Coopers Gap at Rothrock

As I'm riding more and more of Rothrock, it's becoming clear that my favorite trails are in the Coopers Gap region of the forest. These trails are on the south east side of the mountains from State College, and are the domain of the Lewistown boys. They do nice work - take a look at a this rock causeway. They move some big stones to make the rock gardens more ridable.

In general, there are less rock gardens in this area, and those you do find are less chaotic and the rocks better anchored in the soil. I'm not saying they're smooth, mind you, but I spend a lot more time riding and a lot less walking.

There are also benched trails drawing some of the ridge line trails together, several very scenic overlooks, intimate lowland trails through the rhododendrons with occasional hard bottomed stream crossings, some nice flow in places, and even a few bridges and skinnies - the first I've seen here.

It still takes some road segments to tie it all together into loops, but less so than other parts of Rothrock. And there's plenty of riding in this region - I rode about 18 miles of it in 4 hours today, and there's another 17 miles that I rode here a few weeks ago. And yes, that's about 4 miles per hour (including camera and map stops). These are not fast trails. But they are fun.

I think if I were visiting central Pennsylvania and looking for a diverse selection of riding to sample, I'd make Huntingdon my base. Huntingdon's a cute college town of 7,000 located on the banks of the Juniata River about 45 miles south of State College. It's 11 miles from the super smooth, flowing single track of the Allegrippis Trails on the shores of Raystown Lake and 22 miles from Greenwood Furnace State Park and the Coopers Gap trails where you can get your fix of rocks, roots, and gorgeous scenery. Rothrock Outfitters in Huntingdon rents canoes, kayaks, and mountain bikes, and provides shuttle services, bike parts, and repairs. I'd say Boxer's Cafe for beer and eats in the evening and Standing Stone Cafe for breakfast coffee and a lunch panini. When things get dull, you can head for the edge of town and watch the historic maximum security prison - no kidding.

And if you get the urge for some white water or a rail trail adventure, Ohiopyle State Park only 2.5 hours away has some of the best rafting in the east and is a trailhead in the heart of the most scenic segment of the Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail. In fact, that sounds so good I think I'm going to head for Ohiopyle in a few weeks for a better sampling of the rail trail, check out the river, and search for single track there.

Road Biking in Fairfax County, Virginia

We spent last weekend in the D.C. area with family, and were treated to some of the nicest road biking I've experienced. I never knew much about the area, so to provide some background, here's Wikipedia on the subject:

Fairfax County is a county in Northern Virginia, in the United States. As of April 2009, the estimated population of the county is 1,037,605^[1] making it by far the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.1% of Virginia's population, and the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Fairfax was the first county in the United States to reach a six-figure median household income, and has the second-highest median household income of any county with a population of 250,000....^[2]

But within the seemingly endless suburb of Fairfax and environs there's a region bounded by Ox Road, Braddock Road, and Bull Run where lot size is limited to 5 acres to protect the watershed, leaving significant mature forest, horse farms, expensive homes, and narrow, winding, impeccably paved roads. It's best to go out early before traffic builds, even better early on weekends, and it helps to have local guides to help avoid the busier roads. But when you do, it's like single track for roadies. 

Curves lead one into the other through tunnels of trees, sweeping down hills, through neighborhoods, and across valleys, and past meadows. It's some of the best flow I've experienced off a mountain bike. There was even the very cute historic town of Clifton to provide a hint of the older Fairfax before malls and developments. 

There are many parks and protected areas. One of the best mountain biking trails in the mid-Atlantic is at Fountainhead Park there, along with one of IMBA's gateway mountain bike centers for introducing new riders to the sport at Laurel Hill Park. Wish I'd had time to sample them too. Who'd have thought there'd be such good biking in the national megalopolis. 

Pine Creek Rail Trail

The 62 mile Pine Creek Rail Trail running through "the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania," was billed as one of the "10 great places to take a bike tour" by USA Today in 2001. Only an hour away from State College, it seemed like a great opportunity for our first overnight bike tour. We made a reservation at an inn near the halfway point, threw the panniers and bikes in the car, and made for the trailhead in Jersey Shore.

