So You Want Some Outdoorsing?

Camping at Cape Henlopen State Park

2012-07-06T09:40:00.001-07:00

Future site of Fort Miles Weapons?

Cape Henlopen state park is a Smorgasbord of huge sand dunes, pristine beaches, walking trails, dual and single track mountain biking trails, marshes, and of course random things like the bunker-looking museum in the photo to the left.

During WWII, a military base was established on Cape Henlopen, and several bunkers, gun emplacement, and huge concrete observation towers were built. Several of these still remain, giving parts of the island a look and feel reminiscent of the popular TV series "LOST". Unfortunately this idiot outdoorser has no photos of these bunkers for you because each time I came across them, I was whizzing down some bike trail or other at break-neck speeds and couldn't be bothered to stop for a picture... speed is fun. Anyway, the observation towers are also pretty imposing structures to look at, and are mostly abandoned. However we found one that I guess was restored for tourist use. It gave us a very breathtaking view of the park, but sadly I left my camera back at camp. In the shadow of this observation tower is Fort Miles. Fort Miles reminded me of an odd little ghost town with long decommissioned WWII era anti-ship guns interspersed between restored barracks', mess halls and armories.

Making Reservations:

You can make a reservation here or you can call 1-877-987-2757 or 1-302-645-8983

Getting there:

Here are some pretty good directions or just use a gps and this address:
42 Cape Henlopen Drive,
Lewes, DE 19958

Stuff to do:
Like I mentioned, before there is a lot to do. I particularly enjoyed biking and taking a dip in the ocean, though the water was pretty cold even in 97 degree weather. I saw people with boogie boards and skim boards so if you're into that , you should bring them along. And since the beaches weren't as crowded as I had expected ( the weekend before July 4), you could also bring along a frisbee, nerfball, or other fun projectile. If you own a road bike, you should bring it along on your trip as there are miles of paved road both within and outside the park; the adjoining town, Lewes, is very beautiful and bike friendly.
If you're into photography bring along your camera. My biggest regret, besides the fact that I got severely sunburned, is that I didn't have a powerful camera. There many lookout/ high points with breathtaking views all over the island. A simple walk through the park also presents you with several opportunities to photograph wildlife, colorful plants, beautiful landscapes, and interesting light phenomena as the sun rises and sets over this very diverse ecosystem.

Tips, warnings, and heads-ups:

Camp firewood sucks! Bring LOTS kindling, or collect lots of pine cones while there's light. Pine cones burn very well and can be great kindling to help get your fire going.
Keep your shirt on at all times if you're prone to sun burn!
Bring bug spray, especially when you're biking through the marshy areas
Keep your rainfly close.. heck, keep it in the tent or just set it up before going to bed. Because the ocean is so close, random rain occasionally happens.

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

My sister, the muddog, and Frederick

2012-03-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

Click to get directions

My sister is one of the smartest people I know, and I love her. On the day I took this picture, she was about to have some surgery done on one of her teeth and she was freaking out because the doctor had said he may have to put her under. While we talked, I happened across this sign and just had to take a picture of it because my sister's name is Candy :).

On this day, I had also just completed the Muddog Run, a gruelling, freezing, mud covered and filled 3 mile obstacle course, and was walking through Frederick, MD with Jixen, exploring restaurants, wineries, and random little stores. We had done our best to cover up or mud-bathed bodies, and remove dried mud from out hair; I suppose we were somewhat successful since no one threw us out of their restaurants or wineries.

Have you ever visited Frederick? We hadn't. On that day, the sun was out so things were a little less gloomy than you'd expect them to be during the winter. Still, I felt a little uneasy about being there because from where we were parked, the town had this "walking dead" feel to it. However, I very quickly changed my mind about the town when, as we walked towards downtown, this thug looking gentleman with his pants below his butt checks, and his face seated about 5 inches inside a huge hoody gave me a half-smile and a "what's up" nod. Good. There couldn't be zombies here.

