Gunpowder Falls State Park

I decided to get the mountain bike out and check out a trail head that I have been wondering about, for over a year now. I’ve passed it in my truck, numerous times. Turns out; it’s an entry point into Gunpowder Falls State Park. It was a hot one today, but I threw the bike in the truck and drove 20 minutes to the trail head. I was stoked when I discovered such awesome singletrack, and local at that! I only explored about 5 miles of trails but what I did ride was great. The trails were hilly, well groomed, lots of log drops and roll-overs and the terrain varies between overgrown meadows, dark pine and hardwoods. I’m so insanely out of shape that I was huffin’ & puffin’ up the hills but I’m not too proud to use my granny-gear, and so I did. I stopped once to snap a few photos below. I tried to ID the plant with the bright red berries but had no luck. Pretty; probably poisonous.   I gotta say, I love my new helmet too.  Super comfy and light.  If you dig it, check out Urge Bike Products.

Picture of the day

I took this photo at the famous Wellsboro Diner in, you guessed it, Wellsboro, PA. Hoopsie and I were grabbing a quick cup of coffee before heading off to explore the back roads around the area when I rested my four thirds camera on the bar-top and snapped a couple of shots. The diner is your classic retro-styled dinner; tube shaped with a bar area and booth seating. Cream with forest green accents; inside and out. The next day I stopped in for a BLT and a coke before driving back to Maryland. Delicious.

Captured with Lumix GF2 & 14mm prime lens:  1/60 sec @ f/2.5 ISO 100

Toyota Tacoma

I never “officially announced” my new vehicle that I bought this past fall. Yes, I traded the jeep in towards a more economical vehicle; a 2013 Toyota Tacoma. I drive 110 miles each day, from Westminster to Greenbelt MD where I work, and the jeep just wasn’t the best daily driver for that kind of commute. I’m loving my Tacoma. For what I lost in my 3” lift and 33” tires, I made up for with fuel efficiency, comfort and practicality. The truck bed is so handy for those trips to the Home Depot, the dump and will, hopefully be put to use hauling a big buck home from the Frederick Watershed this coming deer season. I miss driving stick, but an automatic transmission is a blessing in stop & go traffic around the beltway. I haven’t had a chance to get it off-road until this past weekend during a camping trip with my buddy Hoopsie. We met up in Wellsboro, PA and spent the weekend mudding near the campground we stayed at. I was pleased at how the Tacoma did on some super steep climbs and the deep mud. Although I did get bogged down in a large pit that was as deep at my 31” tires. I just put some Definity Dakota M/T’s on, but it was just too soupy for me to get out of. Luckily, I was able to toss a toe-strap to Hoopsie helped pull me out with his JK. 

Scope mount attempt: Denied

The other day I attempted to attach a scope to my new Mossberg MMR Hunter (Mossberg's version of the AR-15) but was unable to, due to a lack of Quality Control at the Weaver factory. Weaver, a reputable manufacturer of numerous optics, sites and mounting systems, failed to provide the correct size nuts for the screws they packaged in there scope ring kit.  The nuts were simply way too large.  I'll be taking the scope ring kit back to my local gun shop for a replacment; I need a taller set of rings anyway.  

And yes, a full review of my Mossberg is forthcoming.  ... And, yes, I am aware that Christmas too, is coming.

More baby bunnies

These guys keep popping up all over the yard. Yesterday, while weed-whacking around the back porch, I noticed this terrified little guy who was pretty much hyperventilating and trapped between the confines of our timber-framed back deck and my monstrous self wielding a loud and angry brush-destroyer. I must have scared the hell out of him while whacking down his ideal habitat: the lazy man's ill-kept yard. I put the weed-whacking on hold and ran in for my camera. Poor little guy! Later in the evening I saw him and another tiny bunny hugging the wall of the house as they made their way to a big bush at the corner of the yard; most likely where momma bunny lives.