After a few delightful delays roving town looking for the trailhead, we found ourselves a few miles away on the banks of Pine Creek amidst corn fields and forests at the Whitetail trailhead. Already half a dozen cars were in the lot, all with bike racks.

The trail surface was immaculate packed stone dust smoother than most paved roads. There were cool staggered gates allowing bikes to pass but blocking motor vehicles at every road and driveway. Both the old concrete rail mile markers and new trail mile markers marked the way. Three beautifully preserved truss bridges crossed the river in the first few miles, offering great views up the valley. There were even stone comfort stations every hour or so.

On a beautiful Saturday morning, the trail was not crowded, but we did meet bikers regularly. A wide variety of folks: older couples, families with kids, men's and women's groups, even dogs in trailers and infant chest pouches. Mostly on comfort bikes, some on mountain bikes, a few road bikes. The grade was imperceptible. Attractive split rail fences separated roads and drop offs from the trail. And of course the valley was beautiful.

As we headed north, the valley became more and more gorge like. But it was never as wild as I was expecting. A county road also paralleled this segment of the stream, so there were occasional camps on the banks, and some road views. Near trailheads there were also occasional walkers, but trail width was more than enough to accommodate all.

After about 30 miles we arrived at our inn, dropped our bags, relaxed, and had a simple lunch on the deck by the river. Traditionally a fly fishing resort, it had burned and been rebuilt recently, and now catered more to bikers the sportsman. Then we rode the 7 miles to the historic Cedar Run Inn where we had dinner reservations. Ann was ready for a break, so she borrowed a book from the inn and sat on the porch reading and people watching. I went for a fast ride to see how much further up the gorge I could get before dinner. Here it was definitely a gorge, with steep hills crowding the valley on all sides. A hint of fall color was tinting the upper slopes.

A few miles from Cedar Run the road takes a different fork than the trail, and suddenly it was exactly as I had imagined it - just the river, the 1,000 foot hills, and a ribbon of trail. I rode to my halfway point, then regretfully turned around. Only my out and back times gave evidence of a grade.

Dinner was a much fancier affair at the Cedar Run Inn. We got the full inn treatment, with lavish descriptions of the menu, collectibles all around, and Victoriana the theme. Superb biscuits and butter, the rest was very good but no more.  But we missed ice cream at the cute general store across the street by  an hour. Full and happy, we pedaled back to our room in the dusk with no lights. A delightful end to a delightful day.

The ride back to the car seemed short, but the scenery just as nice. Top 10 in the world? I think not. But a great place to tour comfortably off road, spend the night in a quaint inn, and take in a scenic river valley. We'll have to make a longer tour of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail for a fair comparison, so stay tuned.

Riding Rothrock

Rothrock is growing on me. The more I ride it, the more I see of it, the more I like it. Maybe because it is so hard to know, revealing itself only grudgingly, flashing a single track smile only after a grueling road climb. It makes you want to look more closely. It responds to time taken. And it's beautiful.

But it's a challenge for the recently arrived mountain biker. Because if its size, because of its diversity, and because of its geography. It takes a half hour just to drive from one side to the other. I often head out to ride just a few trails and invariably come back 3 or 4 hours later having only seen another small fraction of the system. The single track is diffuse, scattered throughout the forest, and it's rocky, technical, and slow. It generally runs point-to-point between gravel roads and two-tracks - there is no stacked loop architecture to make it easy to navigate. Connecting the single track in a loop almost always requires some amount of road, making the riding somewhat schizophrenic. You're either grinding up a 1,300 foot road climb, bumping from rock to rock along a scenic ridge, screaming down a buff two track, or thrashing down and eroded fall line trail. If you're me, you're walking many of those ridge line rock gardens and fall line drops.

