Adventures are what we live for!

Anything involving bikes is better in our minds. Thanksgiving holiday was nearing and we've both been pretty busy racing cyclocross for the past few months so we decided to make it a true “holiday.”

The great thing about biking is you can really incorporate it into just about anything. Taking a bike along to your family Thanksgiving dinner so you can get out for a ride after you over-eat isn't as hard as you think.

We researched a few places to stay in and around Seven Mountains (just east of State College) and found a campground that had some cabins available for a reasonable price. Nicely outfitted with a range-top, microwave, fridge and inside plumbing, we booked it for Thanksgiving and the following two days.

Now it was up to Travis to map out some riding routes. We have a small library of trail maps for areas we really like. Rothrock & Bald Eagle State Forests happen to be two very used maps of ours.

Being kind to the fact of “happy wife, happy life” he mapped out a modest 20-some mile route for our arrival on Thanksgiving followed by a 45-50 mile route on Black Friday with another shorter ride of 22 on Saturday and finishing out Sunday with another 26-miler.

He tried to hide the longer harder days between the two easier days routes which had more forestry roads and less technical trail.

We awoke early each morning in the tiny one-room cabin, sipped French pressed coffee and fueled up with oatmeal as the sun would rise before departing. Backpacks were filled with energy chews, beef jerky, sandwiches and necessary tools for trail-side repairs, including lights in case we had problems returning before dark.

Navigational skills were a must and thankfully Travis has some good bearings and knows his way around a map. None of our riding was race-paced, but mostly an enjoyable fun training tempo.

We worked our way through state parks such as Poe Valley one day and then Penn Roosevelt and just outside of Greenwood Furnace on the other days. The Rothrock State Forest has miles of forestry roads and bike trails. In fact, this area contains two IMBA Epic routes!

An IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) Epic route denotes a true back-country riding experience. IMBA EPICS are routes that many mountain bikers live for and make travel plans around: immersive rides that are technically and physically challenging, beautiful to behold and worthy of celebration. They have to be 80% singletrack & must be longer than 20 miles.

We rode both Epic routes with a shorter “recovery day” prior to each, never the less the two Epic routes were very technical routes littered with rocks in the single-track and lots of climbing. We totaled plenty of climbing for the weekend of 120 miles.

Rolling back into the cabin each evening to refuel on venison, potatoes, spaghetti, bread, pretzels and even milk & cookies, we would play a board game and talked about the day's ride before retiring each night to our sleeping bag.

Ridgeline views and valley overlooks are plentiful in the area. but you have to be prepared to work for them. We may have missed turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, but instead we traveled over the river and through the woods, literally, but never found grandma's house.

To our surprise, one trail in Bear Meadows Natural Area was rather popular on Friday with hikers. It was refreshing to see other families choosing to opt outside on Black Friday. We gave a spirited hello and exchanged a mutual appreciation for the opportunity to be outside in nature with loved ones.

As I passed by these families, I began to repeat a common mantra of mine: “want less, desire less. Be more, do more.”

You will find it easier to rise to your potential when you de-clutter your surroundings and your mind. You can, indeed, achieve more with less. For us, we choose to live simply in all areas possible so that we can put our energy, time, effort, and passion into riding bikes.

Find what moves you and go forward with it. The rest can be left behind. Looking back on the adventure, I realize we over-emphasize the importance of shopping and spending money, but should instead take some time for ourselves occasionally and throw a leg over the bike and experience the outdoors.

For more information on hiking or biking in the Rothrock & Bald Eagle State forests or the State Parks, visit www.dcnr.pa.gov. For trail maps, we used Purple Lizards maps & our two apps, Trailforks & MTBproject.

This area changes a lot, so don't be surprised if things are different than the map or app, so be prepared to adventure a little.

Travis and Julie Saeler are cycling columnists for the Butler Eagle