The prettiest place I have seen.......
Toronto to Harrisburg – Sept 24 620 kms.
Hit the QEW by 7:15 a.m. and watching the sun come up. Went from start to end of the QEW at Fort Erie to cross at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo. 10:15 am not much traffic at the border. But I did stop to put on my scarf and winter gloves. Coming down from St Catharines to Fort Erie became really chilly next to the Niagara river !
In a small town outside of Buffalo I saw Cutco headquarters. Stopped in Olean, NY to have my packed sandwich. Picked up Hwy 6 on the north side of Sesquehannock State Park into Wellsboro, PA. Suppose to be on # 287 all the way down to Harrisburg, but deviated a bit east and caught #15 at Jersey Shore. Went through Amish country. Saw horse drawn carriages on the highway and in towns. The farms are very neat and clean and even the guys in the fields look presentable. My first ride through Bald Eagle State Forest –absolutely stunning ! ! roads pretty good, not much traffic, weather warm, twists and turns to heaven and back.
PA is almost all mountains and trees and the State Parks are everywhere. You can own land in these parks I was told by a fellow rider who made good riding suggestions out of Grove City on the west. Stopped to buy a gas cap as my key is not opening the tank right away and the bike is not much good on empty. Harrisburg has a bike/walking trail running the entire length of the south end of the city. In both NY and HA you have to pay upfront for gas. I am never accurate estimating and have to go back a second time for change or to pay more. PA is a HELMET OPTIONAL state. The State senator is female.
My hotel was in Hershey – outside Harrisburg. Took me two stops and two people directing me to finally get to the hotel. It was now just about 6:00pm and I had been riding for 10 hours. Not much around this area (not venturing too far as I did not want to get lost again today) so back to the hotel and dinner/drinks in the restaurant.
Harrisburg to Gettysburg to Pittsburgh - Sept 25 355 kms
Checked out before 9:00 am after a buffet breakfast. At the toll station for the Interstate you have to take a ticket and present it when you get off the highway - pay as you go. $ 1.45 Hwy # 15 and south into Gettysburg was a nice quiet ride. First thing you see is the battle fields. Really quite thought provoking. The town is a tourist trap but nonetheless very cute. There is a large cemetery in the center of the city. Bus trips are 2 hours or more and I didn’t think I had the time as it was now noon. Headed out on # 30 west – scenic route. It was amazing and nice not to have to watch carefully for signs Twice I saw the name Frantz in advertisements - my moms maiden name.
Stopped in Bedford for gas. Then again in Schellsburg at the Flight 93 memorial. Again very disquieting. There were pictures of the 40 or so people on board and the hill the plane hit still looked scarred. A fellow rider came over to ask me about the bike. I found the people very helpful and friendly. On to a covered bridge for pictures and then a late lunch in Jennerstown at the Coal Miner Restaurant. Got delicious turkey on a biscuit with gravy and applesauce. Yum - nice waitress who gave me too much change and when I returned it she was very thankful. Stopped in a suburb south of Pittsburgh for directions. Nice guy gave me the best way in and found a Sheraton first and stopped to ask where the Westin was. Crossed a bridge, which are abundant in downtown Pittsburgh, as a river divides the city. This bridge had a nice secure coating. Parked the bike and checked in at 6:45. Quickly changed and went out in a tee shirt. Sunday night seemed quiet but there were theatres with people lining up and a couple of nice pubs open.
Pittsburgh to Toronto - Sept 26 520 kms
Up and out to see Pittsburgh by 9:00 after a nice breakfast. Went to see Duquesne University. It is built into the bluff so you take an elevator on the north side to the fifth floor to get to the south side. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous. The building is heated and cooled with an underground, environmentally friendly system. I went into the church to see the stained glass windows. Back down the hill and perused the downtown. PPG headquarters is lovely. There is a really cute market and the court house is hundreds of years old. The water front has a dedicated trail running along the river. Pittsburgh has few bike racks downtown and even fewer bikes. Next time I will rent a bike and discover this city. Got back to the hotel at 10:00 and was hot. So went for a quick swim, whirlpool, steam and shower. Packed and checked out just before 11:00 am. Headed north on Hwy 279 which became 79 until Grove City when I got onto Route 8 north – a motorcycle recommended route. Apparently I had switch the gas to reserve sometime yesterday, but I thought I was still on the main gas tank. So I passed a gas station intending to stop in Franklin. About ½ a mile past the station I recognized the bike running out of gas. Did a quick u turn and coasted back down the hill until it wouldn’t go any further. Changed into shoes and left all my stuff with the bike and started walking back to the station. About 50 yards up a guy in a truck with an ATV in the back stopped and asked if I was OK. He pulled over and was backing the truck to the bike. Another couple in a truck stopped. He asked if I needed a lift to the station, but the ATV guy actually had gas and a siphon. The bike now has gas and my guy James wants to tell me about the lord coming into his life. So I let him….. It is now almost 1:00 and I do stop in Franklin to top up the tank - $ 3.50. Take 8 til 62 which runs beside Allegheny National Forest. It is absolutely gorgeous - have to see it to believe it. There is a route through the park - # 666 – where I am told there is a turn where you can see your own taillight ! ! Then you can buy a T-shirt that says you did Route 666..
I didn’t think I had the time so I will have to go back to PA to do this ride and also see Titusville where oil was first discovered in 1859 – there is a museum that would take a few hours to view. Stopped for a $6 sandwich which left me 1 US dollar. Onward to Warren where I stopped to finally get a map of the state. The young woman asked where I was from because of my accent. ??? Somehow I blurted out the word “eh” and we laughed. Warren is very close to the NY border and had some very beautiful, historic houses. Into NY and the mountains were left behind. You can see the financial crisis in NY but not at all in Pennsylvania. In Buffalo it was still sunny and warm. No line ups at the border into Canada – but lots into the US. Just outside of St Catharines the sun was going down and it got a bit chilly. Just where I wish I had a sweater on. QEW very scary after my country routes. Home by 8:30 and glad of it. Asleep two hours later until 7:00 am the next morning.