Luckily, there is an excellent trail map available from Purple Lizard - it's the best $12 I've spent here. There are tons of trails, but this is a multi use area. Hiking-only trails are marked, but there is little distinction on the map between two track, legacy hiking trails, legacy bike trails (pre-IMBA), and modern single track. So you have to pay attention to the isoclines and symbols on the map. The best biking trails seem to run along the ridges (offering oaks,  gorgeous views, and lots of rock, ), the valleys (offering intimate hemlocks, rhododendrons, and lots of rock), or are new ones as evidenced by their many switchbacks.Many, many fall line trails drop steeply from the ridges to the valleys. They seem to have started as hiking trails, and I suppose they can be ridden by some, but they are generally eroded and unsustainable. After I learned to filter out all the fall line trails when looking at the map, promising areas to ride were clearer. Often a gate symbol on a trail reveals its nature as two-track. Squiggly trails will have some flow and benching. Still, you often have to actually ride it  to know for sure.

The scenery is superb, with regular overlooks of the valleys and ridges. It's a great place for a fit mountain biking beginner to tour beautiful forest roads for hours on end. But making the transition from two track to single track is a sink or swim proposition. There is no beginner single track, and not a lot of intermediate by Michigan standards. I'm getting better at the constant rocks, but am still dumbfounded by the 100 foot jumbles of large, square rocks the trails sometime traverse. It's required an adjustment of my expectations - I'm going to have to walk some part of any ride that includes single track. With that in mind, I can enjoy the variety and challenge of the technical sections.  But sometimes the rock here is a bit unrelenting and I find myself longing for some speed and flow after I've cleaned a tough section, not another rock garden.


Settling on my first impressions of these trails took over three weeks. You can know many trail centers after only a few rides - after that they are still fun to ride, but it's no longer the same adventure. Not Rothrock. There always seems to be new trails to discover, new skills to learn, something you can't ride yet. Trail styles are a personal preference, and mine tends towards the smooth and flowy - I'm more a kinsethetic rider than a challenge rider. Yet in the end, Rothrock holds a fascination for me I can't fully explain. Maybe it's the challenge, maybe the diversity, maybe the beauty. In a nutshell, Id' have to say it's a tough place to visit, but a great place to live near.

Rothrock

Rothrock State Forest is my playground. And it's a big one. 215,000 acres of forested mountains in central Pennsylvania crisscrossed by innumerable trails and gravel roads. It encompasses three state parks, several natural areas of protected marsh and virgin hemlock forest, 7 mountains, and dozens of ridges. And the nearest trailhead is only 15 minutes from our apartment.

Central Pennsylvania is wilder and more forested than I had imagined. Looking at an aerial photo you can see the green parallel ridges of the Appalachians separated by flat agricultural valleys south of US-80 and the stream and gorge riven Pennsylvania Wilds north of 80. It's some of the more remote country in the east. Rothrock is the closest, just south of State College, and has the most developed trail system.



Deforested in the 1800's for charcoal used in the local iron industry, it was purchased by the state at the turn of the century when the forest was depleted and iron production moved closer to coal and the industrial centers. The forest has since regenerated and is managed for recreation and sustainable forestry.

This section of Pennsylvania is unglaciated, leaving jumbles of square rock along and down the ridges with soils concentrated in the valleys, broken and loosened by millennia of freeze and thaw. Ridge tops seem to climax in oak, valleys in hemlock and white pine over massive drifts of rhododendron and laurel. Eastern hardwoods cover the hillsides.

Broad patchwork agricultural valleys accentuate the verdant forests. There are few peaks - instead tall bread loaf ridges rise 1,400 feet above the valleys and run for miles.

There are gaps and hollows, the streams are called runs. Immaculate gravel motorized roads connect the various regions, gated two track tucks beneath the trees, single track spiders between the roads. It's a beautiful, diverse, rocky environment. And extensive. We've been here over 4 weeks, and I'm just beginning to get my head around it. It's not the kind of place you can know in a day, or a month, or even a year.

The Great Allegheny Passage Trail

After Gettysburg, instead of heading home we decided that a spur of the moment side trip to check out the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail was in order. What better to do on a three day weekend with your sweetie?

We'd read about this great rail to trail, and had been itching to see it. Stretching 135 miles from Pittsburgh to Cumberland through the Laurel Highlands, one of the most beautiful parts of Pennsylvania, it just begged to be tried. It even connects to the C&O towpath trail in Cumberland, Maryland, forming a 320 mile non-motorized trail from Pittsburgh to Washington DC.

