PGHNeil

Thanks for the bump. I'm in the Pittsburgh area. Someone mentioned Nottingham which isn't far away from me, but that area has become overrun with natural gas drill sites so truck traffic on those back roads has VASTLY increased. Don't get me started.

As for me, I'm slightly closer in to the city just off the Allegheny county line where the Montour trail traverses. The trail is mostly crushed limestone but I have designs to try the single track circuit in nearby South Park. I can ride to the park from my house (which can be exciting since the trail stops for a bit and you have to ride a particularly windy section of Brownsville Road for about 3/4 of a mile) but it takes me to the lowest elevation point in the park so I think I'm just going to drive to the upper part. I tried the ride on two wheels but the park is still in semi-shutdown for winter so the trails are still mucky (with evidence of horse riding in the area so I'm not sure if it's 100% mud!) and there are lots of fallen trees that I'm not skilled enough yet to traverse.

For now, I'm going to stick to riding the easy route for distance. I particularly love the stretch of the Montour Trail from Rt. 19 and over Morganza Road through Cecil, past McDonald then on to the Pandhandle trail either out west to Burgettstown or east toward Oakdale and make a beer run to Helicon Brewing. I'm hoping the latter becomes a regular weekend "date ride" with my wife. In the height of the riding season I can ride 40+ miles round trip and uninterrupted from my neighborhood without having to risk riding on a road.

My only complaint is that the trail is incomplete between Rts 88 and 51; the latter of which is nearly a death march across a 4 lane divided highway and the destination is the city of McKeesport, which is a destination best avoided after dark. If it weren't for that, I could conceivably bikepack from my driveway all the way to Washington DC - if I were in any shape for that lol!.

To be fair though, there are stretches along Piney Fork Road and the Youghegheny Trail toward and around Ohiopyle State Park that are positively serene where one could pitch a tent. I wouldn't recommend it though; there are several sewage treatment plants along the way lol!

Pilot321

Chester Springs, Chester County here (not Chester God forbid!). Dealing with the hills since last summer after a thirty year hiatus on my 87 Cannonball SR500 racing bike. I've ridden through most of the winter except for some really cold days. Great riding here, although it is getting much busier due to the population influx.

indyfabz

Be careful if you ride St. Mathew's Rd. south of Pughtown Rd. My ex-GF was seriously injured by a dog that came running off of a property near where St. Mathew's ends at Pughtown. She's in rehab suffering from the effects of a closed head injury that included bleeding in her temporal lobe.

Pilot321

Dogs are dangerous too. Early in my riding days, on a group ride I saw a very aggressive dog cause a serious accident when it went after the lead rider. Fortunately, the guy's helmet saved him, and he was not injured beyond a few scrapes and bruises. Scary though. I do ride that road on occasion, and as there are not shoulders it can get interesting.,

indyfabz

Fortunately, she was with people, including an M.D. and a lawyer. They were able to identify where the dog came from. The cops and animal control took statements from everyone. Don't think my ex ever saw it as it hit her from behind. The owner claimed to have an invisible fence. It obviously didn't deter the animal. I can only imagine what all this is going to cost in terms of medical bills. A couple of days in ICU and possibly a month in in-patient rehab isn't going to be cheap. I know she has health insurance through work, but I don't know how good it is. Hoping she has a relatively low yearly max out of pocket limit. (Mine is $6,000.) Going after the dog owner for what's not covered could get ugly. The good news is that the bike, a custom IF with an i9 wheelset, it supposedly fine.

tddeangelo

Berks County PA here (near Cabela's if you know where that is)....loads of hills!

And dogs. The story above is sobering. I've had a couple close calls where dogs nearly got into my back wheel. Farm dogs tend to roam free and do what they want....and it can be pretty dicey when they come rocketing out of nowhere.

Altair 4

Just outside of Pittsburgh in the lower North Hills now, but I've lived in PA my entire live and once had a job that took me to so many of the places and towns mentioned in this resurrected thread. I could almost sing a song like Johnny Cash's "I've been Everywhere," but just of PA towns.

indyfabz

Heh. I have lived in PA my entire life as well, except for the four school terms I spent at prep school in MA. Ridden across the state 5 times. Twice supported and three times unsupported. I have, on occasion, thought of writing a song like that with names of places I have ridden through.

"I been to Chambersburg, Milesburg, Shippenville, Bloomsburg, Khylertown, Allentown, Jim Thorpe, Knauertown. I've been every where, man. I've been everywhere."

Altair 4

I've been through all of them. Here's a couple more remote ones: Austin, Kane, Coudersport, Emporium. I remember driving to Austin once where the car radio would not stop scanning on AM or FM due to the complete lack of signals during the day. The two lane blacktop was about the loneliest drive I've taken in PA.