We enjoyed that afternoon, tasting all sorts of wines and talking to all sorts of wine people. We even visited the local porn store, which was a sketchy looking hole in the wall. It was as sketchy on the inside as it looked on the outside. All in all, it was a great day of activities

So, why this blog post? Well, this probably wont make sense but whenever I think back to the connection between the the Candy Kitchen and Candy's tooth surgery, I suddenly get a rush of memories of the activities of that day, in brilliant, blinding color. I figured i'd try to share some of these memories with you, and hopefully encourage you to go randomly exploring random little towns :).

please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

Chipmunk Hell: Catoctin Mountain Park

2012-03-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

Unlike most normal people, we decided to go camping sometime in late October, out in Catoctin Mountain Park. It was cold. We rented a rustic cabin in the Misty Mountain Camp area; it had no running water, electricity, or, we later found out, insulation.

Cute? Devil spawn! (Click to view my photos)

Over three days we hiked the mountains and got lost frequently, cooked outside on an open fire, explored the woods we were living in, and enjoyed complete darkness -- the kind you can only find in places victoriously void of civilization. And then we were mercilessly assaulted by chipmunks (hell spawn!). Or more precisely, our food was the target of an unrelenting chipmunk black-ops squad that visited our cabin every night, found their way in through the spaces between the building logs, and had their way with our hot dog buns et al. I was pissed and fought back by hanging up our food in a bag tied to a shoe lace, from a center roofing beam in the cabin. Jixen found all this rather amusing. The chipmunks weren't amused when they kept falling in an attempt to get to the food, and finally let us sleep soundly on our last night.

Chipmunks aside, Catoctin Mountain Park was a blast-- it's outdoorsing paradise-- and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors. Just don't go when it starts to hit below 60 at night. It's bearable since you can take sheets and stuff for the beds they have in there, but that lack of insulation on some of the cabins is a real pain in the ass.

Making Reservations:
Making a reservation is pretty simple; visit www.recreation.gov to get your campsite for Misty Mountain (where we were) or any of the other 3 or 4 other available sites. Click here for more info on the reservation issue.

Getting there:
The easiest way to get here is with a GPS and a car. There is no public transportation in, around, or close to the park. Click here for more info on how to get to Catoctin Mountain Park.

Stuff to do:
There's a lot to do here, but we did the following:

Rock Climbing
Hiking
Photography
Waterfall hunting
Cunningham Falls

For more things to do and nearby attractions, click here.

Tips, warnings, and heads-ups:

Devil chipmunks exist there; Keep your food of the ground i.e. hang it up somehow
There are beds in the cabins so bring sheets and pillows to make your stay more comfy
If it's past summer, bring extra sheets
Bring a flash light or two for midnight bathroom treks
Bring an lots of kindling and tinder; the firewood they provide is sometimes moist
Bring ear plugs if night sounds bother you
Enjoy yourself!

Our Cabin in the woods

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

Sunshine, oh yeah!

2012-03-20T10:23:00.003-07:00

So, it would seem this mild yet crappy winter is done, and awesome sunshine and warmth are once again upon us! I'm happy. I'll be doing a bunch of camping and biking this summer too because I'm back in school, and will be interning (hopefully) this summer, and so i'll have more time on my hands to explore fun ol' nature.

I haven't yet figured out where i'll go... I usually leave that up to Jixen, but I know it's going to be mostly on the east coast since i'm in NY. Hmmm... maybe I'll go upstate for a change? We'll see. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please be a mensch and share them in the comments section at the bottom. In a later post, I'll share some of the awesome places I saw as last summer drew to a close. For now though, here is a photo of a hike I did. You can click on it to visit the album! Happy Outdoorsing!

... and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

A Weekend running in Bel Air, MD

2011-08-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

Part of the Ma & Pa trail I ran

I spent this weekend in Bel Air, MD. It was a nice, quiet time, and I still continued my training for the NYC Urbanathlon. Aha! You didn't think I was still training did you? Well, yes I am.

