The Fantasic Voyage!

[The Historian]

The Fantastic Voyage is the name Bike Forums poster "guybierhaus" gives to his yearly organized ride in historic Oley Township, near Reading, Pennsylvania. This year's ride featured two courses, an 8 mile short route and a 17.35 mile tour of this land of running streams, old barns and working farms, historic churches, covered bridges, and a terrain that's a lot less hilly than most of the Southeastern Pennsylvania countryside.

Three people elected for the long route; Guy, a friend of his named John, and I. Here's John and Guy at the midpoint of the ride:

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John rode a vintage Motobecane bike, complete with the "made in France" stamp on the chainstay.

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I hope John's bike enjoyed the view as much as I did.

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Two glorious churches side by side - UCC and Lutheran - each a wonder in its own right. Oley Township had itself declared a National Historic District to save the land from development, and the churches are merely a small symbol of what was saved by doing so. Incidentally, while I passed the churches on the ride, I didn't stop for photos then, but went back afterwards.

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"One short sleep past, we wake eternally...." While looking at the graveyard in Salem UCC, I was moved by the sight of this headstone for a child taken far too soon.

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Turning away from the churches, one is back into farm country.

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After the ride was complete, we all gathered for lunch at the Bridge Inn in Pleasantville. After a hearty meal, the Fantastic Voyage ended for another year. But we will be back, as long as Guy keeps organizing them.

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[mkadam68]

Thanks for sharing. Beautiful.

[Mazama]

Great photos. That one church looks like it could be in Italy.

[rideorglide]

That looks like a lot of fun and a delicious relaxed ride.

[guybierhaus]

Thanks for write up Niel. I unfortunately always forget something when I leave the house, and that day it was my camera. But hey, some things really don't change.

This is the Keim Homestead built by Jacob Keim about 1755. We passed that.
http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bierhaus/Keim%20Haus.JPG

This is the Kauffman homestead, built around 1745, and today still owned by the family. We passed that.
http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bierhaus/Kauffman%20Home.JPG

This is the Bertolette Mill, we passed that. And of course I named my bike after the family.
http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bierhaus/Bertolette%20Mill.JPG

And from last year I got a pic of the Historian. He's riding the Navigator here. He's mush faster with the 7.5FX. Although friend John has a "got to win thing" , so he did his best to stay in front of both of us.
http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bierhaus/Historian.jpg

I do it all again in the fall.