This past Sunday I set off to follow one of the routes described in Back Roads of Pennsylvania. Out of its hundreds of interesting-sounding routes, I picked one in south-central PA that looked like it would fit well with the time I had available. The route began in the tiny berg of Montsera (not terribly far from Carlisle) and wound its way to Floradale.
Heading toward Montsera, I passed through Westminster, MD, plus Littlestown, Gettysburg, Mt. Holly Springs, and Barnitz, PA. In Littlestown, I spotted this towering building that I'd somehow missed on previous trips. An R1200GS is not a small bike, but it was dwarfed by this industrial facility, which was smack in the middle of the downtown area and turned out to be the Keystone Milling Company, established in 1916.
Further on, at Center Mills, I found this dilapidated structure that featured numerous signs with messagees such as "Danger: Cross Dog!" and "Appointments Only." (I saw no sign of the former and made no attempt at the latter.)
Every town should have a library like this one in Mt. Holly Springs.
After reaching Montsera, I turned to my real destination--the King's Gap Environmental Education Center, which is part of the Pennsylvania State Park system. A long, winding, and narrow road led to the Center's stone mansion, constructed in 1908 by a local businessman.
The view off of its back promenade was great, even on a cold and overcast day. Cumberland Valley, Doubling Gap, Waggoner's Gap, and other landmarks were easily spotted in the distance.
Best of all, however, was this odd building on the far side of the mansion gardens. My first impression was that the building must be a water tower, but that couldn't be right. Who would put a water tank right on top of a building with rooms? When I got closer, however, there was a steady drip of water coming from the third story. I'm sure stranger structures exist--but I haven't run across one yet! (Subsequent research, incidentally, indicated that this was indeed the mansion's water tower. It holds 10,000 gallons and is still in use today.)
From Montsera, Back Roads lived up to its name and put me on a series of dirt roads through the Michaux State Forest, eventually featuring Ridge Road. In many places, its surface was fairly smooth and the scenery was beautiful.
Along the way, there was a magnificent jumble of rocks forming the top of a hill. It reminded me of Devil's Den at Gettysburg, only with a lot more trees, fewer tourists, and (regrettably) a ton of graffiti.
Continuing along Ridge Road, I discovered more fall colors--and a whole bunch of craggy rocks poking through the road. It was one of the bouncier rides I'd had in a while.
Eventually, I reached the next major destination--Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It had a number of old buildings and other historic sites, including the iron furnace and the furnace master's home (now used as a youth hostel).
The park also featured numerous trails. I hiked a couple of miles along one of them just to stretch my legs. (Okay, to be honest, I also misread the park map and inadvertently headed east instead of west! I should'a taken the Zumo with me...) Regardless, there were plenty of pretty spots along the way.
I'd never seen low-rider picnic benches before. These just cried out for some neon under-table lights...
After my inadvertent hike, I was glad to grab some lunch at the park's general store. My timing was good, too, since the store was closing the next day for the season.
Leaving the park, my route quickly turned to additional dirt roads, including the western remainder of Ridge Road. All told, I easily went 50 to 60 miles on dirt, averaging anywhere from 10 to 30 mph, depending on the surface. But up in the mountains of the Michaux Forest, the trees were spectacular!
As the shadows lengthened, I had to forgo the last third of the trip, owing to the amount of time required to cover the first two-thirds mostly on dirt. (Okay, all the photo stops didn't help.) I exited the route at Black Gap, near Caledonia State Park. On the way back home, I pulled over briefly in Gettysburg to put the Gerbings jacket liner back on. I found myself in the famous Evergreen Cemetery arch. Of course, Cemetery Ridge featured prominently in the battle, and this stone arch saw a lot of action for 3 days. Abraham Lincoln later gave his famous Gettysburg Address on a platform in this cemetery.
All told, it was an 8 1/2 hour ride of a little over 200 miles. The temperature never went above 45 degrees or so, and the sun seldom appeared, but any motorcycle ride with scenery and without rain is automatically a great one!
Rick F.