On Saturday morning, I was woken at about 6am, by my wife (Jixen), fed some breakfast, and dragged out of the house to go for a brisk run. You should understand that I have always had a very strict rule about vacations, holidays, and weekends: they are meant for relaxation-- this translates into me vegging out and watching movies and/or playing video games-- So being woken at 6am to go for a run isn't something I really appreciate. However, doing anything outdoors with my wife, no matter how unpleasant it seems at first, quickly turns into fun and silliness.

Anyway, so off we went to her favorite run spot, the Ma & Pa trail. I'm not sure exactly why it's called the Ma & Pa trail (I'm sure you could find out if you're that interested though), but it's a beautiful, beautiful place to run! I'm not sure if it was the fresh rain drops still sitting on the leaves, or the fog created by the water evaporating from the ground, but this was an amazing place to run. The trail is about 3.3 miles long (only the Bel Air, MD side. There is apparently another 1.7 miles somewhere in Forest Hills, MD) I understand, but I really only did 2.75 miles over two days. Hey, it was humid!

I hope to go back again soon and bike the trail from the Bel Air section to the Forest Hills section just to see what all of it's like. And next time I'll take pictures. Please see here for trail locations, and here for maps and directions.

Stuff to do:

Run, bike, and/or walk you puppy!

Tips, warnings, and heads-ups:

It's not flat
Enjoy the very well kept woods
See if you can spot any equestrians as you pass the Harford County Equestrian Center
Stop over at Annie's playground and go inside

Top awesome things:

The nature.
Annie's playground

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

Airsoft!

2011-08-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Filforce, an Airsoft team

No, I did not vacation in Afghanistan this summer. What you see in the photo to the left are Airsoft players. What is Airsoft? Glad you asked! Airsoft is a recreational activity in which plastic BB's are shot with replica firearms during MilSims (Military Simulations/ Military Simulated Battles). Another way to put that is: Airsoft is like paintball, except it uses guns that look remarkably like the Real Steel versions, uses BB's instead of paint, and is VERY focused on the military look and feel of the game. For more information on Airsoft, check this wikipedia thing out or take a look at my sidebar. You can also follow this link for information on how to get started in Airsoft.

So why am I writing about Airsoft here? Well, as you can infer from the photo above, the game is sometimes played outdoors (there are also "indoor" CQB games, but you can read up on that for yourself), and per my definition of Outdoorsing, Airsoft qualifies. I was first exposed to Airsoft by a friend in CA; he later went on to join the National Guard so he could play with real guns and not be hassled by the Police for not having an orange tip on his guns. But I digress. I left CA shortly after and came to NY then NJ where I rediscovered the joys of running through the woods with guns, BB's, and Camo.

I am currently getting my equipment ready for this game:

I'll make sure to take pictures to share!

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

NYC Urbanathlon update 2

2011-08-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today is day 4 of my preparation for the NYC Urbanathlon. Yesterday was a "rest day", so I biked about 7.7Miles to keep my muscles "alert" (see below for the awesome scenic route I took through Liberty State Park).

Today, I repeated the 1.5Mile run I did on 8/9/11, with two noted differences: I was about 2 minutes slower ( I attribute that to a pebble in my shoe), and my lungs and diaphragm weren't on fire when I finished! The second point in particular interests me because I think that means my body is getting used to running again and taking in all those extra gulps of air, which mean I'll soon be ready to increase the distance I ran! I'll keep you posted.

Off day biking route
On off days, instead of kicking back and playing some Black Ops, I decuded to keep my muscles on their toes. I originally thought about doing short runs or jogs, but then I felt sorry for my knees (running screws up your knees) so I decided to ride my bike. That's kinda what they call cross-training. Anyway, below is the bike route I took yesterday-- I might stick with it for all my off days.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/45594210"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Bike Route for "Off days"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/?location=Jersey City, NJ"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Jersey City, NJ&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

NYC Urbanathlon -- 10.29.11

2011-08-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

This is going to suck.

