Eleven miles from the farm where Jen grew up is the North Shore of Moraine State Park.  I was thrilled to have Android GPS navigation guide me to the trail head this time.  Lot's of back farm roads with 3, 4 and 5 point intersections make it much trickier with just a Mapquest printout.

This my fifth or sixth time to Moraine, but the Reba Monkey was still a Moraine virgin til today.  These trails are so sweet.  Look up Moraine in the dictionary.  Rotsa-rocks at 5 mph average speed is what it means.  

I woke at 5 at started at 6:something so they were soaked with dew, but totally puddle-and-mud-free.

Imagine big-and-tall-boulder-slabs joined with piled rock and corduroy-log-boardwalks all over the place and a little bit of healthy elevation change thrown in to mix things up around every turn.  Then throw in evening rain and morning dew to soak all the surfaces.

Picture a loamy rooty steep switchback into a Volkswagen sized boulder that quickly drops through a log stacked trough onto a Smartcar sized boulder exit into another swtchback filled with babyheads.  Then imagine all of that soaking wet, steering gingerly, avoiding any off camber front brakage, and aiming for the moss covered rock face parts with the rear tire because they give a bit better traction than the bare rock face.  That's Moraine State Park.

Slip-and-slide slicky wetness and no riding partner to dial 911 or to show off in front off:-( ...  Sadly, I walked some of the crazier sh1t that I'd ridden in prior/drier visits.  Didn't see a soul except wildlife and didn't want to be alone and unconscious, so I chickened out on the big ones;-( 

On a happier note, I didn't get lost at all this venture so I'm fully qualified to be a trail guide when you want to join me there next time.  It's worth the trip.

Reba Monkey can't wait to go back again.

 

Check out the backwards ball-cap and sunglasses sunburn.

Live Wrong bracelet got a nice burn in too.

I'll make a great impression with clients at the office sportin' my hat tanlines.

Matt caught two fish near Hartmiller Island State Park.

Watch "Fish bomb" on YouTube

Best birthday gift ever.

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid. "

Here's another one I forgot to post, race fans!

The grass is getting high out there, yo!

From the looks of the GPS trakc this was the one where me and XX were gonna meet on Nacho, but I took Boardwalk while he was on the regular trail and we missed each other.  Thank goodness for cell phones.

Can't remember how many laps around RBB that was.  Looks like 5 or 6 from the track on the map;-)

 

Rode this stretch with Ben and a group from his cub scout pack at last weekends Fort Frederick Camping Trip.  Smooth as silk crushed gravel path without any features to roost on.  Boring riding but fun hanging with the kids and waving to the bike packers.

Me a KC rolled a hot clockwise lap with no extras and no nonsense.

Conditions were good but muddy in the usual holes.  Worse than Wednesday in some spots.

The picture tells a 1000 words.  Pretty clean legs = wasn't too bad out there.