Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Chips and Stones

Part of the Pennsylvania Wilds, my favorite run to date is Pa Route 144. It begins in Potters Mills at the Eutaw house and ends 100 miles later on the northern tier at the intersection of U.S. 6 in Galeton, Pa. I usually pick it up in Bellefonte then ride it through to Renovo where I can grab a late breakfast. The best section of this leg comes after the straight away at the top of the ridge road. Twists, turns, mottled sunlight and no services—it has everything.

Currently it’s being chipped and oiled. Nothing sucks the fun out of a ride like loose gravel and hot tar. Sometimes this process is a harbinger of a complete overhaul—and the promise of a new surface. A quick look at the PennDOT site tells me otherwise. Time to find a new section of road and let the chips fall where they may.

2 comments:

Sojourner's Moto Tales said...

More and more I'm finding that my favorite little roads, some of which are sheer heaven, are being re-discovered and re-envisioned for "better" use! Yeah, right!

Glad I found you here. Looking forward to catching on your blog!

Jonathan said...

Thank for stopping by. Since I wrote this, another road has been tarred and chipped. If anything, it forces me to slow down and enjoy the scenery even more.

It's not the road maintenance that gets me, it's seeing surveyor's flags. That gives me the chills.