I very recently re-agreed (I half-heartedly agreed earlier in the year and forgot about it) to run the 2011 NYC Urbanathlon with two friends. I haven't run a mile since college, when I decided that running without the motivation of a rabid dog was silly, and quit the track team. I haven't figured out exactly what their motivation is for wanting to run in this race, but I figure life is short so wth, right?

I'm posting this here as a way to motivate myself to train. I'll be doing mini postings like the one below a couple of times a week (damnit!) to update the internets about my progress/ training etc. I am as yet not sure exactly which form of the race we're doing i.e. the 3 man relay where each person runs approx 3.1 miles, or the individual race where everyone runs 9.2 miles. Personally, I hope they're thinking the relay, because 9.2 miles seems like an awful waste of time and knee cartilage.

Yup, it's going to suck. But like most things in life, friends make it suck less.

Training 8/9/11
Today I run 1.5 miles in 11 minutes. Not bad I say, considering this has been my first 1 mile plus run in about 8 years :). See below for the route I took:

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/45319006"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;1.5 mile route-- one way&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/?location=Jersey City, NJ"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Jersey City, NJ&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
Tips, warnings, and heads-ups:

If you decide to do this, you may want to consider an early morning or late evening run. The afternoon's fine too if you don't mind dodging people and/or their pets and kids.
Enjoy the view of NYC.

Top awesome things:

The view of NYC.

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

Me, Myself, and Jixen-- Pt. 2

2011-07-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

In my last post I told you about (and showed you) our bike routes south and north from the Centre Bridge Inn, and I shared a whole lot of pictures from the trip with you too. I realize there are several photos that won't make sense to you...yet:

Huh? Who?! Wha?!?

Chill and read on.

The photos you see are from our afternoon adventure. On the afternoon of the second day, after we got back from biking and exploring the towpaths on the PA and NJ sides of the Delaware river, we got ready to go kayaking; a few weeks ago, Jixen found an awesome deal for kayaking from Paddle Creek (their staff are SUPER NICE-- I highly recommend them if you decide to go kayaking in the area) on Livingsocial.com so we decided to work that into our Outdoorsing trip.We drove up about 14 miles to Paddle Creek in Frenchtown, NJ, and picked up our kayak. The staff there (don't remember their names, but they seemed like father and daughter) helped us mount the kayak onto the roof of our Toyota Camry. As you can see from the photo below, we didn't have a roof rack, so the kayak was fastened with the aid of two foam blocks and two straps. Note to all would be kayakers: learn how to fasten a kayak properly so you don't end up with your kayak slipping off your roof while you're going 40mph!

Rackless trusty Camry

Yup, midway to our boat launch point, we lost the front foam block and our kayak went flying wildly from one side of the roof to the other! And unfortunately I was too freaked out and surprised to take pictures :). Anyway, I pulled over as soon as I could (the road had no "pull-over" space on the sides for about half a mile!), took the kayak of the car and headed back onto the road to find the foam block! Huh? Why?? BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO SCRAPE THE PAINT OFF THE ROOF OF THE CAR WITH THE KAYAK'S BOTTOM! And I did't want to have to pay whatever fine they may have charged... though they were so nice they may have let that slide.

The "Loch"

Anyway, I found the foam block about half a mile back, over one of the crash barriers on the side of the road-- don't know how I spotted that thing. I got it, went back to the kayak where Jixen was patiently waiting, we re-secured it to the car, and continued on our Journey to the launch point that had been recommended to us-- a huge man made reservoir, probably fed by the Delaware river. I was glad we weren't Kayaking on the river because I had this silly notion that I'd be safer in this reservoir in the event our kayak capsized... silly. That thing looked deep and spooky like the Lochness monster and the Swamp Thing's offspring lived in there...but it was calm and relaxing to be on. Weird how these things work, huh?

New Hope, PA/ Stockton, NJ was an amazing experience for both Jixen and I; we loved the scenery, the food, the people, the air and the Outdoorsing options available. We hope to go back again sometime soon to see what camping on Bull Island's like. I'll keep you posted! In the mean time, give Paddle Creek and the Center Bridge Inn a try if you're ever in the neighborhood.

