penn dutch tour suggestion

  • Thread starter Phil Blumenkran
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Phil Blumenkran

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Looking for loop tour of penn dutch country - all of the
references either do a traditional loop on the heaviest
trafficked roads or 10-25 mile jaunts from here to there.
Looking at Lancaster as base but besides the usual would
like to get up around Terre Hill, Ephrata, possibly
Bowmansville and Lilitz - anyone have a pre-designed route
with cue sheets (or just a list of roads) to share? Thanks.
So far I've looked at cue sheets from Lancaster Bike Club
and several bike books, again with the problem of either
too heavy traffic roads are to in-out-jaunts, as noted.
Thanks, Phil
 
I've found all the roads wonderful. With all the locals
riding their bikes and buggies, all the back roads are nice,
and all but the busiest main roads are also accomandating.
Many have wide shoulders but watch for the soft brown
patches, they stick to your tires and land in the face of
the guy drafting you.

Many sights are found away from the crowds. Check out
Shirk's pro bike shop run by bare-foot Amish, found between
Blue Ball, Churchtown, Fetterville and Beartown on Ligalaw
road. But don't go too fast, you might miss it as it looks
like every other farm building on the country road. What an
amazing mix of cultures - all the latest high end road and
mountain bike stuff mixed with all the simple bikes the
other locals ride.

If you want hillier routes check out southern Lancaster or
Chester County. I live just north of Exton and enjoy the
spectacular riding with so many choices of routes.

So just get a good map and enjoy the ride.

Bruce

"Phil Blumenkrantz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Looking for loop tour of penn dutch country - all of the
> references either do a traditional loop on the heaviest
> trafficked roads or 10-25 mile jaunts from here to there.
> Looking at Lancaster as base but besides the usual would
> like to get up around Terre Hill, Ephrata, possibly
> Bowmansville and Lilitz - anyone have a pre-designed route
> with cue sheets (or just a list of roads) to share?
> Thanks. So far I've looked at cue sheets from Lancaster
> Bike Club and several bike books, again with the problem
> of either too heavy traffic roads are to in-out-jaunts, as
> noted. Thanks, Phil
 
Those of us who visit Lancaster county PA need more detailed
guidance, if the bicycle touring there is going to live up
to its apparently inflated reputation. Generally Sharon and
I have found nicer riding further north: in the Oley valley,
roughly halfway between Reading and Boyertown. (Is that the
"northern" Pennsylvania Dutch?) Or the valley area just
south of Kutztown and Trexlertown. And we liked the
Forgedale - Dryville - Bowers connection thru the hills
between those two valleys.

Bruce Frech wrote
> I've found all the roads wonderful.

Not "all", Not "wonderful". Sharon and I would find a couple
of miles on a pretty farm road, but then that would be
interrupted by a section of suburban houses (especially when
we got anywhere vaguely near to the city of Lancaster). Many
of the quiet roads take a straight steep line over a ridge,
with no curving to make the steepness grade more gentle.

Or we'd finish the nice farm road, but then be required to
go two miles on a road with lotsa car traffic to get to
another mile on a nice farm road. Yes the high-traffic road
had a decent shoulder (maybe that counts as "wonderful" by
Pennsylvania riding standards?), but when we come all the
way to Lancaster county, we hope for more. And we were
unimpressed by quality of the food stops we found.

One area Sharon and I did like was some quiet roads along
the Conestoga River (sorta near the intersection of Rt
222 and 322).

If Lancaster county wants to try to be a good weekend
destination for road-bicycling, somebody needs to show us
two good 40-60 mile routes (or four 20-30 milers), each with
a high percentage of pretty farms and one or two nice food
stops, and not real hilly.

Ken
 
> If Lancaster county wants to try to be a good weekend
> destination for road-bicycling, somebody needs to show us
> two good 40-60 mile routes (or four 20-30 milers), each
> with a high percentage of pretty farms and one or two nice
> food stops, and not real hilly.

Good luck finding more bucolic roads out that way. At the
Pedal to Preserve ride, run by the Lancaster Farmland Trust
to help preserve farmland, we went through so many recent
housing areas that I thought the purpose of the ride was to
scare us: "Support us or else this is what you'll get--more
instant suburbs!"

But all over SE PA, that's the story. Rural suburban areas
outside of Philadelphia are now so crowded that traffic
lights are being set up at more and more rural
intersections. It's not quite as bad as city riding, but....

BTW, most of the riding around here is at least rolling, and
hillier towards Trexlertown (north) and Harrisburg/Lancaster
(west). The mountain goats do have some good challenges, but
NJ, just over the river, has a number of infamous climbs.
--Roy Zipris
 
