There are over 600 miles of fire roads and mountain biking trails in the Bald Eagle State Forest.

_{A new sign at one of the Trailheads}

One of the reasons I went to 700c wheels on the Trek was so I could run wider tires for those fire roads. The 37mm Paselas handled the bumpy stuff pretty nicely.

_{Cushy tires on a rocky road}

I came to the woods today not just to ride, but also to seek the Buddha. I was pleased to discover that my Therm-a-Rest Z-seat makes a perfectly serviceable Zabuton, at least if I sit seiza. It did a good job of keeping the twigs and dirt and junk out of my kneecaps. I didn’t have much luck using it in Lotus-style postures, though. When folded, it fits very nicely in a banana bag.

_{A portable Zafu/Zabuton}

In the course of my meditations, I was seeking the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. It was kind of faint, but I think I head the voice of the almighty say “chainstays, my boy. Long fucking chainstays.”

_{Long chainstays are the meaning of the universe}

After receiving this profound wisdom, I scouted out a couple of nice looking camping spots. I would like to do another bike-camping trip this year, and now I have a much better mount than I did for last year’s trip.

_{My trusty steed}

All in all, a very happy day in the woods. I’m now in a much better mood than I was yesterday.

P.S. Happy Earth Day, hippies!

Today: 9 miles
April: 58.5 miles
2007: 239.5 miles