Church in Lightstreet
Main Street
From the northern part of Lightstreet, I turned left onto Back Branch Road. As I was crossing Fishing Creekand entering Mount Pleasant Township, I passed a fisherman getting ready to fish (not surprising, given the location). A few tenths of a mile later, I turned onto Whites Church Road and began the first major climb. There wasn't much to say about the climb that doesn't repeat what I've said in previous posts. Once at the top, I stopped for a few moments, having begun to feel the effort. A bit concerning considering that there were still 35+ miles to go, but I often recover on the downhills.
Gnarly tree roots
Fields at the top of Whites Church Road
I descended to the end of Whites Church Road, passing an algae pond, a farm with cows, and some more interesting tree roots. At the end of the road, I crossed Deerlick Run and continued onto Lick Run Road.
Deerlick Run
Lick Run Road
Still retracing my route from Friday, I turned onto Crouse Hollow Road and began another ascent. The road went through the woods for more than a mile before coming out into civilization again. Along the way, a large dog--large enough to not be messed with--charged down an embankment and onto the road to bark furiously at me. Figuring that any move would provoke it into attacking, I stayed still. It eventually charged back up the embankment and I went on my way.
Back in civilization
Once I returned to paved roads and civilization, I headed up Fester Road to Bowmans Mill Road, a spot that commanded a wide view to the north, southeast, and south. I turned onto Bowmans Mill Road, which descended gradually through wide-open fields and some residential areas. A mile on Bowmans Mill Road took me to Turkey Path Road. I hadn't been there in about nine months, but I did remember that it was an exciting ride. It's a narrow gravel road that descends steeply into the Greenwood Valley along the side of a forested ridge before making a hairpin turn at the bottom of the ridge. I wouldn't be surprised if it really was a slightly improved turkey path, though crazily enough, some people actually do live on that road.
Fields on hills. Typical Pennsylvania.
Turkey Path Road
Turkey Path Road started out flat, but very suddenly became steep and I accelerated quickly. I caught glimpses of what would be an amazing view of the Greenwood Valley if not for a row of trees to the left. Stupid trees. After the hairpin turn, I came to the bottom of the ridge, where the Kramer Covered Bridge No. 113 crosses Mud Run.
Kramer Covered Bridge
After crossing Mud Run, I rode north through the Greenwood Valley, turning onto Utt Road and then onto Thomas Road, a sometimes paved and sometimes unpaved road that rises a short distance and then falls a short distance.
Looking east in the Greenwood Valley
Water gap through which Green Creek flows.
Looking north to the other side of the valley
The ridge that Turkey Path Road comes down, with Thomas Road in the foreground
At the end of Thomas Road, I very briefly turned onto Pennsylvania Route 254 before turning onto Austin Trail and riding out of the Greenwood Valley. Strangely, it was not a trail, but rather a well-paved, two-lane, fairly flat road. Usually, it's the other way around in this area *cough* Ryman Road *cough*. Walter Brasch's book Columbia County Place Names--a fascinating read if you're into local history--has this to say about the road: "A very narrow, unpaved road between Rohrsburg and Derrs, so named because its local residents humorously--and with justification--compared the fact that the Austin, a popular little car, 'just might' be able to handle the road. The road was later expanded and paved in the 1940s." So that explains it.
A curvy part of Austin Trail, which has been a road for 70 years
Austin Trail wound northwards through the valley of Little Green Creek for several miles. It had flat parts, hillier parts, and even small downhills, but the net effect was a gradual increase in elevation: about 300-400 feet in four miles. There were a few nice hills and farmlands flanking the valley. It was rural, but not in the middle of nowhere.
Hill
Field
Austin Trail
About four miles after leaving the Greenwood Valley, I reached the small village of Derrs. In Derrs, which apparently consists of a four-way intersection, a small church, and some houses and fields, I stopped and pulled out my route map for the first time.
Entering Derrs
Church
After Derrs, I continued onto Derrs Road, where there were some real hills. Several tenths of a mile further north, I reached the small village of Jackson. Like Derrs, it was little more than the intersection of two roads. Its church was even smaller than the one in Derrs. I turned onto Piper Lane, a gravel road with hills and fields. There was a tough little climb to the top, but it was worth it; I could see nearly twenty miles to the south, all the way to Catawissa Mountain.
Cows, and at least one bull
Serious hill
Pastures
Spectacular view to the south
View to the east
After the ascent came a long, curving descent on gravel. I took it slowly (in the 20-30 mph range, tops) for obvious reasons. At the bottom of the hill, I reached pavement again, on Green Creek Road, which obviously goes through the valley of Green Creek. At the intersection, I passed by a couple who were walking their dog. We stopped for a few moments to talk; they asked where I had come from and I told them that I had ridden from Bloomsburg. Green Creek Road went north for a couple of miles, going through the woods before climbing a hill into Waller. I rendezvoused with my mom for a few minutes near the middle of the village so that I could exchange my nearly-empty bottle for a full one.