Tips, warnings, and heads-ups:

If you decide to bike south along the PA towpath, watch out for VERY bad erosion caused by the occasional swelling of the river when it rains; it's not tush-friendly.
Ideally, you want to bike on the Stockton, NJ towpath, or north on the New Hope, PA side.
Check out the billions of wineries (slight exaggeration) in New hope.
Be sure to visit Frenchtown, NJ (very artsy and beautiful) and the Two Buttons store (interesting).
Stay at the Center Bridge Inn-- the owner is awesome!

Top awesome things:

Biking to and through Bull Island, and along the Stockton Delaware river tow.
Hitting up wineries after biking ( though wineries don't really count as Outdoorsing!)
Center Bridge Inn complimentary breakfasts!

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

Me, My Bike, and Jixen -- Pt. 1

2011-07-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

What's a "Jixen"? "Jixen" isn't a thing, It's what I call my beautiful lady! Silly? Yep. Deal with it.

I spent this past weekend with Jixen, outdoorsing (and other stuff--blog on that coming soon) in the New Hope, PA/ Stockton, NJ area. Honestly, if you have an inkling of appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors, you should definitely put this place on your list of places to see.

Getting to New Hope, PA:
Here you go, I made it easy. These are driving directions to New Hope from Jersey City, NJ/ Baltimore, MD/ and Pittsburgh, PA. If you're not from around either of these places, just click here and enter your departure point, and let Google Maps work its magic. And now you have one less (lazy) reason not to visit!

Stuff to do:

My Bike

In the two nights we were out in New Hope/ Stockton, we biked, kayaked and... walked; I would like to say we hiked, but what we did with out legs barely even counts as walking. BUT, there is a lot of hiking to be done if, you decided that bicycles were for wusses.

On our first evening, we biked 8 miles south, from the Centre Bridge Inn to South Main St., along the Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath, and then back (A to B on the map). When planning your trip, don't expect to bike at night; it gets VERY dark along the trail due to the absence of any lighting, and the presence of a fairly thick tree canopy. Also, watch out for deer hanging out in the canal (it was a little dry when we visited) who will jump out at you if startled.

Towpath on the PA side

On the morning of the second day, we biked 4 miles north to Lumberville (point B on this map); biked across the Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge (B to C); then biked down to Stockton, right across from the Centre Bridge Inn, via the the Towpath on the NJ side of the Delaware River (C to D); and finally crossed back into PA to the Centre Bridge Inn via Bridge St.

No, this isn't the end of our little adventure, but I am tired of typing so I'm going to take a break. In my next post, I'll talk about the rest of out trip and give you some tips and warnings, so stay tuned!

If you enjoyed this blog post, subscribe to make sure you receive my latest updates.

Happy Outdoorsing!

He who runs with Wild Horses

2011-06-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

Assateague wild horses

Earlier this summer, I camped on Assateague Island (last summer I did North Manitou Island, MI), a 35+ mile long barrier island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. And NO, Assateague does not stand for "He who runs with Wild Horses". I have no idea what Assateage stands for (consult google for that), but I titled my post the way I did because one of the main draws of Assateague are the Wild horses/ponies who call it their home. I will say very little more about these over-indulgent crap factories, they bore me, and frankly I think they're overrated.

Making Camping Reservations: Assateague is one of those really awesome places on the planet that everyone wants to visit (2 others are Chic-fil-a and the Grand Canyon). So with that in mind, make your reservations well in advance of your camp trip date if you want to get your pick of awesome camping spots. We made our reservation about a month and a half in advance and all the beach-side camp sites were already taken; that sucked, but we were happy we got a spot at all. We camped in the NPSA area on the bayside (See the map).

A bad photo of our bayside camp site

There are three "kinds" of camping available on the island: National Park Service Camping (NPSC), Assateague State Park Camping (ASPC), and Back Country Camping. The only true differences as far as I can tell between the NPSC and ASPC camping are that you have to call different numbers to make a reservation, and you have different parking lots; each camping area has access to the sighs and resources of the other by foot. BC camping on Assateague on the other hand is a little bit of a mystery to me-- I'm not sure where it's allowed. Please let me know if you have any information on Back Country on Assateague.