We headed for Ohiopyle state park in the heart of the highlands, but not before stopping at this classic eatery along US-30 for lunch. Recently under new owners who obviously had a sense of humor, they played up the kitsch of the joint with a palm tree planter sporting a luau skirt, humorous signs, and loving preservation of all that was wrong with the architecture of this era. Even the food was classic - terrible.

Driving through the southern Pennsylvania highlands is beautiful - low mountains hang in the distance separated by rolling agricultural plateaus, the road dropping occasionally into scenic river valleys. We were making our way to the town of Confluence (oddly enough marked Confidence on our map) at the downstream exit of Ohiopyle park on the Youghiogheny River where we knew there was trail access. But we were unprepared for what a nice town we found. It was an outdoors recreationist's paradise. Bed and breakfasts set along the river sported rows of bike racks for the convenience of their bicycle touring patrons. Road biking in the area would be great too. White water outfitters offered kayaks, tours, training, and camping out back. All very casual, with maybe even a slight counter cultural vibe - relaxed, inviting, and slightly funky. We parked behind Riversport, got out the bikes and jumped on the trail.

We only rode 12 miles this time, but what we saw was impressive. The trail surface was immaculate compacted stone dust - almost like riding pavement. Multiple bridges across the river were modern and scenic. And the trail follows the river closely, offering regular glimpses of the riparian corridor. During fall color and in spring when the leaves are down and the under story blooming it must be incredible. A perfect place for casual bikers or long distance tourers, and we saw both - through riders with full paniers and families out for the evening. Towns every so often to stop at if you want to explore. Camping at the state park. We'll definitely have to come back for an overnight tour from inn to inn. That would be so easy here.

Dusk was approaching, so we headed back to the car, then plopped down on the deck of the Lucky Dog Cafe to watch the sun set over the river. A great place to stop in for simple food done well - my grass fed organic burger was superb, as were the homemade chips and potato salad. And you can even meet the lucky dogs, who stop by the table to say hi but are polite enough not to put their muzzles in your plate. This is a trip worth repeating.

Gettysburg

With Labor Day weekend approaching, a home game versus Youngstown State bringing thousands to town for the weekend, and a glorious forecast of sun and 70's, we decided to hit the road for another Pennsylvania excursion. This time - Gettysburg 2.5 hours away.

Ann had never been, and I hadn't in probably 40 years, so it really was time for us to reacquaint ourselves with the bloody, cruel, liberating piece of our country's history that was the American Civil War. Even after 40 years I have strong memories of the beauty of the Gettysburg battlefields and the hushed witness of the silent cannons and monuments. The slaughter that occurred there is almost inconceivable now, sharpening my sense of the violence that accompanies war.

The beauty of the battlefields and monuments remains for me the same. But the visitor center that was new when I was young had since been replaced. Time marches on, unlike memories. A very nice building that echoes the local farm architecture of stone and wood. I like too how the cyclorama (the 360 degree painting of Pickett's charge completed in 1884) has been housed in a reproduction round barn - a perfect fitting of function and traditional from.

Ann made us a reservation at the Baladary Inn, a B&B a few miles from downtown, and I make reservations with Gettysbike, offering guided bicycle tours of the battlefield. That seemed like it might be a good way to experience a large park (6,000 acres) on a more human scale more similar to that of the soldiers who fought here, and without the hassles of parking and driving. And it was. Our guide possessed a true passion for the history of Gettysburg, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the battle and of the entire Civil War. He lead us between the sites of the major actions as the battle unfolded day by day, stopping to lecture for long periods, offering background, detailing troop movements, quoting participants, even impersonating officers. It was a tour de force performance. We paid $100 for a 3 hour tour and got nearly 6 hours. I can think of no better way to experience Gettysburg.

We were concerned about biking in holiday weekend traffic, but within the park it was not an issue. Many of the roads are one way, all were exceedingly well paved, and folks drive very slowly. Especially the morning after the tour when we rode the park again, we hardly saw anyone until 11 am. Downtown in the tourist zone it got pretty congested and was best avoided.

