Greenbrier River Trail (Cass, WV)

In what has become an annual tradition, Rebecca and I met my brother, his girlfriend, my mother, and stepfather in Cass, West Virginia to take on the 25 mile ride to Marlinton.



On Friday we rendezvoused with my mother & stepfather in Cass before heading to the Locust Hill Inn for dinner. We discovered the Inn two years ago and have been coming back ever since. It's a great setting for outdoor dining, especially with our recent adoption of social-distancing.



This year we had one additional participant - our dog Lola. She'd overheated the previous weekend, so we decided not to send her to the boarder with her brother, Ruprecht. Instead, we brought along the bike trailer and I towed her, taking stops every so often to let her swim in the river and maintain a low temperature.



The frequent stops were a welcome change. Sometimes taking a moment to enjoy the surroundings is key to capturing the full extent of the experience.



In particular, we spent more time cooling off in the Greenbrier and its tributaries than ever before, discovering a hidden waterfall on the side of the trail.



Once we reached Marlinton, we ate lunch at the newly relocated Dirt Bean before loading up the bikes and driving back to Cass.

Once back, Rebecca and I walked down to the river to soak in the cool water.



That night we played dominoes before calling it a day. The next morning we cleaned up, loaded our respective vehicles, and set off toward home. Rebecca and I took two detours on the way to look at some properties for sale in the neighboring counties. It's a long way out, but eventually we'd like to buy a small plot of land to build a tiny home and homestead.

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Suspension Refresh

Since purchasing my Scott Genius LT, it's been riding on the original pivot bushings & bearings. Other than fixing some boneheaded assembly by the previous owner, I haven't bothered replacing any of these components until now.



I created a press to remove the bearings consisting of a long bolt, socket just slightly smaller than the frame opening, and a piece of 1" PVC pipe (matching the ID of the "open" side of the bearing cup).



Since the cup surface was irregular on two of the six cups, I removed the other four first, then ground reliefs into the PVC so it would fit over the irregular surfaces of the final two.

Drawing from lessons learned while removing the [stubborn] flywheel from my jetski, I devised a technique for removing these bushings in addition to the press. The technique involved light tapping of the press bolt with a hammer. Let me stress - LIGHT tapping! With carbon fiber components holding these bearings in place, I didn't want to go overboard with either the press or hammer.



With each bearing, I'd apply some light pressure with the press, then hold the entire system in my hand and lightly tap the bolt using a socket extension to pinpoint the blow. As soon as I felt the press loosen, I'd reset it and repeat the process until the bearing fell out. This process worked phenomenally - removing all six bearings without an issue.



Installing the new bearings took some patience, as I needed to check for alignment as I tightened the press. If I noticed the bearing protruding more on one side, I'd reposition the press to apply force to that side, tighten until the bearing was again square with the cup, then center it again. Sometimes it pays to be meticulous, especially when dealing with these somewhat delicate components.

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Diascund Reservoir (Lanexa, VA)

For whatever reason, Rebecca and I haven't been out in the canoe in over two years. With a day off from work on a sunny Monday, we decided to go for a relaxing float. We looked for calm body of water and landed on the reservoir, which only allows non-motorized boats.

It was the perfect choice - less than an hour's drive from home and offering a calm, quiet escape from real life.



We stayed on the water for about four hours, exploring the edge of the shoreline and flying the drone above to capture the beauty of the area.



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