"Ken Roberts" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Those of us who visit Lancaster county PA need more
> detailed guidance, if the bicycle touring there is going
> to live up to its apparently inflated reputation.
> Generally Sharon and I have found nicer riding further
> north: in the Oley valley, roughly halfway between Reading
> and Boyertown. (Is that the "northern" Pennsylvania
> Dutch?) Or the valley area just south of Kutztown and
> Trexlertown. And we liked the Forgedale - Dryville -
> Bowers connection thru the hills between those two
> valleys.
>
> Bruce Frech wrote
> > I've found all the roads wonderful.
>
> Not "all", Not "wonderful". Sharon and I would find a
> couple of miles on a pretty farm road, but then that would
> be interrupted by a section of suburban houses (especially
> when we got anywhere vaguely near to the city of
> Lancaster). Many of the quiet roads take a straight steep
> line over a ridge, with no curving to make the steepness
> grade more gentle.
>
> Or we'd finish the nice farm road, but then be required
> to go two miles on a road with lotsa car traffic to get
> to another mile on a nice farm road. Yes the high-traffic
> road had a decent shoulder (maybe that counts as
> "wonderful" by Pennsylvania riding standards?), but when
> we come all the way to Lancaster county, we hope for
> more. And we were unimpressed by quality of the food
> stops we found.
>
> One area Sharon and I did like was some quiet roads along
> the Conestoga River (sorta near the intersection of Rt 222
> and 322).
>
> If Lancaster county wants to try to be a good weekend
> destination for road-bicycling, somebody needs to show us
> two good 40-60 mile routes (or four 20-30 milers), each
> with a high percentage of pretty farms and one or two nice
> food stops, and not real hilly.
>
> Ken

Just got back from the No Baloney Classic in Lebanon, PA.
Rode two of the three loops - 75 miles total, and not one
housing development on the entire ride. Put this event on
your calendar for next year. See
http://www.lebvalbikeclub.org for more information.

For rides in Lancaster County, the western side of the
county is more rural than the central and eastern parts. The
Dream Rides starting in Marietta are a good way to see the
more rural parts of Lancaster County. See
http://www.dreamrideprojects.org for more information.

Jack
 
Those sound like good areas for riding -- Sharon and I did a
couple of nice routes in the Lebanon PA area many years ago.
But of course those areas are nowhere near any of the towns
that the original poster was asking about.

Ken

Jack wrote
> Just got back from the No Baloney Classic in Lebanon, PA.
> Rode two of the three loops - 75 miles total, and not one
> housing development on the entire ride. Put this event on
> your calendar for next year. See
> http://www.lebvalbikeclub.org for more information.
>
> For rides in Lancaster County, the western side of the
> county is more rural than the central and eastern parts.
> The Dream Rides starting in Marietta are a good way to see
> the more rural parts of Lancaster County. See
> http://www.dreamrideprojects.org for more information.
 
I was touring in Ill and Wis and didn't see the OP. I've
enjoyed routes from a paperback of South-central
Pennsylvania bike rides. Sorry it isn't at hand

"Ken Roberts" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:Tk9Ic.232044$Gx4.101984@bgtnsc04-
news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
| Those sound like good areas for riding -- Sharon and I did
| a couple of
nice
| routes in the Lebanon PA area many years ago. But of
| course those areas
are
| nowhere near any of the towns that the original poster was
| asking about.
|
| Ken
|
| Jack wrote
| > Just got back from the No Baloney Classic in Lebanon,
| > PA. Rode two of the three loops - 75 miles total, and
| > not one housing development on the entire ride. Put this
| > event on your calendar for next year. See
| > http://www.lebvalbikeclub.org for more information.
| >
| > For rides in Lancaster County, the western side of the
| > county is more rural than the central and eastern parts.
| > The Dream Rides starting in Marietta are a good way to
| > see the more rural parts of Lancaster County. See
| > http://www.dreamrideprojects.org for more information.
|
|
 
Roy Zipris wrote
> . . . more instant suburbs!" But all over Southeastern PA,
> that's the story . . .

A couple of weeks ago I ran into an older guy out riding up
in Columbia county in the Hudson valley in NY. He told me
liked to ride every day. I asked him where he lived and he
said eastern Pennsylvania.

He had found a cheap _apartment_ in Columbia county and
rented it for two months so he could do his riding up there.
He said it was God's country. \

I was amazed at how radically he had taken his passion for
great road touring -- and that he had somehow discovered
Columbia county. We talked some more and he'd gotten into
road bicycling when he spent part of his career working in
Europe. I guess he knew there had to be something better
than what he was finding in southeast Pennsylvania. He said
his daughter was going to college somewhere an hour away. He
didn't have a guidebook -- just getting out and exploring
the roads.

I'd have to say that Columbia county and northern Dutchess
county up in New York actually deliver on the agricultural
image that "Pennsylvania Dutch" country tries to sell. About
as good touring on quiet farm roads as you can find in the
northeastern U.S. without putting your bicycle on an
airplane to Europe. For some riding ideas see http://roberts-
1.com/bikehudson/r/p/e/c/columbia_county/map/index

The quality of the touring is so good that I've started
going up there and _skating_ http://roberts-
1.com/sk8hv/v/e/harv/cfalls_wassaic/photos/03-oct/a or
getting cyclists and skaters together: http://roberts-1.com/sk8hv/v/e/tg/tle/photos/03-
oct/a

Ken
____________________________________
Roy Zipris <[email protected]> wrote
> Good luck finding more bucolic roads out that way. At the
> Pedal to Preserve ride, run by the Lancaster Farmland
> Trust to help preserve farmland, we went through so many
> recent housing areas that I thought the purpose of the
> ride was to scare us: "Support us or else this is what
> you'll get--more instant suburbs!"
>
> But all over SE PA, that's the story. Rural suburban
> areas outside of Philadelphia are now so crowded that
> traffic lights are being set up at more and more
> rural intersections. It's not quite as bad as city
> riding, but....
 
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