Expecting hot and very humid conditions, today Rich and I opted for an easy ride (or, at least, a ride that could be easy if we chose to make it so)—another cruise down the Lehigh Gorge trail. Conditions were absolutely perfect, at least at the Gorge. For the first day in weeks, if not months, there was absolutely no threat of rain. Temperatures were cooler than we expected—markedly cooler, as always, along the deeply wooded section of the trail just past Rockport. And the sunshine was glorious.

My legs needed a workout after nearly a week of virtual inactivity (I don’t think riding the Tour de France vicariously by watching it nonstop every morning on TV really counts as exercise). We rode quickly from the White Haven trailhead to Penn Haven Junction, stopping once along the way at the waterfall just north of Rockport for a snack, and almost as quickly back up the grade even as our legs and butts, especially, complained. We still managed to have a wonderfully relaxed ride with plenty of good conversation and snacks to back us up!

Snacks were still on our mind after the ride. We’d noticed the White Haven Bakery on our way to the trailhead in the morning (somehow we had missed it on all our other trips here). After the ride, we stopped in to investigate whether it might be an appropriate breakfast spot for another early-morning trip to the Gorge. The place smelled of cinnamon and other sweet goodness, and they had sticky buns (always a plus), apricot twists, blueberry bread, and other treats; and the young man at the counter assured us that before noon, coffee was available.

We ate lunch at Carmine’s Pizza, as we had after our ride at the Gorge with John in May. The pizza is still quite impressive for this area, and the employees are all very friendly and helpful. I filled up on our order of garlic knots and two slices of pizza while Rich watched, amused, eating his pizza and sipping an Arizona “Mucho Mango” drink. Sitting across from him and seeing him smile and laugh as we relax after our daily adventures is one of the greatest pleasures I know.

Our total was 32.06 miles at an average of 11.7 mph … not bad for a relatively leisurely ride on mountain bikes. But just to get John riled up a bit, this is the photo we sent him in lieu of a real ride report:

… No, this is not our total for the year!!!

Recent weather hasn’t been good enough for our usual outdoor activities, but puzzles on the patio are always fun! We just finished the second puzzle (featuring a moose, of course) of two that we purchased in Maine this year.

… A lone moose wades in a marsh in this colorful puzzle.