Piper Lane just before the big descent
Entering Waller
Cemetery in Waller, with a view of North Mountain and the Fishing Creek Gorge on the horizon. The dead likely outnumber the living here, judging by the size of the cemetery.
After my break, I turned onto Mendenhall Hill Road and rode down a short, steep hill before turning onto Sones Hollow Road, where I spent the next several miles. It was mostly unpaved and went along the side of a hill. Ironic, considering the name. There were a lot of short uphills and downhills as the road went southwest.
Green hills
A flat stretch of Sones Hollow Road
Scenery
Looking back the way I came on a not-so-flat stretch of Sones Hollow Road
After a while, Sones Hollow Road began dipping through a forested hollow, falling 400+ feet in just over a mile. This descent was mostly straight except for one sharp turn. At one point, a deer jumped out into the road, and I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid slamming into it. Hard to say whether a collision would do more damage to me or the deer.
Sones Hollow Road
At the bottom of the hill, Sones Hollow Road dead-ended into another road. I consulted my route map, but the street signs in this area were a bit tricky: either they were missing, or they disagreed with Google Maps. I forged ahead as best I could. I ended up heading southwest through a valley. At one point, I crossed Little Fishing Creek. Even in this remote location, a group of fishermen were down in the creek. After a while, I crossed Little Fishing Creek again, this time via the Jud Christie Covered Bridge No. 95. I consulted the map once more, figured I was headed in the right direction, and began a long and grueling climb out of the Little Fishing Creek valley. Eventually I did reach the top, but it was the hardest climb of the ride so far.
Vista with North Mountain peeking out from behind the hills.
View from the top of the hill
A paved downhill provided welcome relief from the climb. But when I got to the bottom of the hill...I was in Derrs. I recognized the church. Somehow I had taken a wrong turn in the Little Fishing Creek valley. I considered just going on known territory and taking Austin Trail back to Rohrsburg, but after consulting the map (again), decided to try to rejoin my intended route.
It wasn't long before I rejoined my intended route and began riding along Eagle Road, which is one of several roads in the neighborhood that are named after birds. Eagle Road was nasty. First there was a long ascent, then a long descent, then another long ascent. This pattern repeated several times. The hills weren't huge (the largest was 200 feet), but they weren't small either.
Looking back on one of the climbs
Eventually, I turned off Eagle Road and onto Canary Road, an unpaved road that first rose and then descended a long way. After about a mile, it dead-ended into the (paved) Eagle Road, which continued descending into the Greenwood Valley.
View from Eagle Road
Canary Road
Reentering the Greenwood Valley
Greenwood Valley
Soon after entering the Greenwood Valley, I crossed Route 254 and had a flat, straight ride on Bowmans Mill Road as far as the Mud Run crossing. At that point, the road immediately started climbing steeply up. It would be the most grueling climb of the ride, and was made no easier by the fact that I'd already covered 31 miles.
Nice flat part of Bowmans Hill Road
Mud Run. Fitting name.
Nice...
The climb out of the Greenwood Valley rose nearly 300 feet in 0.6 miles. Nice. Even if I hadn't ridden 31 miles already, it would've been very slow going. It seemed to go on and on, but eventually it did reach the top of the ridge and I immediately stopped and rested for a minute. Then I continued on Bowmans Mill Road, passing houses and fields, one of which is a Wild Pheasant Restoration Area.
Knob Mountain
Wild Pheasant Restoration Area. Interesting.
Bowmans Mill Road descended, then climbed again before I turned onto Fester Road. The ascent would've been trivial at the beginning of the ride, but not at the end. Fortunately, Fester Road descended, as did Crouse Hollow Road. I made good time on Crouse Hollow Road, not least because the same dog that I ran into on the way out decided for some reason to chase after me. I had enough of a head start to outrun (outride?) it and it gave up quickly. From Crouse Hollow Road, I turned onto Lick Run Road and then crossed Deerlick Run and began ascending Whites Church Road, the penultimate major hill.
Confluence of an unnamed tributary (I'll call it North Whites Church Road Run) and Deerlick Run
Field on Whites Church Road
Upon reaching the top of Whites Church Road, I continued down the other side without stopping. It was nice to descend for two miles without dealing with any hills (or crazy dogs). Back Branch Road and the ride through Lightstreet were also flat. Papermill Road had a few rolling hills, but nothing serious. Of course, "nothing serious" was still enough to seriously slow me down after having covered 38 hilly miles.
Papermill Road leaving the woods
Just after coming out of the woods on Papermill Road, I had one last run-in with a crazy animal. There was a groundhog on the other side of the road and I expected it to run away as I approached. Instead it ran straight towards me. I thought it was going to attack or something, but it passed by me like I wasn't there and scurried into the underbrush on the other side of the rode. The last two miles passed without incident (well, Dennys Hill is always an incident...) and I arrived home about ten minutes later. My time was 3:18:13 and my pace was 4:46/mile (12.6 mph). I'm not complaining.
3625 feet of elevation gain...and 7260 feet of total elevation change. It's also got the highest elevation I've ridden to thus far: 1364 feet .The lowest elevation was 515 feet.
