Ray, Jim and Wendy did a hike at the Holden Arboretum in January.
The Arboretum was created in 1934 by Albert Fairchild Holden. He wanted a memorial for his oldest daughter who died of scarlet fever at the age of 12. His sister convinced him to create an arboretum for Cleveland as a place where students and adults could learn the basics of horticulture. To read more about the history click here.
The weather was warm in the 40′s. Their was a little bit of snow. So far this winter has been very mild. We seen a few people Cross- County skiing. Their was not much snow to ski on, as you could see gravel on the trail.
The Arboretum is a pretty place to visit. Their was many ponds and bogs at the Arboretum. Many of the trees and bushes were labeled with their species.
They have many miles of trail to explore. It was a very easy and relaxing way to spend time with nature and enjoy the outdoors.
THE PENNSYLVANIA EQUINE COUNCIL
PRESENTS A
1-DAY TRAIL STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOP
Saturday, January 21, 2012 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Edinboro University of PA- The Porreco Center Erie, PA
WHY: Pennsylvania State land management agencies have contacted the PA Equine Council requesting
assistance in maintaining non-motorized shared-use trails. These agencies are reluctant to accept
volunteers who have not had training. Without our assistance, trails and access will be severely restricted.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND: All outdoor enthusiasts (particularly hikers, mountain-bikers and
equestrians) concerned about the future of recreational access to public lands.
WHERE: The Porreco Center 2951West 38th Street Erie, PA 16506
Classroom #7 in the main barn
WHEN: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
WORKSHOP CONTENT: Trail layout, construction, and maintenance; tool selection and use;
introduction to Leave No Trace skills & the Ride Smart concept; “Who’s Who” in state land management.
COST: FREE! Coffee, donuts, snacks and a light lunch will be provided. Donations for food gratefully
accepted!
REGISTRATION: Please pre-register by 1/15/12! For more information or to register:
Sarah Dolecki-Taylor 814-734-8799 djnsetaylor@bluefrog.com or
Mary Ellen Longnecker 814-838-4739 mernl@aol.com
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Jim and Ray of the Erie Outing Club did a ride on the Allegheny River Trail and the Samuel Justus Trail. I have a ICE tadpole trike and he has a Bacchetta Giro 20.
My brother and I decided to take a vacation day from work since the weather for Tuesday was forecast to be warm and sunny.
We started at the Samuel Justus trailhead located in Oil City. The Samuel Justus Trail is a five mile trail which goes to Franklin. At Franklin its connect into the Allegheny River Trail. We stopped their to have lunch. There are some picnic tables their by the river.
We continue on to the Belmar Bridge. The Belmar Bridge is 1385 feet long with a wooden deck and railings and a great view of the river. The Sandy Creek Trail runs goes across the bridge and goes east and west.
We then proceeded on to Indian God Rock. On the way I notice a stairway going down to the river. So we stopped to investigate it. It was a wooden platform with two chairs on it. It look like a nice place to meditate or read a book , and have a great view of the river.
We then continued on to the Indian God Rock. The rock has carvings created by Indians dating back to 1200 A.D.
I haven’t been on the trail in a little while. I glad we went because there might not be to many nice days left this year. I will have to try to make it down here more often. It was a very nice Indian Summer Day on the trail in November.
The Pumpkin ride started many years ago. It’s started when the Lakeside Bicycle Association did bicycle tours. A member (Bill) had a cousin who had a Pumpkin Farm south of Edinboro started the ride back in the early 90′s.
I did it for a number of years with the Erie Outing club; but then Finneys Pumpkinville decided to shut down because they couldn’t compete with Wal-Mart. So I quit doing the ride too.
But Paul W decided to keep it going and put it into the Calendar. We met at the County Y near Edinboro at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Paul, Ray and I met their. We took some low traffic country roads to the Edinboro University. Then we follow the Quad course to Finney’s.
Now that Finney’s Pumpkinville is shutdown; the only part of it is left is a Deli & Bulk food Store. In the store you will find many varieties of bulk foods and bake goods. I bought some chocolate covered peanuts, Paul bought a scone and Ray had a chocolate Cookie.
We then went south on Route 99 toward Tobin Pumpkin Farm. Tobin Pumpkin Farm is own by the cousin of Bill’s from the Lakeside Bicycling Association. You have to ride down a rough road to get to the farm. But once you get there, you see that it was worth the effort. They have many varieties of fruits and vegetables for sale. In front of the house you can see all the pumpkins they have for sale. They told me “they don’t worry about competing Walmat because people who go to Wal-Mart for pumpkin don’t go to farms for their pumpkins.”
