Blackwater Birthday Bash (Davis, WV)

For several years, I've celebrated my birthday with a ride along a rail-to-trail segment. Rebecca and I invited my Mom and her husband for the first year, then extended the invite to my brother and his wife. In 2023, though, my stepfather suffered a fall during the ride. He was lucky to have survived, it turned out, when his over-the-bar trip landed him directly on his face and almost caused what's known as an "internal decapitation" when his uppermost vertebrae nearly separated where it meets the skull. Luckily, though, his tough-as-nails attitude guided his recovery and soon enough he was back to normal.

Needless to say, the accident put a hold on our trips for a few years.

This year marked my 45th birthday, so I figured it was time to get the tradition going again!

For this outing I chose a segment along the Allegheny Highlands Trail known as the Blackwater Canyon Trail. It's a 10.7 mile ride from Thomas, WV into Hendricks with a stop by Douglas Falls just about a mile or so into the ride.

Since the forecast was calling for scattered rain storms starting on Friday, Rebecca and I arrived early on Thursday to get in a mountain bike ride at Moon Hoodoo Rocks (probably our favorite trail in the area).

We left Ruprecht in the car and let our energetic Boxer, Bianca, come along for the ride!



After our ride, Rebecca and I headed to Davis to rendezvous with my Mom & John. After grabbing lunch at The Big Belly Deli we drove to Blackwater Falls before eventually retreating to the AirBnb she'd booked near Canaan Heights. The house was excellent, stocked with a huge dog bed that our two could share, hot tub on the rear patio, and fireplaces inside and out.



Later that night my brother and his wife arrived and we met at Moguls for dinner.

The next morning we woke to rain, so there was no rush to get organized for the ride. Luckily, our patience paid off and we departed the house just as the clouds began to dissipate.

We began our ride as Bianca led our group of six down the trail toward the first attractions: the Douglas Highwall, followed by Albert Falls & Douglas Falls.



Eventually Bianca began to tire, so I wrapped her in our Little Chonk Brodie One backpack.



A couple miles later she was eager to run again, so I let her out when we stopped to explore another waterfall with an impressive culvert beneath the trail.



Rain did eventually return, but the dense tree cover worked well to shade us from the downpour that we could see in the canyon beside the trail. Eventually we reached Hendricks where we loaded Dave's Tacoma with six bikes and bodies before returning to the cabin to dry off and regroup.

Once back in dry clothes, Rebecca mixed Cucumber Jalepeno Margaritas for us all before we grilled beef & tuna steaks for a feast that outdid the previous night's dinner by far.

The next morning saw the return of rain, so our guests departed soon after breakfast. Rebecca and I are troopers, though, so we chose to ride at Blackwater Falls State Park despite the conditions. Likewise, Bianca didn't hesitate to join us for the Dobbins Figure-Eight ride.





The Dobbins House trails are rooty and off-camber, a characteristic which is enhanced when wet. The climbs aren't especially steep, but they are extremely difficult in the conditions we were under.

Eventually we completed the circuit and headed back to the cabin to light another fire before kicking up our feet and enjoying our last afternoon of the trip.



On Sunday, we packed up and headed to Tip Top for two cups of coffee & pastries to enjoy during the drive home.

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Asheville (North Carolina)

Three years ago, my friend Puck decided to plan a trip to Asheville to bring together friends from Virginia & Georgia. We convened at an AirBnb and commenced to "shred the gnar" for several days.

With the bus project in full swing, I sat out the next two trips. Now that the bus is nearly complete, I decided that I could spare the time and join the guys again for another trip down to western NC.

This year I decided to drive myself since I'd need to bring along my dog Ruprecht. This did, however, allow me the freedom to break up the drive down with a stop at Elevated Wake Park.



With nearly SIX YEARS between my last ride at a cable park and this visit, I coached myself to take it easy this go-round. Even if I merely rode around in circles, that would be enough for this time out.

My first time out was just that - a relaxed few laps to get acquainted with the pull of the rope and the jerk of the cable at each corner.

Surprisingly, though, my next lap was action-packed! I jumped onto a slider with success and began attempting several of the features before eventually going down. I spent a moment watching some of the experienced locals shred and was soon back out hitting nearly every slider and both launch ramps!

Before I knew it, my 2-hour session was over and I again loaded the Crosstrek to complete the drive.

Once on the road, I called the guys to see their progress and figure out where and when to meet in Asheville for a ride before checking into the AirBnb. We decided to meet at The Hub before heading to Avery Creek for our ride.

The first ride was a rude awakening for some of our group. Gone were the quick, punchy climbs of the JRPS. Instead, the climbs were sustained - usually rocky & rooty as well. Eventually, though, we all met at the top of the ascent - ready to bomb back down to the parking lot with smiles from ear-to-ear.



That night we dined at El Chapala before heading back to the cabin to catch-up with a few brews.

The next day we planned on riding a mix of regular and E-bikes at Ride Kanuga Park. I decided to touch base with a friend that lives in the area to give him a rundown of our schedule and invite him to ride with us on Saturday, when we planned to return to pedal-powered means at Dupont State Forest. He replied that he'd be busy that day, but that he was actually on the way to meet another mutual friend for a ride there that very moment. I immediately asked him if a few of us [non-e-bikers] could join them, to which he gladly obliged. Brian, Scott, and myself grabbed our gear and headed to out meet him (Matt) and surprise our mutual friend (Park) at the trailhead.

The surprise worked perfectly, as we arrived just minutes before Park. It was a great reunion to see them both!

After some much-needed embraces, we were on bikes and heading into the woods. Park led us for a great tour of Dupont, highlighting some of the best trails in the forest. All the while, Matt was providing the banter to keep our minds off the burning in our legs!



After our ride, we swung by the house for a quick change of gear, then to Kanuga to rendezvous with our group. We took turns swapping between pedal-powered & e-powered bikes for a few hours before throwing in the towel.



The next day was another bike park - this time the shuttle-accessed Ride Rock Creek. Determined to get in at least 10 runs, we headed to the park just before opening time. After securing a shady spot in the lot, our group of nine took to the gravel road to catch the first shuttle of the day.

A full night's rain had perfectly conditioned the trails. Any wet spots found on the first couple runs gave way to grippy clay as the day progressed. We alternated between laps at the park and beers & food in the lot until the very last shuttle, opening AND closing the park!





On Saturday, our group was split in three. Puck left in the morning to guide a rafting trip. Brian, Joe, Rob, Matt & Scott all hit the road to get home before Father's Day. That left Tobje, Marshal, and myself to explore some more trails!





First we completed a ~10 mile loop at Dupont. After the ride, we grabbed lunch at The Hub with Matt just before he headed south. After the meal, Marshal was still itching for more, so he and I rode another ~9 mile circuit in Pisgah, featuring the Black Mountain Trail.

By the end of that ride, we were toast! The entire trip featured sore muscles (especially beginning with the cable park), but by the end of the fourth day I was confident I'd "left it all out there."

Although I'd planned on leaving Sunday, I knew another ride was not in the cards for me so I decided to leave that night in order to be back in town to celebrate Father's Day with my dad. We reconvened with Puck at El Paso for one more meal before I hopped on the highway to arrive home just before 1am.

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