Slow Rolling with Adele - Adirondack Rail Trail During Peak Foliage

Adele and I headed to Lake Placid, New York, in early October for our annual riding pilgrimage, this time tackling the 34-mile Adirondack Rail Trail. (Last year's adventure was in Canada.)

I've ridden the trail in sections, but never end to end (and back the next day). Adele had barely heard of the trail! I knew she was in for a treat. Adele is slowing down, and I knew this might be a great ride for both of us. There is a lot to absorb: numerous small lakes, bridges, waterfowl, and often turtles, especially snappers. It was hard to miss a large one as it crawled across the gravel trail.

To our delight, we happened upon peak autumn foliage. What a gorgeous ride!

The trail travels by Saranac Lake and ends in Tupper Lake, our destination for the evening.

Even during mid-week, the trail is busy. It's a gem in the Adirondacks, completed only a year ago.

There were 36 miles total to reach our room for the evening. Tupper Lake is a little rough around the edges, but we were lucky to snag the last available room!

We always laugh and talk about everything. 

We enjoyed the return journey and had fish and chips with salad at River Trail Beerworks before riding the slight incline back to Lake Placid.

As we age, I'm thankful for any time on two wheels with my dear friend. Pedal on, Adele, pedal on.

2026 Philly Bike Expo

My favorite buddy and I attended the 2026 Philly Bike Expo, driving there on Friday rather than taking Amtrak. The benefits are that we carried full-size bikes and arrived in daylight, which meant bonus afternoon exploratory miles. The tough part was driving 8+ hours with many stops.

This was my third, and my husband's first time attending not only the expo, but also visiting Philadelphia, so after checking into an Airbnb we took advantage of the fine weather (I always get lucky), cruising south along the Schuylkill. My goal was to investigate the new connector, a white, cabled bridge, allowing easy passage to South Philly, which led to further meandering, finding a route near an active trolley line, a visit to the train station, then returning on another safe bridge crossing for dinner at the Airbnb.

I reserved the same place as in previous visits. Not only is it cozy with a full kitchen, but it's also convenient to the expo, easy access to the Schuylkill River trail, and walkable to museums and a grocery store, plus it has roll-in bike storage, while our car was parked a block away. I can't imagine staying anywhere else!

Ben Franklin's grave and a William Penn monument.

As mentioned in previous visits, though the expo is the main attraction, the connection with bike friends, interesting seminars, and organized bike rides is a major draw. I stay for 3 nights to also hit a few historical spots, which makes the 2 long travel days worth it.

We reconnected with an acquaintance that we met on the Cross NH Adventure Trail, who's staying in our town this summer! We plan to meet up. 

Local friend, Roberta, is a good source of ideas. The Liberty Bell had long lines (I saw that previously, but my husband hadn't), but we enjoyed ascending the Ben Franklin Bridge with views of the Delaware River and downtown Philly. Later, we walked from our accommodation and found a block-sized former prison and a defunct railcar business area with a sunken spot we imagine was where the cars "launched".

My favorite parts of this year's Expo: Tumbleweed Bikes booth, Schwalbe Tires plus their informative tubeless tire seminar, Memento Cycles creative small-wheeled creation (it won best in show), Pennsylvania Trails booth (lots of free maps), Shane Sellers bike-themed pottery, and a wonderfully comprehensive history of Schwinn Bicycles seminar, narrated by a relation, who sold the company and went on to found the Gunnar brand - since passed to a Colorado company.

Here's to the friend connections: Roberta, Pam, Leah, and finally meeting Spencer in person.

Philly, we'll be back!

Ideas for 2026

My goal in 2026 is to keep the cycling momentum by incorporating new trails and routes. Besides the  Colorado trip, I want to complete another weeklong bike tour - last year's was great - where is yet to be determined.

• In March, I'm heading back to the Philly Bike Expo, this time with my husband! I'm excited to meet up with cycling friends, ride with others, attend seminars, and, of course, attend the main event. It's also the 250th anniversary of the US, and we may stumble upon some of Philly's special events.
• Because bike touring in summer's heat was successful, I plan to do it again. It has its merits: cooling off in streams, packing less, and being able to bail on local adventures. Ideas include a 3-day Champlain Islands loop, an upstate New York adventure using the Adirondack Rail Trail, and a one-way journey using Amtrak. So many possibilities!
• With a front rack and comfortable bars installed on the Downtube Dyan, I plan to test its handling capabilities on an overnight. The long-term goal is to lower the gearing and try wider tires for more adventurous multimodal trips, but one step at a time.
• I'm heading back to Colorado, which has now become an annual pilgrimage, visiting family and friends in Fort Collins for more cycling/hiking fun. 
• We'll continue to explore more mountain bike trails. Ideas include Woodstock, Millstone and North Branch, all in VT, and Blueberry Hills in Elizabethtown, NY.