A short distant from Tobin’s Pumpkin Farm is the Cider Mill. The Cider Mill doesn’t make cider anymore. It is more of a variety gift Store, and they also sell cider and jams. Penny is the owner, who is also a dairy Farmer. She runs the Cider Mill, milk cows , and she also is a teacher at a local Christian school.
Then we took Fry Road to the Buffalo Farm. Fry road has three nice hills to climb, but the view of the farmland ‘s make it worth it. The Buffalo Farm was busy. Many people were there because of the Corn Maze. A Mercyhurst Laker’s bus pulled up while we were there.
Paul , Ray and I enjoy some Bison Burgers; but it took a little while to get waited on because it was so Busy.
After we ate,Paul had to leave to work on his sail Boat, But Ray and I stayed and went through the Corn Maze. It was muddy in spots, but was interesting to walk through. You had to find different mail boxes in the maze, and you had to take a sticker out of the boxes and put them on your map. We only found two mailboxes while we were there.
The day started out cold, but got warmer as the day went on. It was a nice way to spend the day out in the county, and get away from city life.
After a weekend of rain :the weather finally turned sunny. So Ray , Joe and
I took our recumbent’s to the Pine Creek bike trail. Click here for a map of the trail. The trail is located near Wellsboro, PA.
Joe has a long wheelbase recumbent and Ray and I have short wheelbase recumbents. We ride recumbents because of our bad backs and their more comfortable to ride then a upright bike.
We went to the Darling Run Trail head on the first day. We went north to Wellsboro Junction. The trail was very scenic. We stopped at a ice creme shop at the end of the trail. We then rode back to the trail head.
The next day we went south on the trail to Blackwell. The trail went
along Pine Creek. The gorge was very deep. The cyclist riding on the
trail were very friendly. We met five young Mennonites riding from
Lancaster.
It was a perfect day for riding. The leaves were very colorful. You
could hear Pine Creek rapids flowing. You could see the rock cliffs
from deep in the canyon on the bike path
On the last day we hiked to the Leonard Harrison State park. Their was a nice overlook of the canyon. On the other side of Pine Creek is the Colton Point State Park. We did a short hike at the park and viewed the overlook. You could see the
bike trail from the overlook. We left the park and headed home.
On the way home we stopped at the Kinzua Viaduct. The viaduct was
recently rebuilt after being hit by a tornado in 2003.Only about half the bridge is left. There is a glass floor. You can see the valley below by looking at your feet.
It was cold in the morning, but it warm up during the day. With the leave starting to change, the Pine Creek Flowing along the bike path, it made for a very scenic ride on the Pine Creek Trail. Their was many things to see and do. But we only their for three days did not give us enough time to see it all. I will have to go back next year and spend more time their.
Mary, Kathy and Ray want to thank all the Geezers for coming to the picnic on 8-22-11. The picnic on the porch was great fun. The food was terrific, and the company was wonderful, as always. Thanks to Dave’s eagle eyes we got to see 2 bald eagles flying overhead. Keep moving!
Looking for a challenge? Want to do something good? Please help support your Asbury Woods today by registering for the second annual Asbury Woods Ridge Run and Walk! Ridge Run proceeds will directly support trails, programs and community events at Asbury Woods.
The 5K Run and 1-Mile Fun Walk/Runwill take place at Brown’s Farm, located at 5774 Sterrettania Road. Runners and walkers will enjoy our scenic unpaved course which loops through a grassy meadow and along a wooded trail. Runners will be timed and placed by age levels. The non-competitive 1-mile Fun Walk/Run is untimed. Parking will be available at the Asbury Elementary School parking lot (just across Sterrettania Road). Water and light snacks provided for all participants.
Those who register by July 23, 2011 will receive a discount and T-shirt! Register today by returning our Registration Form and Waiver (located on the back of our enclosed program registration form) with check made payable to the “Asbury Woods Partnership, Inc.”. For more information, to volunteer, or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, please call (814) 835-5356 or visit www.asburywoods.org. Registration and signed waiver/release required for all participants.