Another significant change I noticed from my childhood visit was the work the park service has been doing to return the battle fields to their appearance in 1863. I have strong memories of climbing the wooded rocks and crevices of Devil's Den imagining the horror of the close fighting, ricocheting bullets, and gruesome casualties. I was shocked to find the woods gone, as is the forest leading up Little Round Top. All historically accurate I'm sure, but strongly dissonant with my memories.

It is disturbing to weigh the costs of that war, the great emancipation that came from it, and the long, troubled road from there to where we are today. How do you balance the acute human costs of the war against the chronic costs of slavery? 600,000 killed in the Civil War against 4 million people in bondage for generations. Battlefields like this are crucial to our collective memory of the costs and causes of war, and for prodding each of us to consider what price was paid, by whom, and to what ends. Reading about it is not the same as walking the same ground, seeing the 1,400 memorials, feeling the warm sun against my living skin where so many lives were cut so horribly short.

Biking Mohican

Why am I in Ohio riding at Mohican? Long story. In any case, on the journey back from the University of Michigan after dropping Ben I was visiting the family in Oberlin only an hour north of the premier mountain bike trail in Ohio. With no other commitments other than to be back in State College by dinner, how could I not?  It was even highly recommended by another mountain bikin' Ohio boy, Jim Meese. And darn if that didn't look just like Jim's truck in the parking lot. I had to check the license plate to be sure he hadn't come down from Houghton for another ride.

It was going to be another hot day, and I didn't get to the the trail till 10 am - I was already sweating. A quick turn from the gravel parking lot under the bridge and along the Black Fork River, right on the pavement to the park entrance, and I was at the trailhead.

The trail is single loop over 24 miles long that follows the ravines and gorges along the Black Fork River. And it starts with a vigorous 300' climb. Well benched and twisting up the side of the gorge in a series sinuous climbing grade turns, it has the look of the trails back home - narrow tread, occasional exposed roots and rocks, trees close in but not in the way.

Excellent flow and lots of variety in forest type - hardwoods, mature pine plantations, upland oak, ferns, dense hemlock stands, and ravine bottoms. Tread was mostly clay and fine broken rock, with regular exposed surface roots and rock, a couple interesting rock gardens, but nothing I couldn't ride with a second try (unlike a lot of Rothrock here in State College, but that's another posting).

Some log ramps over obstacles, and a few wide bridges. Did I mention the climbing? There's a lot of climbing in this trail. At least 2 big 300' climbs up from the river, interspersed by lots of rolling, flowing rise and descent along ravine side isoclines. When you're not climbing, you're descending. Several big descents too, with repeated tight, steep descending grade turns added lots of fun challenge. A few of these were the only points in the 24 miles of trail that needed some work. They were too steep to be sustainable, and skidding bikes and water had eroded challenging groves in the preferred line. If these were rebuilt as switchbacks (admittedly lots of work), the trail would be nearly perfect.

Halfway through the trail crosses to the other side of the Black Fork on a covered bridge. I was all psyched to ride the bridge, but alas it was in the throes of major repairs and I ended up wading beneath it - not bad on a hot, dry summer like this. Hopefully repairs will be complete by the time spring river levels return.


There's also a few nice rock outcrops. The only thing missing aesthetically was distant views. Like many trails in the east and midwest, most were obscured by trees. Fall or spring when the leaves are down should bring out more views. But beware the clay in the wet season.

The trails were very well marked at each intersection and at every mile. They had a simple marking system using PVC pipe and "u" post. With full height tubing it would look even nicer. I was pretty tired by this point. Amazingly, this is just the start of the Mohican 100 mountain bike race. It goes on for another 76 miles on local two tracks, gravel roads and single track open only for the race.

And when you're done, you can wash up in the river by the parking lot. Or stop at the local outfitters, rent an inner tube, and float off the trail grime in the Black Fork. Then head into nearby Loudenville for a bite and a drink. Also, if you plan on spending the night Mohican State Park has a very nice lodge and cabins. I spent several family vacations there in my youth.

In all, it took me about 3.5 hours (including photo stops), and left me tired, sweaty, and very happy. Highly recommended if you're in Ohio with your mountain bike.