The High Iron Ride

Preliminaries: This document contains the details that lead up to the ride.

Ride Host Notes:

This was my first COG ride as a host- I had a blast planning the route and the details. Although I was hoping for better attendance, I was generally pleased on the pace and ride itself. I hope everyone who attended had a good time as well. The route sheet is here if you're interested.

What is "High Iron"?:

For as long as I can remember, I have had a "thing" for railroad bridges- I still search them out.  The old ones with their intricate steel arches and trusses, the stone ones, that were assembled virtually by hand, have always amazed me.  As the railroads die, these artifacts of "When the Rail Ruled" are getting harder to find.  Surprisingly, some are still in use, every day- the Carrollton Viaduct (the first stone arch rail viaduct in the US [world?]) here in Baltimore still carries daily rail traffic.  Most, however, are abandoned, just left to rot under mother nature's wrath.

The Ride:

The warriors assembled starting Friday night as five of us bravely waded throught the incoming students at Bloomsburg University. By Breakfast time, there were 13 machines (11 Connies, an FJ1200 and that German Road machine HO rides) and 14 souls ready for the long day ahead. Some longer than others. Geoorge Fetsko had met up with me near Halifax on Friday and was planning to ride all the way home in SW PA- go George!

There was a eerie fog in the Susquehanna River Valley this morning. The riders didn't seem to care: just a few brief announcements, and we're heading north to Red Rock Mountain.

My plan was to get as many of the bikes as possible on a pullout just east of the Erie-Lackawanna Viaduct in Nicholson, the world's longest concrete rail viaduct. This thing is big- really big.

We cruised another few viaducts, and had lunch at O'Neill's General Store- don't ask me where it is, I can only find it via the route...

Then onto the last of the big viaducts, where some of the group elected to climb up top for the killer view.

From here, the PA boys took the slap and cranked up the wick a bit. I was out front with the CB and ECM blasting away looking for bears. I got home just about 8:30 from a very fun time.

I look forward to doing this again.

Thanks!