I have always had a fascination with old cemeteries. Oftentimes, they’ve been places of beauty and quiet meditation for me. Other times, they’ve been a place to discover the history and lives of those interred beneath their stones. Gravestones' etchings tell their stories.

A friend told me about riding horses when she was a kid around Rockhouse Mountain in Conway. I could just imagine how exciting that was, especially with a downhill gallop to the farm. Could I do a ride like that on my bike? That question was the spark that lit my fire.

Friday, Sept. 19, was a beautiful day for a Fryeburg, Maine, pre-fall and Fair ride. Skies were blue, temperatures mild and the sun was shining. The Mount Washington Valley Bicycling Club’s website (tinyurl.com/49874pz5) posted a “mixed gravel and pavement ride” to Fryeburg’s Hemlock Covered…

On a beautiful fall day with blue sky and sunshine, it’s time to get outside. You can drive around like leaf peepers and gawk at nature’s finery, snapping pictures to show people back home. Or, you can immerse yourself in the kaleidoscope of color, smells and sights by walking, hiking and cy…

Fall doesn’t officially start until Monday, Sept. 22, yet high school fall sports are well underway. Many teams have had their first games, meets or races. That meant it was time for me to contact local high school mountain bike coaches to see how their season was going.

Like Mud Bowl and the White Mountain Milers’ Half Marathons, mountain bike festivals are part of the fall activities calendar. Celebrating the waning of the light and the drop in temperatures as the season rolls toward winter, these festivals provide a great excuse to gather the mountain bik…

Five years ago, I wrote a column about fall family scavenger hunts. There was no Mount Washington Valley Rec Path at that time. The primary purpose was to get families out on trails and paths, discovering what they could see, hear and touch in nature. My secondary agenda was to promote the i…

Once a year, my daughter Cailin and I get together to go mountain biking. We choose a place neither of us has gone before, so we can explore the trails together. Who would have thought a “Baby Boomer” and a “Millennial” could ride together and have fun? We do.

On a busy summer day, families looking for a place to recreate, relax and have fun don’t have to go far. Located near North Conway Village, just off West Side Road, Echo Lake State Park offers numerous outdoor activities. Of course, there’s the lake itself — fine for family-friendly swimming…

According to Oxford Languages, “sweat equity” is “an interest or increased value in a property earned from labor toward upkeep or restoration.” That term popped into my mind at last Sunday’s White Mountain New England Mountain Bike Association’s Trail Day.

I suffer from wanderlust and curiosity. While others take known trails and routes, I tend to look for new connections and ways through the woods. Whether I’m skiing, hiking, biking or snowshoeing, I can’t resist that urge to explore.

More than a dozen riders gathered at Mount Cranmore early on Monday morning. The Old Spokes were going to ride the Hurricane Zone. Some had done it before, others of us had never tried it. Either way, it was going to be an adventure.

It was a crazy idea, floated around Great Glen Trails in the winter of 1995. Two guys started talking about possible warm-weather events. Why not put on a 24-hour mountain bike race?

On Saturday, Aug. 16, cyclists will be nervously waiting to conquer the “Rockpile” in the 52nd annual Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, presented by Tin Mountain Conservation Center. Billed as “the ride of a lifetime,” their 7.6-mile journey, with 4,618-foot elevation gain, to Mo…

Recounting my recent experience downhill mountain biking to a friend, I said it was fun, but I didn’t feel I got much exercise. I barely pedaled at all or broke a sweat. She responded with, “Sally, I think you and I are ‘uphill’ people, meaning we like the challenge of climbing up hills to e…