anyone go for a ride today? Pics?

[Grimly]

Tuesday - another local castle.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

The Kinzua Bridge has long been on my bucket list. I headed out to ride there last Sunday, but turned around after an hour due to impending bad weather. Would have been wet pretty much the whole way there and back. Today looked better. Told the wife I’d be home by 6. That turned out to be not very accurate.

2 hours in came the first drizzle. So I stopped to fill up, asked the gas jockey (yes, a full service gas station in East Jabip, PA. Go figure.) if I could leave the bike parked at the pump, under roof, to wait out what I thought would be a quick shower. Checking my weather app, I saw we’d be in for quite a soaking. So I just chilled there and shot the breeze with the guy for about 45 minutes. A clearing was coming, then another big cell. But north, where I was headed, looked like it would be clear. I donned my rain gear and continued on. Still about 30 minutes from my destination the second cell hit, then it hit hard.

Powered through it about 15 minutes til I just couldn’t see. Found a dirt parking lot and pulled off. Just sat there for a few seconds looking around for cover. At the far end of the parking lot I could see a small walking bridge, 2 kids fishing in the downpour, and a pavilion - just what I needed. Rode to that end of the lot through puddles that were hiding about a 5 inch layer of some kind of loose freshly dropped cinder/gravel or whatever this township uses to fill in the puddles when this lot gets too pot-holey. Really scared I was going to drop the bike in the mud in the middle of a downpour I stood up and throttled through it to more solid ground. Found a place where I thought my kickstand stood the best chance of not sinking in to the muck, grabbed my phone and coffee, dismounted, crossed the bridge and sat down at the pavilion. The boys gave me a look as I passed, but they continued fishing. They certainly couldn’t have gotten any wetter. I took off a bunch of wet stuff and sat and chatted with the boys’ parents for about 45 minutes and waited for this storm to pass. It came down pretty hard for quite a while. Turns out the couple had been married on the the skywalk at the Kinzua Bridge, where I was headed. Pics below. The road up Rt 120 and the different route back Rt 44 were great roads for the most part (except a section of 44 that was tar and chip). I’ll have to ride them again when they’re dry. Nothing very twisty, but long sweeping curves with great mountain and creek/river views.

Oh, and I didn’t get home till after 8. My burger was cold, but so was the beer and the potato salad. So, all in all, a great day.
300 miles. 6 hours in the saddle.

[Eli69]

Kinzua bridge is pretty cool. Twisted metal.

I took the Ugly out on the 4th for a bike n hike. Parked at Swift Hill State Forest and followed the Finger Lakes Trail for a couple miles. Then, since I hate retracing my steps, I took the long way by road back to my bike. That turned out to be a long, hot stroll.

View along walk back to bike:



Parking spot had a bit of a water crossing...

]

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Kinzua bridge is pretty cool. Twisted metal.

If figured you must have been there at lease once in your many treks across northwestern PA.

[pdqford]

The back story of the Kinzua Bridge is pretty interesting.

And I can remember seeing the Kinzua Dam before it filled with water.