jim thorpe
when me and my wife went here 3 yrs ago i said to my myself that i will be back here again riding fom clifton.
and yesterday i was luckily enough to make that happened altho i was a little bit worry with the weather in that morning however from my experience with weather i knew those shower won't stay with me forever.
jim thorpe was an american athlete legend he's by far the most talented and versatile athlete in the world that has ever lived.now his name is mortalizing in a town bear his name an honor and tribute to him for his excellent contribution to this great country.
this small town nestled in a foothill surounded by mountain and flow of lehigh river make it perfect place for tourist attractions that annualy flock these town thru out four season.it has many sporting activities for all ages and all kind of games you wish to play.
from hiking,biking,kayaking,horseback riding skiing and many more this town got it cover for all your needs.
now let me take you back a two or three step back...
6hrs ago,..before i get to jim thorpe.
there's a good news about riding on route 46 as of yesterday the roads surface is paved with new asphalt and wide shoulder altho there's still few section have no shoulder but still suffice to say it will do.and the bridge was almost done.
5yrs ago i read news that "they" planing working on route 46 and 17 as biking route could this be a good sign? well time will tell...
but,.yesterday i was all smiling riding along that route for almost 40miles from clifton.but don't take my word for it in case you wondering.
from buttzville i make left turn on water st to bellvidere and then x-ing to pensylvania.quickly i was greeted with different atmosphere were the roads are narower and bumpy.
but the view was stunning,with all those farm land and open fields that visible for miles away.and not to mention the smell in the air was also typical rural farm country.wich i missed the most for living too darn long in city.
the traffics is very low and quite maybe it becoz weekend day.
and what hit me the most was..HILLs
yes,the hill.
it seem endles in this country,never thought it would be so many hill.
this come to think as a shock to me..make me realize that jersey has nothing compare to it.altho each have different character landscape.while penn is smooth and quite meanwhile jersey is rough and rugged and loud.
both has HILL but with different personality.
the lowest grade is 2% and the highest 18% and the good news is the grade will stay at average 4-6% for this entire trips.
i'm not a strong climber but sure..i can handle 6-8% with 9-11mph speed
for short distance won't be an issue but long distance is another story.
so,.certainly penn wasn't as flat as i imagine would be.(how silly i was)
couple of miss turn and mechanical i deal with.also make alot of stop for water and foods.sightseeing is taken me a lot time other than riding.
gotta make the most of it coz i won't be back no more,i'm sick of all those HILLs.
with more than 10.000 ft climb elevation with 1.700 ft for the highest single climb and 150 ft for the lowest elev.not a big deal you say.try that riding for a day and tell me about it.it maybe not in the west but i'm happy with this accomplisment for my personal experience.
after i have enough sighseeing around jim thorpe town,i headed towards route 903 north and then to reservoir rd..this particular roads
was so qiute i didn't even heard bird singing nor encounter any animal.
no cars,no human.
nothing..for about 5 miles long and climbing took me and hour to finish without cars passing me.what a weird roads.
and route 209 very much alive lots of bussiness establishment.
meet many nice country folks that willing to help you out without suspicious notion.
at the end of day
this trips certainly bring out my view about traveling in bicycles and what you or i'm can accomplished in such a short day or a day.
not only i love being on the bike but also love learn history in every place that i visit along this route.really worth time and suffering riding all those darn hills.
lehigh gap rails-to-rails trail
i saw this from the bridge above it and curious i check it out and found out i can biked to jim thorpe wich is only 7miles from this trail.trails surface is dirt but still doable with sturdier road tire.so i get on it and save me alot of time.the AT trail run next to this trail.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/168721562
until next tour.
liong