Adventures in Allentown

I haven't had much time to write as I've been busy adventuring and working in grand ol' Allentown. After I said my goodbyes, I had to figure out how to pack my car. I only brought things I thought I would need. I think I did alright.

Gardens are a necessity in my book.

Then I headed to Harrisburg to pick up my friend Amy. We hadn't seen each other for more than two years and it was a merry reunion. Amy was coming with me so that she could attend a friendly beach trip later in the week.

That's my Girl!

Now that we stuffed ourselves in the car we were ready for our journey back to Allentown.

SO MUCH STUFF.

We were lodging at the lovable James' house and made a nice night trip to a diner. Actually, we went to lots of diners in the past 2 weeks.

NOTABLES; beard, smirk, cake, See Jane Ride Gear!

Our next adventure consisted of swimming, as the temperatures were HOT HOT HOT. I tagged along with Amy and Andrew, and headed to Glen Onoko to play in some waterfalls and the Lehigh River.

Watching out for rafters and rapids.

When Sunday rolled around my group of friends set out for Seaside Heights, NJ. We had a fun day of hi-jinks, sand, some alcohol and an overall good time.

Pretty sure this is my first Photobomb.

Balconies = Pimping

We went out to The Garfield Hotel and had a nice dance party to a cute little acoustic act.

Amy and Andrew invented dancing in 12,000,000 BC

I visited more friends upon our return to Allentown. I made sure to see Michelle and the kiddos! Because the weather was ridiculous we decided to run in the Kutztown University fountain and Meghan came too.

Smile for goodness sakes!

Ladies!

 
I also got a job at Petco and am having a good time. On my way home one day I came across this little lady and we played and played. I've been having a hard time not having critters around.

 This is Reeses.

Tom tells me that Vali and Murphy are doing well. He tried to get Vali a kiddie pool to swim in, but everywhere is sold out. Hope you're all out either adventuring, or staying cool. I started shopping for (cheaper)bikes, and am trying to help with some trail building for the Coal Cracker, however the weather is a little too much. However, the fellas did recently put up the video promoting the race.

Right around the corner! CAN'T WAIT.

My bumming around trip in Allentown has taught me a lot of things, all while having tons of fun and spending time with some really great people. I have another chapter coming up, and I'll be sure to share it soon.

Warm Weather Adventures!

Good day, readers! This post is long overdue. I've been out adventuring for quite some time, and have finally returned so that I may share my recent travels with you. The beginning of June started off with some adventures with the Janes. I can not believe it is June already as that means I've been in State College now for half of a year. I didn't want to sacrifice safety trying to take ride pictures, but here we are getting suited up for Abbey's first guided ride.

Bikes and Janes a plenty.

While it may have been a longer ride than what I'm used to, I felt very accomplished afterwards. I got to face the dreaded never-ending incline of Blue Course Drive, and it wasn't nearly as bad as last time. It almost felt like a completely different route. I also got the chance to talk to Carla more, and I am even more positive now that the Janes are where I should be, and that they will help me get to where I want to go.

 I had been craving rivers, and Tom and I took Vali over to Spring Creek Park to run around and explore. 

He's a natural swimmer.

Tom and Vali at the Mike Lynch Overlook.

The Janes had attempted a hike the last week in May but there were tornadoes(?!) that day, so it was cancelled. Tom and I, wanting to explore, decided to set out to the same destination of the cancelled hike on a later day and see where it took us. Mt Nittany kicked my butt that day, as I hadn't realized that there was a 600 foot elevation change all within less than half a mile. The next week the Janes went there and it was much more leisurely. Maybe because I didn't have an empty stomach this time. Everything seems easier with the Janes.

This picture is a must, as everyone has to see Carla(R) and her growly face even though we're shadows.

After some adventuring in State College, I set my sights to the motherland, and headed home to the Lehigh Valley. I had a couple amazing destinations on my list, such as Bake Oven Knob, the Rittenhouse Gap Mines, and the ZOO. My only sad report, is that I was having so much fun adventuring, that I took little time to document those adventures. I guess that makes me a good adventurer, and a terrible blogger.

I love you goats.

I went to the Lehigh Valley Zoo and saw all the animals. I arrived with less than an hour before the park closed, but managed to do my favorite thing, and that was feeding the goats. <3

Good yawn! or he's cheering for the Iron Pigs.