Getting to Assateague: The road to Assateague is hardly a confusing one, just follow the map if your departure point is close to Ocean City, Snow Hill or Berlin, MD. Otherwise, google the directions from your departure point to Assateague Island, and then use the map when you're close enough, to help you find the most efficient route.

Kite surfing at sunset!

Stuff to do: You can camp here. You can light fires in the fire pits provided at each camp site. You can kinda bike around, and it's actually not a bad idea to see parts of the island that way. You can swim in the ocean or in the bay. And I also saw people kite surfing in the bay, so I guess you could do that too. You can rent Kayaks on the island, way back on the bayside of the NPSC area, just See the map and follow the pink line to the back of the bayside. You can't miss it. You can also bring your own kayak, or you could drive out to Chincoteague (the VA side of Assateague) and rent yourself a Kayak from these guys. They give awesome kayak and group tours too!

Tips, warnings, and heads-ups:

Take lot's of wood. There isn't much dead wood lying around the island. If you run out, you can buy some a few minutes before the bridge that leads to the island.
This island has some fierce bugs-- commando grade green flies, mosquitoes and ticks! Don't leave home without some extra strength Off bug spray. We used the Deep Woods variety, and it seemed to work better than other varieties we've tried. We still got munched on.
The best time to see some dolphins is a little after sunrise when the beach is still asleep. You'll probably also see a lot of tiny ghost crabs.
Don't feed or pet the horses! They have a tendency to tenderize you with their hooves, or nibble on you...hard.
Don't leave food or trash about. The horses will come and engage you in an impromptu game of tag-of-war.
If you plan of staying out of the tent after the sun goes to bed, remember to take an insect repellent candle or coil with you, along with lots of extra wood to burn...unless you feel the need to feed the mosquitoes.
The horses will visit at night. Don't freak out.

Top awesome things:

Dolphin spotting off the coast (or during a tour from Chincoteague)
Crabbing and Clamming all over
Wild Horse seeing (Definitely awesome for some people)

Assateague is a beautiful place to camp, and I think all Outdoorsers with the means or opportunity should visit and spend a few nights. If you have visited and would like to share your story, please post in the comments area, or shoot me an e-mail with your story and I'll post it. OR if you have a blog, please link to mine and I'll do likewise. And as always, of you have anything extra to add, e-mail me or leave a comment.

Happy Outdoorsing!

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

Using the camp/park grill

2011-06-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

If you are a new Outdoorser i.e. one who likes Outdoorsing, you will one day encounter (assuming you haven't already) the gross grill-rack of the public use, free-standing charcoal grill in the park, or that of the fire pit at camp. At that moment, your stomach might do a back flip and two cartwheels at the thought that you might have to eat anything cooked on that gnarly surface. Then you might wish you had brought a couple of McD's double cheese burgers along with you. Now you're going to starve because there's no way in hell you're eating of that grill!!

Relax! It's not that bad... that grill-rack can be made more sanitary than your freshly brushed teeth, in minutes and without much effort. Here's what I do: I first make a medium sized fire (just large enough to cook with when you're ready) in the grill or fire pit. Then I put the grill-rack in place right over the fire. I leave the fire to burn for a few minutes, the idea being to kill off any germs/bugs that could be hiding on the grill. The fire also turns any organic material still on the grill into... well, burnt toast. Once the fire dies down a little, grab a steel brush if you have one and just bush the grill clean. If you didn't come prepared with a steel brush, I find that a fat, thick wad of heavy duty aluminium foil can work as an effective "brush".

That's it.

Of course, there are other ways to deal with dirty grills i.e. cleaning with cleaning agents, using a grill basket, laying aluminium foil over the rack and poking holes in it etc. but I think the burning and brushing method is the most straight forward. NOTE: If you decide to go lay aluminium foil over your rack, just make sure 1. that you're using heavy duty aluminium foil, and 2. that you fire's not too high.... otherwise you'll end up with aluminium coated burgers!

