Winter Bike Fest 2013

March 9th.  Make your plans now.  Details at www.kingdomtrails.com

Something new this year for all you Mountain Bikers!!! 

Winter Bike 2012  March 10, 2012

Special lodging rates at the Lynburke Motel  and the Wildflower Inn - Use code winterbike

Ladies and gentleman, We give you WinterBike!

Kingdom Trails has partnered with Mountain Bike Vermont and ideRide to arrange for a day of mountain bike revelry. On March 10th we will be gathering early in the day to lead a charge against Old Man Winter. Group rides for all ability levels will be guided around groomed courses at the Kingdom Trails Nordic Center.  There will be a route for everyone from Fat Bike Singletrack Fanatics to “Just wanna get out there and ride my bike” Riders.  There will be Demo and rental bikes available as well as yummy snacks hot totties and cold beer.  The Market Café will be offering lunch
After riding bikes to heart’s content, prepare yourselves for the adrenaline pumping.
IdeRide 6X… a six man snow-cross event designed by Vermont’s Freeride ambassador Knight Ide.   It will be a single elimination race down Candy Bar Hill at the Kingdom Trails Nordic Center.  Heats will consist of 4 to 6 riders. Top 2 finishers per heat will move on until an overall winner has been determined. There will be a minimum of $500 in cash prizes, plus additional sponsor supplied swag.   Whether you’re “in it to win it” or you just come for the festivities, it is guaranteed entertainment!
The event is free but a $10 suggested donation would be awesome. And those of you that register early and donate $20 will receive a commemorative 2012 Winterbike T-shirt.  For early registration visit:  http://winterbike.eventbrite.com/
More details and a schedule of events will be available as we near the date. Stay tuned to MTBVT.com, Kingdomtrails.org, and our respective Facebook pages.
So, to all those souls willing to brave the elements, we ask you to join us for a true Kingdom Style party!
See you on the crusty trails.

Special lodging rates at the Lynburke Motel  and the Wildflower Inn - Use code winterbike

Valentine's Day

The Legend of St. Valentine

The history of Valentine's Day--and the story of its patron saint--is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl--possibly his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and--most importantly--romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Typical Valentine's Day Greetings

In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap." Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

Geocaching

Did you know that there are well over 40 geocaches with in 20 miles of the inn? We have gps units and compasses you can rent ($10/day) if you don't have your own. We'll also help you select which cache would be best for you to search out. Don't know much about Geocaching? Go to www.geocaching.com It is THE site that logs all the caches around the world.