No Surprise that 26" ATBs are Experiencing a Resurgence

My blinged-out Specialized Hard Rock and commuter/winter-ready Peugeot St. Laurent.

The resurgence of 26" ATB bikes has been dominating conversations and predictions in 2026. Due to the rising cost of new bikes, tariff-affected component prices, and weirdly complicated internal routing, electronic shifting - you name it - there's a distinct backlash against new bicycles. Combine that with a demographic shift to Gen Y and Z interest - buying used, like their preference for second-hand clothing - the buzz is centered around taking older bikes and converting them into usable, trendy transportation: think baskets, swoopy handlebars, colored grips, and wider/all-terrain tires. 

In fact, in 2026 there are more 26" tires available than five years ago. 1980-90s bicycles are still found in garage sales, your parents' basement, Ebay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. The steel rigid mountain bike is easy to work on, upgradeable, accepts fenders, and can be converted to a cargo bike. Bicycle co-ops recondition and resell them for a reason. Our local non-profit, Old Spokes Home, specializes in rigid mountain bikes and will even customize one for you from the frame up, if that's your thing.

This interest is not lost on me, of course. I've owned and toured extensively on a 1986 Trek Antelope, and despite owning several bicycles, I will always prefer the elongated comfort of a sturdy older bike for many types of riding. I now own two!

(And don't get me started on the fiddly Presta valve trend - wish that one would disappear in favor of Schraeder valves for their strength and ease of use.👍)

Creating a Rack Bag from a Thermarest Easy Chair

A while back, I found a Thermarest Easy Chair abandoned on the roadside in my favorite color. 💜 At the time, I didn't have a specific project in mind, but that didn't deter me from coming up with something! I had constructed a purple tote/backpack from scratch, a bag I use for travel, hauling groceries, or as a flight carry-on. It's versatile and can be rolled up and stowed as needed. What I could use is a bag that fits my Jack the Bike Rack. With multiple attachment points, perhaps roll-top style. I liked the idea of an organized bag that houses my sleep system, easily removed, and carried inside a tent or indoor accommodation. There are many basket bags on the market. I used those as my research starting point and made drawings adaptable to my preferences.

Thermarest Easy Chair, cleaned and dried.

I love repurposing and the creative process involved: drawings, measuring, cutting fabric, washing, and dismantling - lots of seam ripping! 

Once I have detailed plans, there's still quite a bit of thought involved: what's the best way to piece it together? Each step is slow as I determine how it should be sewn. And it's par for the course to make minor changes as I start construction, little improvements for versatility.

The basic pieces are complete: molly webbing on four sides, two handles.

I kept the label in place as an homage to its origin. I reused 95% of the webbing. I added padding on the bottom and lower edge on all sides for a bit of structure.

I now have a basket bag that fits my Jack the Bike Rack with a rolltop closure, secured with Jack clips. There's also molly webbing on four sides should I need extra attachment points.

  I look forward to trying this out in the spring!

2025 Rewind

Adventures in Colorado.

2025 was a year when we made travel and adventure a priority. With maximizing vacation and my retirement on the horizon, it made sense to start the momentum.

 

An organized Philly Bike Expo folding bike ride.

Early in the year, attending the Philly Bike Expo, riding on plowed trails, researching a new folder, and a Colorado vacation occupied my mind and body. 

The adventures continued! A fun-filled overnight with Adele, buying a Downtube folder, bike touring the Cross Vermont and Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, and exploring trails around the Montreal region. My husband and I have become KOA converts: we love the dependable cleanliness, atmosphere, and occasional glamping in a cabin.

September and October were filled with more travel: Veloroute des Bleuets, and coastal time capped with riding the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail. I never let good weather pass me by!

We made an effort to ride more mountain bike trails. Vermont and New York are filled with trail networks. We only touched the surface of a growing system.

And of course, the annual Coffeeneuring Challenge. I made headway in practicing the Gouache medium, dipping my fingers into painting scenery.

We've had a snowy start to winter. By far the best surprise has been riding with my husband on snowy, plowed trails. He broke his hip while riding to work when we lived in Portland, OR, and since then he's avoided riding in the winter. Something clicked this year - available studded tires likely helped. Since the initial rides together, he's outfitted his preferred bike with gnarly 29" studs and can handle the trails much better than I can with narrower tires. With his 26" studded Bridgestone up for grabs, I'll be sure to explore better traction.

I'm grateful for all the 2025 adventures, plus I topped 3600 miles. Life is good.

Coffeeneuring 2025 - Exploring Scenery Painting with Gouache

This is my 14th Coffeeneuring Challenge! For the 3rd year, my theme has been to explore gouache painting, specifically scenery in 2025.

There are lovely beaches and riverbanks to explore.

Of all the 7 paintings, I like the fluidity of this one.

The fall colors were spectacular this year.

And, the finale: the coffeeneuring quilt, viewing all the paintings together.