What have I gotten myself into? Next Friday, on August 21, my friend and Ripper-In-Training, Josh, along with fellow blogger and bona fide Senior Ripper Bob, aka Old Man Gravel, will attempt to ride to the summit of Mt. Evans in Clear Creek County, Colorado. Mt. Evans is the highest paved road in North America, topping out at just over 14,200 feet. On July 9 of this year, Old Man Gravel published a post called “Hacking Mt. Evans“, where he outlined his plan to ride to the summit. This summer, because of Covid, no cars are allowed above the Welcome Station, around 15 miles from the peak. To have the…

Sometimes, Senior Rippers need to be on the go even in this time of Covid and we are no exception. This summer, we completed our seventh road trip from the East Coast to our home in Park City. Why, you may ask? Well, our Great Pyrenees gives us no other choice. To her credit, Piper is a fabulous traveler. Her large size and gorgeous (usually) white coat attract attention wherever she goes, which gives us an opportunity to connect with people who share their travel stories with us or give us some local insights. Plus, this summer, a road trip seemed the safest way to travel. We recently pulled into…

A lightbulb just went on in my head and I started to look at my surroundings in a new light. It’s berry season! My eyes started to look left and right rather than straight ahead, always on the prowl for the right bush with a hint of color between the green leaves. Usually one to stride with purpose, I began to meander, stopping to gather and munch, just like my hero, Little Sal, in Robert McClousky’s, Blueberries for Sal. A lost golf ball became a delicious reason to hunt, and there was nary a time that I didn’t emerge from the foliage with berries in hand. Now I’m sure that…

Our little section of Maine has become a hot bed for oyster beds. I’m sure there is a scientific reason for that, but that’s above my pay grade. All I know is that everywhere you look, there’s another oyster farm and retail outlet. As such, oyster prices are very reasonable. That seems to be the case most places, because the oyster industry’s main outlet for sales, restaurants, has, understandably, seriously shrunk. While I feel bad for the oysterers, we, the consumers, benefit from lower prices. Sam Sifton in The New York Times wrote about that phenomenon this week in his article, Know Your Food. Among other things, Sam encourages you…