Fancy apartments at Lionsgate
I flew down Neufer Hill Road without using the brakes and topped 34 mph at one point before coming to a halt at US Route 11. After waiting for the light to turn green and the traffic to stop, I crossed into Espy and rode to Old Berwick Road. I went at a brisk pace through Espy, Almedia, and Lime Ridge: 15-16 miles per hour most of the way. There were several cemeteries of varying sizes along the road, and there were a few small lanes heading down towards the river, including Radium Lane, which goes past the ruins of the Safety Lights Corporation factory. Supposedly, at least. I didn't see much more than a street sign. I thought about getting a picture of the factory, but there wasn't much left to take a picture of.
Vacant lot, with River Hill in the background and the Susquehanna River barely visible between them.
As I approached the point where Interstate 80 crosses over Old Berwick Road, several motorcycles passed me. I figured that that would be it, but over the next minute or so, a few dozen more went roaring past. They always do seem to travel in huge packs. Must be nice to have motors and not have to be slogging along at a measly 16 miles per hour! About a mile further on, I came to the Mifflinville bridge and crossed over the Susquehanna River into Mifflnville.
Mifflinville bridge and the hills beyond
Upon arriving in Mifflinville I turned left onto First Street and rode along the outskirts of Miffinville, my pace still over 15 miles per hour, but slowing. Soon, I reached John Street and crossed Pennsylvania Route 339. South of the highway, John Street became a flat, fairly rural road on the eastern border of Mifflinville. There were some nice fields to the left, but they were blocked by a row of hedges. After a while, I came to the southeastern corner of Mifflinville. To the right, the road continued following the border of the village. Andreas Road, however, went straight on. I first saw it on Google Maps some years ago, but never explored it, since I wasn't sure that it was in fact a road. This time, I decided to check it out.
John Street
Cat on the road
Andreas Road. Looks interesting...
After setting out along the unpaved Andreas Road, I turned east almost immediately and began heading east, with some hedges and fields on the left and a forest on the right. It was still flat at this stage, though I knew from looking at Google Map's terrain view that there would be some substantial climbing soon. Presently, I came to a clearing and took a few pictures.
Looking north across a dirt field towards Knob Mountain
Looking northeast towards Knob Mountain (again)
Well, good thing this isn't wintertime.
After a few tenths of a mile, the road curved away from the fields and into the woods. It began to climb through a hollow and the road got a lot bumpier and rockier. Might be fun to ride down one of these days, assuming that I don't crash in the process. The road shared the hollow with a pretty stream and the two intersected several times. My average pace finally dipped below 15 miles per hour on the climb. It's rare that I keep up that pace for that long.
Road surface
The climb continues
A tiny creek flowing over a ledge
Andreas Road continued for a while after that before suddenly coming out of the woods and transitioning from a rocky path to a respectable gray gravel road. It continued uphill and I wasn't really in civilization yet. I saw a few swampy patches; at one point there was a large colony of skunk cabbages growing next to the road. A little bit further on, I passed a cattail-filled pond from which a bizarre noise was emanating. Frogs, perhaps? Or maybe some kind of insect?
Skunk cabbages
When Andreas Road ended, it unceremoniously dumped me into civilization at a paved road, Kelchner Road. I consulted the map briefly before continuing. It wasn't long before I reached Smith Hollow Road, which took me past fields and farms into the village of Hetlerville. I saw a few cows grazing along the way. At the end of Smith Hollow Road, I turned west onto Hetlerville Road and followed that over some rolling hills, going in the opposite direction of last Sunday's ride. After one short, shallow climb, I continued straight on Hetlerville Road, entering uncharted territory and crossing under Interstate 80. The road followed I-80 for a while before descending into a hollow. It wasn't a steep descent, but it was a long one, so I was going fast by the time I got to the bottom.
Unnamed hill
The end of the Hetlerville Road descent.
I was hoping to do at least 25 miles, so I took a small detour. Instead of heading directly back to Mifflinville, I followed Hofnagle School Road (strangely it's not the only ___ School Road in the area; I rode up Snyder School Road last week) to Ryman Road, an unpaved road that I once noticed while running. I intended to follow it all the way to Pennsylvania Route 339 and then return. There was a No Outlet sign, but those signs sometimes appear in places where they shouldn't, such as on Arubus Park Road. More importantly, Google Maps showed the road as going all the way to Route 339. With that in mind, I sallied forth.
Ryman Road
The first few hundred feet of Ryman Road were a bumpy downhill that made Andreas Road look like a paved road. Keeping my balance was difficult even with the rugged bike that I have. This was definitely one of those I'm-glad-I-don't-have-a-road-bike days. After the descend leveled off, the "road" devolved into a pile of rocks with foot-deep ruts cutting through. This part almost threw me off my bike. At least it wasn't a steep descent. Unbelievably, Ryman Not-A-Road continued to devolve into into a muddy grass path. I began to wonder if it would end abruptly or just gradually dwindle away to nothing. It turned out to be the former.
An impasse
Even if there had been a way past the barrier, the bridge over Tenmile Run was gone. I turned around and headed back towards the actual roads. The return trip, being an ascent, was harder than the descent, but at least balance wasn't as much of a concern. I got back to Hofnagle School Road without incident (unless you count getting muddy to be an "incident").
Yeah, that's a road. Uh-huh. Suuure.
On the upside, there were some nice views.
Threatening notice
My bike is happy to leave this place.
After getting back to Hetlerville Road, I climbed a gentle hill to the I-80 bridges and then descended towards Mifflinville. Once Mifflinville, I rode around the village's western edge, along Kline Street, West Street, and First Street. After First Street, I crossed the Mifflinville bridge again and headed west on Old Berwick Road. I rode hard for the next five miles and only stopped once.
Interstate 80 bridges
In Espy, I turned onto Edgar Road and crossed US Route 11. Soon afterwards, I came to Neufer Hill Road, the last serious climb of the ride. It rose about 200 feet in one kilometer, but I managed to not stop until the top of the hill. From there, it was an easy ride along Tower Road, to Central Road, to Fifth Street Hollow Road, and then up Shawnee Road, where there was one last small hill to deal with. My total time was 1:49:22 and my pace was 4:12/mile (14.2 miles per hour). My fastest mile was 2:58.
1123 feet of vertical rise and 2251 feet of elevation change. Not my hilliest ride, but not exactly flat either. Highest point: 904 feet. Lowest point: 473 feet.
Always love the images and the detailed notes!
ReplyDeleteLooks like another great ride - thanks for sharing! :)