Ever Been To Slate Run Run?

For those individuals who never been to Slate Run, PA - visit. The sandwiches are to die for.

As the Shoney's that Rick Shirk had selected for the Breakfast Gathering had closed, we moved to the Sheetz next door.  For those of you keeping score at home, that's two places this year that Rick has closed by picking as meeting COG places.   Anyway, Rick had picked two routes: one back and forth across the ridges of Central Pa via State College (home to arguably the world's best ice cream and sticky buns, oh yea there's some hack school there, too.); the other was a bit more adventurous heading above I-80 to the timber country.  Russell talked Herr Ober into having lunch in Slate Run, Pa; they have killer sandwiches there.  

OK children, can you find Slate Run on your Maps?Sure, I knew you could.

Here's a brief list of the towns we passed through, connect the dots and you'll see we traversed some of the coolest areas of Central Pa.

• New Buffalo
• Middleburg
• Mifflinburg (Tom headed back to Virginia from here via 522)
• Forest Hill
• Livonia
• Loganton
• Rauchtown
• Jersey Shore (named for the Atlantic Beaches of Jersey, no lie)
• Waterville
• Jersey Mills

And that's just to get there!

Return Route- ready?

• Lucullus
• Hyner
• Glen Union
• Sunset Pines
• Lock Haven (Bob headed towards Lancaster County)
• My contribution to the ride
  • Lamar
  • Nittnay
  • Madisonburg
  • Millheim
• Aaronsburg (laid out to be the state capital a long, long time ago in a city far, far away - didn't happen)
• Laurelton
• Troxelville
• McAlistersville (this is where Bobby, Martha and Russell split off)
• Thompsonton
• Amity Hall (Herr Ober tooled down US 11-15 and home)
• I still had nearly 120 miles to get home from here making for another long day in the saddle- you'd think I'd learn my lesson after the 1200 mile day the Saturday beforehand, but NOOOO!   Forgot my gelshorts- paid the price.

I haven't been on the roads above I-80 in nearly 15 years.  Most of the railbeds are now abandoned; most of the little towns that depended upon them are dying.  The minerals that supported the locals are played out; the valuable hardwoods are getting harder to find.  Monster cherries, hemlocks and oaks are still out there in the woods, just not the quality of the ones harvested in the last 100 years.  Williamsport still has a timber business and we're not talking the Little League World Series either, but not nearly as powerful as it used to be. 

Somehow, this area will survive.  Enough on the social commentary.

The leaves were just starting to turn; the Virginia Creeper was ablaze.  This area wasn't as hard hit by the mid-Atlantic drought, so the colors should hold a little longer.   Any ride through the area in the next few weeks should be spectacular.

Can't wait for the Luray Foliage Ride.