Hatteras (North Carolina)

There's perhaps no better way to enjoy your birthday than at the beach!



We even got to bring along the dogs to play in the surf.

James River Float

Paul invited me along for a float on the James to celebrate his birthday, so I loaded up Ruprecht & the canoe for a day in the sun. Most of Paul's tubing crew was fried from the previous night's partying, but Phil, in town for HIS OWN bachelor party, joined us on the water. And, as always, Eryn rounded out our modest squad of five.



With four boats and zero tubes, we skated down the river - all the while Ruprecht jumping ship to cool off, swim, and eat the rapids.

Snowshoe / Slatyfork - another DH/XC Epic!

Nearly every time we visit Snowshoe, I leave with the urge to come back for some cross-country riding. Since last summer's Shenandoah 100 Epic, we haven't bothered schlepping two sets of bikes to the mountains. What a killer weekend it makes, though, when you do!



Joey scored a Swagman hitch rack on Craigslist, which worked surprisingly well with four bulky rigs.



The incentive to load up all the gear was that Luke and Sean would meet us for one day of the XC portion of the extended weekend. That way, Joey and I could ride DH at Snowshoe on Saturday, XC in Slatyfork with Sean and Luke on Sunday, then another day of XC on Snowshoe's singletrack on Memorial Day. All the makings of an epic weekend!



Recent summers have been exquisite at Snowshoe; a stark contrast to the rain-soaked seasons we've experienced in the past.

Merchant's Millpond (North Carolina)

Last summer Rebecca and I discovered a true gem - Merchant's Millpond within the Great Dismal Swamp. It's an eerie, enchanted atmosphere that seems unique anywhere I've ever been.



This time around, we invited four friends along for the adventure down Bennett's Creek.



The water level was down significantly, but luckily we planned the trip early enough in the season to avoid the mosquitos that must love the slow, stagnant flow of the creek.

Wintergreen (Virginia)

The recent snowfall in Richmond put us all in the mood for bit of time on the slopes this weekend.



Paul, Tony, Rebecca and I headed to Wintergreen to try to find our share of the soft stuff.



Conditions were ideal. The sun was out and the edges of the slopes had plenty of depth to carve from top to bottom.

Johnson Cabin (Virginia)

Rebecca enjoyed Christmas with her family in Winchester while I spent the holiday in Richmond. The following day we met in Waynesboro and headed to our PATC cabin near Stanardsville, VA.



The last time we stayed at a cabin nearby was our trip to Morris. That trip was snowy and cold, a drastic contrast to the unseasonably warm temperatures we enjoyed this time around. The sun felt so warm on Saturday that I braved the spring-fed tub between our cabin and Morris.



We let the dogs run alongside as we rode the Meadow Trail on Saturday afternoon, then headed back to the cabin to kick back and sip a few beers.



Johnson is a small cabin, but absolutely perfect for a couple spending the weekend in the woods. The trip was brief, but was a perfect way to round out our extended holiday weekend.

Aruba

Keeping with our trend of EPIC weekend trips, Rebecca and I decided to squeeze in a trip to Aruba during the Thanksgiving holiday.



We feasted in Winchester this year, so on Friday we headed back to Richmond to unpack & unwind, then repack & fly south!

The layover in Philadelphia yielded enough time to see my old roommate, Dave Laverdure. Since I last saw Dave, he moved from Philly to Trenton, NJ, so we hopped on the SEPTA to meet him for dinner at the Trenton Social.



By midday on Saturday we were donning sunglasses and delayering at the Oranjestad Airport.

As quickly as possible, and with only one near-collision, we were at the Pelican Nest, sipping drinks by the water.



Our main objective, aside from the beach, was renting ATV’s and exploring the island.

One of my main praises of Aruba is it’s size – it’s tiny! I like the idea that you can just wander aimlessly and really never be 100% lost. And there’s plenty, I mean PLENTY, to explore.



The next morning we headed for the airport and bid Aruba goodbye. Our return layover in Miami was long enough for us to visit South Beach, so we wasted no time hopping on the MetroBus. First up - ridiculously oversized bloody mary's!



We finished our flight home by 7am the next morning and returned to the cold reality of winter :-(