Registration Fees: Pre-register by July 23, 2011- $20 (all ages)
Day of event fee – $25 (all ages)
For more information or to learn about sponsorship opportunities for businesses, groups or organizations, please contact Jennifer Burke, Development Director, Asbury Woods Partnership at 814.440.6895 or burke@mtsd.org.
GeoWoodstock is the world’s largest gathering of geocachers. Combining a meet and greet opportunity for players from around the world with a series of classes and workshops, appearances by legends of the Geocaching community and the single largest assembly of Geocaching vendors, GeoWoodstock has grown from a small meeting into the annual international convention for the game of Geocaching.
This year GeoWoodstock is being held in Northwest Pennsylvania at the Warren County Fair Grounds, They will be
just five miles from the western boundary of the Allegheny National Forest
If you missed the registration deadline, you can still come to GeoWoodstock! The won’t have a badge for you and you might want to make your own meal arrangements, but, hey, the would love to see you!
The Erie Outing Club did a multi-day bicycle tour of Northwestern Pa, and Northeastern Ohio.
We started from my house on Friday at 8:00 a.m. The day was overcast with a 60 percent chance of rain. And rain it did. It rained on and off all day. When you thought it might be clearing up, it started to rain again.
We arrived at pymantuning Camp ground it was still raining..
The next day was a bit better. It was overcast with just on and off mist all day. We rode from Pymantuning to Mosquito Lake State Park. The roads were mostly flat. The route was on low traffic country roads. In the evening we went to Cortland, Ohio and watch a Parade, and walk thought a Street Fair.
The third day we rode to the southern end of the Ashtabula/Trumbell County Greenway Trail. We rode the entire length of the trail from Cortland to Ashtabula Ohio. It was a nice trail, flat and no traffic may for a relaxing ride.
The last day we rode from Ashtabula back to Erie. We rode through the Smolen- Gulf Covered Bridge. The longest Covered Bridge in the United States. After the bridge we had a hill to climb. But then we had a nice low traffic country road back to West Springfield. After that we took Route 5 to Avonia Tavern for lunch.
It was a fun trip. It was a nice way to get away from home without going to far from home.
The Allegheny Outdoor Club is just like our club. They seem to do the same activities in the same locations as we do. (hiking,biking, Kayaking etc). They seem to be located in the Warren, Pa area
The AOC is an organization of individuals of all ages based in northwestern Pennsylvania who enjoy nature and year round outdoor activities. We try to maintain a weekly schedule of hosted hiking, biking, and winter skiing activities, as well as numerous special events, for anyone who wishes to participate
I hope all club members will have a Merry Christmas and spend the New Year spending many hours doing their favorite Outdoor Activities ( Kayaking, Hiking, Backpacking, Bicycle riding and Cross- Country Skiing). As we look ahead at what we will being doing next year, we give thanks that we made it through another year safe and sound.
I will be doing many activities with camcorder in hand, taking video’s of the events I do. I will be Blogging, and Facebooking my video’s. for the people who can’t make the events.
This is a hobby I probably could’nt of done 15 years ago. But thanks to technogy and the internet, this is really easy to do. You can take video’s with you phone,edit the videos,and upload them to You Tube. Camcorders are the size of a credit card and less then 100 dollars.
To all club members, go out and enjoy your activities and have fun doing it.
Warren County Winterfest is the largest winter event in the Pennsylvania Wilds region. Held at Chapman State Park in late January of each year, our event features a variety of Winter outdoor activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Another great year has passed. Now all we have are our memorys of Erie Outing Club events in 2010. The year went to quick for me. I can’t believe it is 2011 already. Above is a video of a collection of pictures and video’s I had on my computer. I added some music with the help of Youtube and made this video of some of event I attended this year. I will be looking forward to 2011 for another great year of bicycle, Kayaking, hiking and cross-country skiing events.
Some members of the Erie Outing Club went up to Byrncliff Resort & Conference Center. The center is a great place to go skiing or snowshoeing in the winter months.They have about 12 miles of groomed trails for cross-country skiing. The Trails are designed for novice or expert skiing.The center is located east of Buffalo, New York in the rolling hills of Wyoming County
The day started out cold, but the temperature warmed up as the day went on. The sun was out to make you feel warm.The trails were in the woods in some parts and out in the open in other parts. Their was some nice rollers and level portions of the trail. The trails had classical tracks on the edge, with skating in the center.
We all had a fun time. We could see windmills on the hills next to the ski center. I can’t wait to go back again.