Happy Outdoorsing!

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

Rocks State Park

2011-06-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I visited Rocks State Park (henceforth, RSP), MD and it was quite awesome!

RSP has 6 hiking trails: blue, green, orange, purple, red, and white, the white trail being the longest. There is a lot of free roadside parking (which is relatively safe, though park signs warning of past car break-ins may have have you a little on the edge; no one broke into ours), so remember that before you drive up to one of the paid parking lots.

RSP also has several beautiful picnic areas with pavilions that have electric outlets for your stereos, and whatever other electricity enabled entertainment you may want to bring along with you. If you want to try something different, try having your picnic in the middle of the creek; there are several flat rocks in the creek that make for great seats. It's also just awesome to eat in the middle of the creek!

There is a part of RSP known as Falling Branch Area of RSP where

The Waterfall

they have a waterfall, but it's oddly separated from the rest of the park by a bridge. If you're into waterfalls and swimming holes like I am, you'll want to check this out. To get there, head North on RT 24/ Rocks Road, and go over the bridge. I may look like you're heading into a residential area-- ignore it and keep going. Make a left at St. Mary's Road and then a left at Clermont Mill Road. Finally, make a right on Falling Branch Road and following the gravelly path (it looks like a one way road) till you come to the parking lot on your right. Once in the parking lot, it shouldn't be hard to locate the trail that leads to the waterfall. Here are few pictures of the waterfall; click on them to view more pictures of the park.

Above the waterfall

If you have any experience with the this park, please feel free to include a comment at the bottom of this post.

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

What's "Outdoorsing"?

2011-06-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Heck if I know! J/K.

The story of outdoorsing begins many, many, many.... hours ago when I was very bored and suffering from writers block. I decided that a little day dreaming would be in order, so I proceeded to think about what I would do the coming weekend --it was Tuesday morning at the time. I though about how much fun it would be trying to get lost in some random state park, or discovering a new waterfall, or going camping, or biking somewhere, or finding something climbable somewhere and climbing it...and then it hit me! Why don't I write about these things if/when I do them to give people like me a blueprint for fun, outdoor, randomness!

But what would I call a blog like that? What would the collective name for biking, climbing, camping, getting lost randomly, waterfall hunting etc. be? Outdoorsing!: The act of doing a bunch of stuff (including, but not limited to all the stuff I've already mentioned in this blog post) outdoors. You get the idea? Good, so that's Outdoorsing for you.

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.

Welcome, thank you & I can't swim

2011-06-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome and thank you for visiting my blog. I decided to start this blog as a way to centralize reporting of all the outdoor shenanigans (and not-so-shenanigans...that would make a cool web site btw, "not-so-shenanigans.com") I enjoy when I get out of the house. Over the last few years I've tried to reconnect with my inner child, and my inner child loves to be outdoors, so here we are. I also started this blog to give others who want to get out of the house ideas, tips and clues on what to do once they're "out there". As this blog grows, I hope to provide information on every camping trip, bike ride, swim, kayak trip, hike and tree climbing I partake in. And I hope to make it detailed enough to help anyone who wants to replicate what they read do so with complete ease.

It's ironic that my first post on this blog which features a rushing rapid as a background, is also to tell the world that I suck at swimming. In fact, I only recently completed my beginner swimmer test which I passed with flying colors. So, armed with that awesome achievement, I plan on jumping into a few water holes this weekend somewhere out in Maryland with my lovely better half... and hope I don't sink like a bag of lead tools!

As you go through this blog, please let me know if there are specific things you'd like to see more (or less) of. Also, if you have great pictures or stories about awesome outdoorsing stuff you've done and would like to share them, please don't hesitate to send them to me, and I'll post them to the blog for you. O.k., gotta go get ready to head out to MD--here's to Outdoorsing! Stay tuned for more.

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post.