I also took Vali to Bark in the Park at CocaCola Park to see the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. It was way too crowded, and on dog days the last thing you end up seeing is the actual baseball game.

Vali making friends.

Now I'm back in State College and I start a new job soon so I will have a little less time for adventures. In this kind of world, I need the money so I can't complain. I do have a lot I'm mulling over on the personal front, so I will report back shortly. Thanks for reading!

Change of Mind, Heart, and Gears.

When I moved to State College, I told myself that I was going to use my bike more than ever. I originally planned this when I thought I'd be living closer to downtown. I live about 4 miles north, which isn't too far away, but far enough that I have to go up and down a couple hills to get where ever I'm going. Hills are the enemy. I don't think I've mentioned how incredibly out of shape I am, and couldn't really tell you when I was last "in shape."

I did have some pretty sick abs when I was 9.

You could say that fitness was an objective - shape up, be healthy, feel better about myself. I also considered that biking would save me some money. I wouldn't use my car as much and I would spend less on gas and maintenance. I'm also a tree hugger so somewhere in there I'd be helping the environment. I think just about every person that starts to ride a bicycle has these same goals in mind.

Another goal, as previously mentioned, was to get closer to Tom, and make new friends. I still saw the bike community as an intimidating group though. Especially because the people we tend to hang out with aren't just bike riders for enjoyment, they also build, repair, race and design. They know what they're doing. I get lost listening to them converse. I won't even try to keep up with that. I knew there must be other people out there that were riding just to have some fun(not that the above group wasn't, just that they came off as a little too intense) but I wasn't quite sure how I'd meet them.

I'm not the greatest at making new friends.

 Last week I came across a listing on Craigslist looking for women who would be paid to be on a street team for a bicycle club for Blue White Weekend. We were to pair up with a buddy and meet for information that Thursday at Panera if interested. I checked out their website and they seemed pretty cool. Just a nice little group looking to get out and bike, get in shape, eat healthy and be healthy, and have some fun along the way. I am also desperate for money since leaving my last job, so I thought that this could be good. I sent Rachael the link and pretty much forgot about it, after realizing my other job interfered with the time that they would need me. Thursday rolled around, and Rachael texted me asking if I would be going to the meeting that night. I thought what the hell, it had been a while since I had a Panera tuna salad sandwich. I also thought it would be a good idea to see what this group was all about.

I got home from work about 5:30 and the meeting was at 7. I told Rachael that I would ride my bike to her house and we would ride up together. I know this town by car, for sure, bike is a different story though. There are many bike paths that I'm not quite sure where they lead, so I had a pretty roundabout way that I had planned to get downtown. Not even a mile from my house I noticed that my tires were low on air. I started to question whether I should continue, whether I would make it on time, and how easy it would be to just drive my car downtown.

I forced myself to continue, thinking that even if I missed the meeting I would still be able to say I biked a bit and got to know the area a little better. I made it with 15 minutes to spare and I felt really really good. The meeting went well, and I got to know about See Jane Ride. The more that I learned the more I simply thought that joining this group was a no-brainer. I would be able to ride more, see more things, and MAKE FRIENDS! The woman who led the meeting, Dana, explained that the group is for woman of all skill levels, no pressure atmosphere and go at your own pace. This was so appealing to me, especially because it was opposite of my previous feelings of the skilled bikies I hang around with.

You mean I don't have to feel like I'm anchoring everyone?

After the meeting we rode back to Rachael's and I let my adrenaline high take control of my thoughts.

YES I WILL JOIN THIS BIKE CLUB!
SEE JANE RIDE IS AWESOME!
I WILL BE AMAZING!
I WILL MAKE FRIENDS!
I WILL GET IN SHAPE!
I WILL LOVE MY LIFE!

and somewhere in there I thought, if I really am this serious about it, and I stick with it, maybe I should have a landmark goal in mind so that when I reach it I will feel as though I've really succeeded. That thought was followed by;

I WILL COMPETE IN THE COAL CRACKER CLASSIC IN SEPTEMBER!
and I'LL START A BLOG TO DOCUMENT MY PROGRESS!
to the point where I jokingly said to my boyfriend, I'M GOING TO BE INTERNET FAMOUS!

uuuuhhh yeah.

The culmination of it all. The conception and birth of this idea, this blog. And believe me, I'm very very excited. Now all I have to do is wait for amiable weather conditions and we'll get down to business.

SERIOUS business.