The WQLN Gears to Beers Bicycle Tour is brand new 2011. They have designed a new route and added some new challenges. You can either ride the Black and Tan 25 Miler or the Stout 50 Pick the course that’s best for you The Black and Tan 25 • April 30, 2011
This ride will begin at 10:00am in the parking lot of WQLN Public Media. WQLN is located three quarters of a mile south of Interstate 90 on Peach Street. Day of ride registration will begin at 8:00am and close at 9:45am Plan on having fun. We will have water, refreshments and music at the start of the ride.
The ride is a 25 mile rolling hill tour that begins on Route 19, turns on to Robison, and follows Oliver Road to Flower Road to Reichert to Route 99 to Old Rout 99, to Old State Road, Lay Road, Angling Road, West Plum Street Erie Street, Meadville Street, Cambridge Spring Street, Plank Road, Church River Street and finally to Sprague Farm and Brew Works. The Oliver Road Hill (Ale Mary Hill) has been removed from the ride. If you think that you’ll miss Ale Mary, ride in the Stout 50. She’s there in all her painful glory. .
Howard Eaton Reservoir is a 246 acre water supply reservoir for Northeast, PA and is owned and maintained by the borough of Northeast. The Reservoir was constructed in 1941 and is a man-made impoundment on a tributary to the West Branch of French Creek.
There is a nice parking lot to park your car when it is plowed. There is also a nice path around most of the reservoir for hiking, snow shoeing,and Cross Country Skiing.
We met at the Harborcreek Truck Stop around 9:00 a.m. We then commuted to the parking lot at the reservoir. The parking lot was not plowed so we had to park in the street.
We had a fresh snow the day before, so the trails were not packed. But Paul and Ray went out first on their snowshoes to pack the trails for the people who were on the skis.
The trail was mostly flat, which made for easy skiing. We were awarded with a nice view of the reservoir that was covered with snow. We did two loops, one time going counter clockwise, and the other going clockwise around the reservoir
Some of the group, this was their first time here. It is always nice to investigate and discovered a new areas
The Erie Outing Club did a hike on March 27, 2011 to Sea Gull Point. Sea Gull Point is closed starting April 1. So this was the last weekend you can hike there.
Doris emailed out a last-minute hike. Many members took her up on the offer. We met at beach 10 parking lot at Presque Isle.
The day was sunny but very cold. There was a cold wind blowing across the lake. The hike started out as a normal hike. We hiked to sea-gull point. We all got on the look out stand to get a great view of the bay and Erie area. There was thin ice on the bay side. You could see many Sea Gulls flying around.
Then we decided to hike on the lake side. The beach disappeared and we had to go inward. The brush was very thick and was difficult to walk through. We found the main trail, and hiked back to the cars.
That was a very exciting adventure. Thank you Doris for putting on the hike.
The One World Japan Recumbent Jersey was designed in cooperation with a Japanese artist and incorporates beautiful Japanese iconic artwork as well as meaningful symbols and images.
The front of the jersey features a red and white Japan Earthquake Relief Ribbon. A bold outline of the Mt. Fuji, one of the universally recognized symbols of Japan, is underscored by Japanese cherry blossom branches.
The sleeves of the jersey bear the official seal of Mercy Corps, and an outline of a Japanese Paper Crane – a national symbol of hope for the people of Japan.
The back of the jersey features the official symbols of the 6 prefectures in Japan that suffered widespread destruction from this earthquake. From left to right, Ibaraki, Iwate, Miyagi, Chiba, Fukushima and Aomori.
In the small of the back is etched the local time when the 9.0 Earthquake struck Northeastern Japan.
The jersey is flanked with side panels that read “One Hope”, with the Japanese Kanji Characters for “Hope” on one side, and “One World” with the universal peace symbol on the other.
The calendar date for the first day of spring has past, but I am still waiting for warmer weather. I looked out the window today and it was snowing.
But sooner or later it should warm up. When it does your thoughts might turn to bicycle touring.
I did three overnights tours last year. I rode to Geneva, Ohio. I did a trip to Pymantuning, and another trip to my uncle’s place in Union City, Pa.
I brought this up because I was listening to my favorite podcast today (Bicycle Radio) and they were interviewing a person from Adventure Cycling.
She was talking about a new web site they just put up.
The name of the web site is called Bike Overnight .org.
