Adventures in April

Spring has sprung! Well, maybe not entirely up here in Maine, but it's trying. Down in Virginia, where we just went for our third annual "bikation" (biking vacation), the trees are green and the hay is already being cut. They are probably a good month ahead of Maine (especially The County), where word has it that ski season is still hanging on in a few places. 

Trees in VA already have flowers and leaves...

This year we returned to the same region we visited last year but stayed a bit further south in the small town of Weyers Cave. We took both mountain and road bikes and explored the roads of the Shenandoah Valley and some trails at the edge of the George Washington National Forest. As always, because I know they are more interesting to look at, pictures:

It's a long drive from ME to VA: hunting license plates for the 50 states. I think I ended up finding all but 14 states. 

Where we stayed in Weyers Cave...

Fence along the pasture's edge at the farm.

We shared the farm with a whole fleet of spring calves

This guy (and his MANY buddies) lives in the pool on the farm. Not sure who was studying who here....

Another farm just down the road from where we stayed. It's going to be a while yet till anything in Maine looks this green!

 

A huge barn sitting on what was once a battlefield during the Civil War...they picked the most gorgeous spots to fight back then. 

My biking tan beginning to form on my quads...

The boys making things explode. Fireworks.

What was once known as Weyers Cave, now Grand Caverns. 

I had a hard time finding adequate camera settings down there without a tripod, but this was "cave bacon", strips of ribboned stalactites that cascaded down. 

On our way down to VA we spent one night in Gettysburg, PA before completing the drive the following day. 

Seth and I taking a break near some blooming fruit trees. Gettysburg plays host to one of the world's largest fruit processing plants.

Now that I'm back in Maine it's getting close to "real" training season again. Tomorrow we head back to the County to see what's left of winter. Hopefully Mother Nature sends us some warm weather soon. Not that I want to see winter leave (ever) but sun always makes it easier to get going with running season!