautiful ride. Brutal in terms of climbing, though.
9. Black Friday Mountain Biking – Inadvertently, Snow Biking
   
   My friend Dave and I typically do a ride on Black Friday, but since I moved, I had to find another option. I rode with the Hubbard Bike Club near Scranton. I wasn’t expecting snow at all, as there was none at home, but I arrived to find several inches of snow on the ground. This was a very difficult ride, but also very scenic. It was a great group of riders, to boot.
10. Larksville/Plymouth Mountain
    
    This ride had me inadvertently riding some gravel roads that I was very happy to have found. It was warm-ish in the valley, but on top of Plymouth Mountain the trees were covered in a good layer of ice that crackled as limbs swayed in the wind and refracted the sunlight like thousands of frozen prisms.

Yesterday, I hit 1,000 miles of riding so far this year. I’m running a bit behind where I thought I would be by now, but I don’t mind — especially given the fact that I was out for at least two weeks when I got my wisdom teeth removed. Last year, I hit 1,000 miles on May 27, so I’m well ahead of where I was last year.

Monday night, I rode on Shilo Road after work. It felt great to get in about a 25-mile ride after work, I haven’t done enough rides like that lately. Shilo Road is always a fun challenge, with lots of twists and turns and a very rough road surface where you must choose your line very carefully. I stopped by Bean Blossom Creek to rest for a moment.

Bean Blossom Creek

An interesting gate alongside Shilo Road that I hadn’t even noticed before

After Shilo I was on Anderson Lane for a while, where I saw a wild turkey and a couple of deer. As I was heading back on Old 37, on the big climb near the fire station, another rider passed me. He was going a lot faster than I was, and I was impressed with his climbing abilities. I greeted him as he passed, but he didn’t say anything.

Old 37 climb

Wide open space

To keep things interesting, I decided to go home a bit of a different way than usual, going by Lake Griffy. I often avoid this because of the big climb on the other side of the lake. The lake looked gorgeous as the sun was getting low in the sky and reflecting off the lake. Lots of people were fishing, both in boats and on the shore.

Lake Griffy

The climb wasn’t as bad as I remembered it being, and also served as a reminder of how far I’ve come in the last year or so. It was still tiring, but it was a lot easier than it’s ever been before. I passed another rider on the way up and said hi, but he didn’t return my greeting.

Reaching the top of the hill

Thousands of dandelions by the Bypass

Overpass

Part of campus


Plaque

The rest of the trip home followed my commute route and was easy and relaxing. A great post-work ride.