This web site talks about doing overnight trips close to home instead of some big cross-country tour. For people who work and don’t have much vacation time, this is a great opportunity to do a short bicycle trip to get away from day to day life.
The Outing Club had a hike around the Howard Eaton Reservoir.
The Howard Easton Reservoir is use for the water supply for North East. You can Kayak, fish, hike or run around the reservoir
The day was nice and somewhat warm and sunny. The trail was like a gravel jeep trail going around the reservoir. It was a fairly easy hike. There is a dam at one end of the reservoir. You can see the entire length of the reservoir from the dam. A jogger ran past us a we hiked around the reservoir.
We met two fisherman using Kayaks at the end of the hike. They were preparing to spend the day fishing out of their Kayaks.
After the hike we drove into North East and had Lunch at Johnny’s B’s. They have nice lunch menu for a reasonable price.
I drove to Findley Lake to do a bicycle ride to the Pine Junction Tavern. But when I got their it started snowing. The wind started blowing. I thought it was like it was the middle of January. But today is Good Friday. It’s suppose to be spring.
So I decided to drive to the Corry Junction Trail. I thought it might be warmer riding a trail then riding on the open road. The one end of the trail is in Clymer.
So I decided to start their.
The first couple of miles were rough.
It was like a jeep trail. Lots of Gravel. My front tire washed out a couple of times.
But then the trail change to this crush stone which was nice to ride on. At this point the trail was fun to ride. It was flat with some nice views of the country side. The road crossing had barriers to keep the four wheelers off the trail. But I notice they were getting on the trail anyway.
The trail ended up in Corry near a manufacturing shop and a baseball field. It was short, only seven miles long. But it was a nice warm up on such a cold day.
Check out the Northwest Pennsylvania Web site for more information on the trail
Google has a car that travel the world taking pictures of the streets at ground level. Some of the most interesting and fun places aren’t accessible by car. One day while mountain biking, Mechanical Engineer Dan Ratner realized he could combine his favorite hobby with Street View to explore new places, and set to work building a bicycle-based camera system. Check out the above video’s on the Street View Trike.
The National Kidney Foundation Serving the Alleghenies (NKFALL)
is returning to Erie with our Kidney Walk on June 5th at the
Jerry UHT Park, Home of the Erie Seawolves! We anticipate
nearly 500 people¬‑‑ families, friends, corporate teams,
patients, and medical staff – will walk to battle kidney
disease. This year our goal is to raise $25,000 for local
patient service programs. We truly hope that you and the Erie Outing Club can be part of this great event that is going to
be bigger and better than ever before!
To date, we have reached out to several people in the Erie
community near you! Through our efforts, we are happy to report
that we have screened nearly 700 people within 90 screenings
through our Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) in your
neighborhood. More than half of them have learned for the first
time that they may have kidney disease.
There’s no bettr way to reach out to your community to spread
the word about the importance of keeping your kidneys healthy
than by walking with us on June 5th at the stadium! Everyone
who makes a donation will receive free admission to the 1:00p.
m. Erie Sea Wolves baseball game!
All you have to do is gather your team and register!
Registering is really easy: Log on to www.kidneywalk.org , or
you can call Melissa McManus the Community Outreach Manager at
412‑261‑4115 x10 or email her at Melissa.McManus@kidney.org if
you have any questions.
It’s going to be a fun‑filled day at the ball field starting with the Erie Kidney Walk, a recognition ceremony before the first pitch and a great ball game to watch your hometown baseball boys to end the day! We really hope that you and the Erie Outing Club will jump on board and come have fun with the kidney foundation and your neighborhood friends on June 5th!
Presque Isle has updated their Web site.
They now have GPS locations for the trails and other information.
You can even download a GPX file
into your computer. You can use the GPX file for Google Earth or other GPS programs.
You can use a Free Program like Easy GPS to upload GPX files to your GPS.
For more information on the program click here
Check it out , Click here to view the Trail information on the Presque Isle Web site.
Ray and I did the Recumbent Rally in State College.
We met Travis P while we were their.
Travis P does the web site for Recumbent Bike Rider's
State College.
He also does a Blog called Recumbent Journal.
He also does a web site called Recumbent.TV.
The first episode came out in February. The second episode has
just been released.
The episode is about the Cat Trike Rally that is held in February
every year. This episode is about the Rally tour;
the making of a Cat trike inside the factory;
and he talks about the new Trail and Village trikes
