PA Mountains Fall Foliage Tour

[XRochester]

This was our first real test ride after installing a set of Baja Designs
buddy pegs on the XR. As you can see, we are using a boating seat cushion for
Allison to sit on. Now before you think this is a crazy idea, keep in mind that
it was a US Coast Guard Approved Type 4 personal flotation device :)

Arriving at the Cedar Run Inn in the so-called PA Grand Canyon on Wednesday,
October 8, we decided to take a quick ride up through the mountains to view the
foliage. It didn't disappoint. This is Beulah Land Road on the way to the ghost
town Okome and then on to Waterville.



Typical mountain road for this area. According to the State of Pennsylvania:


"Unsurpassed natural beauty, charming towns awash in history, and the biggest
elk herd in the Northeast: that's the Pennsylvania Wilds. Imagine more than two
million acres of public lands set aside for your enjoyment offering unlimited
recreational opportunities."

I found this description to be accurate. There are thousands of miles of dirt
roads just like this.



From the red-leather designer gloves to heeled boots, Allison wasn't exactly
dressed for the occasion, but we didn't let that stop us!



After riding for miles through the mountains on some back-country dirt road,
you'll often come across some beautiful Vista such as the one pictured below.



You may be tempted to ride down these roads at a very quick pace - that is,
until you run into your first logging truck. These guys go way to fast, they
don't slow down when they see you, nor do they try to make any room for you to
go around them.





A quaint little hamlet along Highway 44 called Germania.





The historic village of Wellsboro, PA





These lamps still run on gas.





Last view of the Pine Creek Gorge before we leave Cedar Run heading towards
Bradford.





Route 44 is a nice mountain road which runs from Jersey Shore to
Coundersport.



After arriving in Bradford, we set out to hit some dirt roads in the
Allegheny National Forest. There are still oil wells all over the place.





Here we are at the Southern end of the Kinzua Reservoir. With the water level
quite low, I was fascinated with the thought that this paved surface descending
down into the water was an old road that ran down into the valley before it was
flooded. A relic of days gone by, I thought. I searched the web or maps to see
if in fact this was true. I came up with this US Topo map from 1949 and it
appears to be the case:

http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.asp?fname=knzu41sw.jpg&state=PA





Then next day we continued our ride along the Longhouse National Scenic
Drive, which runs along the western edge of the Kinzua Reservoir.



I asked for fricken' sharks with laser beams on their heads and all I got
were these mutant sea bass! Seriously though, lots of carp were congregating
around the Kinzua Dam.





Next stop: Warren PA for lunch.





I couldn't believe when I saw this sign along the shore of the Kinzua
reservoir. Check out number five on the PFD sign.



Kane, Pennsylvania



Kinzua Bridge State Park. If you'd like to read more about the rich history
of this, visit:
http://www.smethporthistory.org/kinzuaviaduct

[Gadget Boy]

Best riding close to here is in PA

Thanks for the awesome pics... this is the first year in a long time I don't do a fall colors ride in PA, so thanks for taking me there!

[XPatriot]

Great ride! Did you plan a route of just make it up as you went along?

If you planned, where did you find all the dirt road info.?

[Just GO!]

Good start XR, but I noticed that there were a few pics without the nice looking redhead in them.

Try to do better will ya!

[XRochester]

Originally Posted by XPatriot

Great ride! Did you plan a route of just make it up as you went along?

If you planned, where did you find all the dirt road info.?

I've been there quite a few times, so I already knew about alot of the sweet dirt roads. In that part of PA, most of the roads are dirt - and very scenic. You can go just in about any direction from Cedar Run and you're going to find great stuff. My first few rides down there were in exploration mode. Now when I go, I plan routes ahead of time to save time staring at maps at every intersection. I still haven't found a great resource for telling dirt from paved roads in advance. From what I hear, the Delorme Atlas and Gazeteer is the best thing for that - but it's a printed product. I haven't tried it yet.

[XRochester]

Originally Posted by Just GO!

Good start XR, but I noticed that there were a few pics without the nice looking redhead in them.

Try to do better will ya!

Will do! She got a kick out of your message!

[haebyong]

Awesome pics, thanks for posting the great pics of the changing leaves. Oh, and the good looking redhead too, LOL.

[Steve Br]

Those pics make me want to be there right now. Thanks for the eye popping candy!

[Jack4245]

My wife must know ?? How does Allison keep from having helmet hair. Does she put the helmet on or just carry it. Great ride report too.

[GS Bones]

Xrochester,

Fantastic post. I have ridden (and reported) on just about all those areas, but never took photos as good as those. Great thread.




Bones

[XRochester]

Originally Posted by Jack4245

My wife must know ?? How does Allison keep from having helmet hair. Does she put the helmet on or just carry it. Great ride report too.

Jack,

Allison says that that because she has such a thick head of hair, the helmet actually flattens it out and helps control it. She didn't make any kind of special arrangements - oh, and we wore the helmets the entire time.

Hope that helps!

Jim and Allison

[Just GO!]

Allison, tell Jim to hurry up with more pics.

That PA scenery is beautiful this time of year.


.

[eastcoastzigzag]

hey great pics man! i was the guy that talked to you at the gas station. the enduro rider.

as we were drivin around this past weekend i was dyin every time i saw a bike. we stopped at a place called Rim Rock. the wedding i was in took pics there, it was amazing there.

[saeed883]

Beautiful place
Thank you for sharing

[Trail Ryder]

Allison, what's with the pants tucked into your socks?

Jamie, tell Semi Colon that I said "Hi!"