Fishing!

I know this blog has mostly focused on cycling. However, it is an outdoor blog as well! One of my favorite outdoor activities is fishing. I love to be outside, enjoying mother nature, and to me there is no more peaceful way than a day spent on or in the water. I’m not partial to any one kind of fishing but my husband has gotten me into fly fishing. It’s a great challenge to me as I spend much of my time retrieving my fly from over hanging branches. But everyone once in a while I do actually catch a fish! I also enjoy reading fellow TownSquare blogger, Michael Agneta’s blog Troutrageous.

We recently returned from vacation in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. We spent most of our time visiting with family and doing some sight seeing. But for both of us the highlight of the vacation was our 1/2 day fishing trip. The area of Wisconsin we were in has a TON of lakes that are filled with bass, wallyeye, musky, and northern pike. We headed out with local fishing guru and guide Chris Terry to focus on catching some bass. I found Chris through his blog Southeast Wisconsin Fishing Report. His in-depth reports of local fishing made me feel very comfortable in hiring him as our guide.

It had been a while since I used a spinning rod. But Chris was patient and was a great teacher and showed us some great techniques that will allow us to catch fish almost anywhere. Here are some pictures from our morning we spent with Chris:

Golden Lake at about 6 AM

Large Mouth Bass – first big fish of the day!

My 5lb small mouth bass!

I found it a lot of fun to fish again. We haven’t fished for a while because we’ve been focused on so many other things. It’s lots of fun to see the great outdoors from another vantage point.

Bike Vacations

I can’t believe the 4th of July has come and gone! We are entering into the deepest part of summer and the time when most families are heading off for their summer vacations.

As you can tell from many of my articles cycling is a family affair for me. I talk about riding with my Dad a lot but in fact my family is full of cyclists. My Mom, Brother, 2 Aunts and an Uncle are very into riding as well. We may all ride different styles of bikes and at different paces but in the end we are all cyclists.

It is this love for the sport and pure joy of riding a bike that has always made it a part of our summer vacations. There are many vacations that started early in the morning with my Dad grumbling while putting the bikes on the car. They were always the last thing packed and a sure sign that we were about to embark on a great adventure!

Some of my favorite bike riding vacations inlcude:

• The Shore – most Philadelphia area families are familiar with riding their bikes on the boardwalk and through the streets in the morning hours
• Bar Harbor, Maine – In Bar Harbor you can find carriage trails that are wonderful for riding as a family or tackle riding Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. More information on Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park can be found here and here.
• Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts – I was very young when we went here but I can remember riding my bike around for hours at the campground. If you find yourself visiting Martha’s Vineyard be sure to stop in Edgartown Bicycles, Bikesport’s very own Greg Politz is the store manager there during the summer months and can get you set up with rentals and anything cycling related you may have forgotten in the wee morning hours.
• Outer Banks and Myrtle Beach – there’s nothing like going for an early morning spin in the ocean air.
• Wolfeboro, New Hampshire – there aren’t very many family friendly places to ride but the campgrounds here. But for a road cyclist there are plenty of wide shouldered roads with great vistas!
• Anywhere! We take our bikes pretty much every where and always find a place to ride. Even if it’s riding up and down the same roads like we did while vacationing on Moosehead Lake last summer where there weren’t many options for riding. We did learn they have a local group ride but a day too late to join in on the ride. So when you arrive at your destination be sure to find the local bike shop for suggestions on the best places to ride!

My Parents and I at Moosehead Lake Sporting Our Bikesport Gear!

If you are going somewhere that you aren’t able to take your bikes along, consider finding a place to rent bikes. Seeing your vacation locale via bike will often allow you to slow down, enjoy the scenery, and even make friends with some of the locals.

Safety is still a must despite being on vacation! Please make sure to wear your helmets and practice safe bike handling. If you have or rent a kid trailer or seat please put a helmet on those toddlers! This weekend while out on the Schuylkill River and Perkiomen Trails I saw a large number of kids without helmets and had to fight the urge to remind parents that it is the law that all children under the age of 12 must wear a helmet. I once fell to the pavement after a bolt broke that was holding on my child seat, luckily my parents had a helmet on me. It is for that reason that my Dad was able to tell me for years that he was able to reach around and catch me before I bonked off the pavement. Only just the other year did the truth finally come out! If you don’t have helmets stop in Bikesport in Trappe, we are well stocked in all sizes and styles!

If you’re headed out on vacation this summer and won’t be taking your four-legged family members, give Walk the Dog a call for pet sitting services. If you mention this blog post you’ll receive one day 1/2 off when you book 2 or more days!

Where are your favorite vacation spots and do you take your bikes? Feel free to share by posting a comment below! My next post will focus on staycations and where you can bike on a day trip. Feel free to send your suggestions!