To Hike, Bike or Trike... That is the Question???

This has been quite a week. It actually began when I decided it was time to get a summer grade of hiking shoes. I went to Mast General where I found a great pair of Merrell's with the help of the Expert Staff @ Mast.  
Later I brought my bike into Sycamore Cycles at the corner of Third and King for a tune up and long story short I rode home on a new Specialized Hybrid. Monday I rode with the Sycamore Cycles sponsored 20 mile ride and my investment paid off with a much faster street roll than I was able to get on my Trek mountain bike.

I really wanted to get Tess back on her bike so we could share some of these adventures but, after a 30 year hiatus, "it's just like getting back on your bike again" wasn't working out too smoothly. While venturing the bike trail in Brevard someone streamed by on a low slung three wheeled silver bullet, an epiphany emerged... maybe that could be the solution to all that was held in the balance (or lack thereof).
In the days that followed we discovered the world of TerraTrikes. 


A new breed of biking that I believe will soon be taking the world by storm. It certainly stirred up ours. We made an appointment to check out this unusual vehicle just a few miles down highway 25 in Greenville. Tandem, Touring and Recumbent Bikes or TTR to their friends and they have many!



Terra Trike is a company in Grand Rapids Michigan that is putting a new crunch in Bike Crispies. Like playing the dating game they added the third wheel making their Tadpole Trike and its' driver the perfect couple. Tess and I met with owner Nathaniel and Techspert Mark to test drive the Rover. They were extremely knowledgeable, helpful and generous with their time and talents. Nathaniel encouraged us to take the Rover out on the Swamp Rabbit Trail and try her out. Tess and I were "sold" within minutes. All of the anxieties of balance and control were eradicated as soon and she took her seat at the controls and began pedaling. The Rover is nothing but sheer pleasure. The three wheeled "Tadpole" design (Two wheeled front, Single drive wheel behind) is smooth and steady with nothing for the driver to do but sit back, relax, pedal, steer and enjoy the scenery. We rode 7 miles that first day and 10 the next without a hint of anxiety or fatigue. We would have been happy with the Rover but opted for the sportier Tour II with 24 
speeds, disk brakes, linkage steering and a super comfortable adjustable reclining drivers seat. This experience has suddenly and dramatically changed our lives. The daunting and somewhat discouraging task of relearning to ride a two wheeler is over. Now we are excited about our weekend and holiday adventures looking forward to riding all of the Rails to Trails we can find and now, thanks to Terra Trike, we can do it together!

Jump Off Rock - A Leap of Faith

The late afternoon sun played hide and seek behind an obliging team of thick clouds. It could even rain again, or maybe not. It was just that kind of day. It's been several months since I've ridden to the top of Jump Off. I always love that ride because it has a defined beginning and and very well defined end. You can almost hear the ratchet of the straining chains as you inch up winding hills like the aged coaster at Palisades Park as it escorts it's pensive patrons to the pinnacle overlooking the Hudson. In this case the pinnacle is the highest peak for miles with views that challenge the minds eye to seeing beyond the village centers below to perhaps the very dawn of civilization. Within that eternity, one visitor shared with us her story behind the legend of Jump Off Rock. The American Native  Ingénue  having lost her love to the insanity of war chose to end her life in a fatal leap of faith from a ledge from which she felt she could envision heaven. 

 For those of us who yearn to 

capture these images of splendor so that somehow we can keep them, it's our awareness of the transient nature of our fragile lives, the novelty of our digital canvas to isolate and preserve each moment with a click and our leap of faith to be there in the moment.