John's Bike
Adventure Across America
Northern Tier
2004
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August 3 |
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John started his ride as soon as it was light enough to bike because there was already a lot of traffic on the road early this morning. He biked southeast on Route 422 which had a good road surface with a big shoulder. At the point at which Route 422 merged with Routes 66 and 28 there was a sign on the highway - "Only Motor Vehicles" - and John stayed on the road anyway (!). Route 422 was a 4-lane road going through Kittanning and then became a 2-lane road about 5 miles outside of that town. There was a mist in the valley as John crossed the Allegheny River and stopped for a turkey sub (he was peanut butter & jellied out). Nearing Indiana he went up a gradual (4 mile) hill then down and up another (3 mile) hill. As John biked by Yellow Creek State Park the day was sunny, the route had been hilly, and there was no wind.
| Yellow Creek State Park is in Indiana County along one of the first “highways” in the state, the Kittanning Path. This trail was used by the Delaware and Shawnee nations and by early settlers. Today, US 422 roughly follows the old Kittanning Path, and provides the main access to the park from Indiana and Ebensburg. The park is named for Yellow and Little Yellow creeks, which create the lake. The creeks have lots of yellow clay in the banks and bottoms. |
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| John biked on Route 422
all day - up and down hills. Although he kept saying
"this HAS to be the last hill" there was always another
one to climb. John said the shoulder on the road was good
(with the exception of a few miles) and that's what kept him
sane. Considering what he is doing overall I have to stop and
think about that... :). Anyway, he said it was an interesting
ride and a long haul over the mountains. And... he got his
first flat of the trip! There was some broken glass on the
shoulder and he picked it up in his tire. Fortunately, he was
able to go around to the other side of the guardrail and away from
the traffic to change it. He rode 80 miles at 11.9 mph in
hilly, hilly terrain.
John stayed in Ebensburg at a motel that seemed to be from the 50's. He liked it...he had a nice room (big and clean) with a light purple tub and tile, a USA Today machine in the lobby and an attached restaurant and bar (which was open when he arrived instead of opening at 5:00 PM as most others did). John enjoyed a Straub Beer (Straub Brewery, St. Mary's, PA) and a Genesee Beer (Genesee Brewing Company, Rochester, NY) before a dinner of pasta primavera, salad, and apple pie with coffee. |
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Miles Biked
on 8/3 = 80 |
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