I made a reservation for 8/14-8/15 at the Red Roof Inn by the Lancaster-Reading exit of the Penn. Turnpike (Denver mailing address, N. Reading Rd.).
Our Sat. ride will leave from the motel and pedal 5 or 6 miles each way to downtown Ephrata. We will meet at the Visitors' Center across the street from the start of the Warwick-Ephrata Rail Trail. The trail is all paved. We will see one of the two most unusual things I have ever seen on a rail trail: a Gnome Dome. It is full of decorations and signs. It is in someone's backyard with no view of the home possible. In 8 miles from Main St., the trail ends. We are less than 2 miles from downtown Lititz, where we will take a rest stop. There is not a Wilbur Chocolate factory in Lititz anymore.
We will return to Ephrata on the trail. If there is time and interest, we can visit The Cloisters. The terrain will be 3/4. The mileage will be about 30 miles.
If this idea is sounds better, we can head in a southeasterly direction to Shirk's Bike Shop and visit the Amish over there. I don't know the mileage and it would be slightly hillier cause there is no rail trail option.
An option for Sunday would be to ride along the Schuylkill River on the trail. One trail head that would be on the way home would be located along Rt. 724, 1/4 mile (?) from the I-176 exit. This is between Reading and Birdsboro and north of Morgantown. If one arrives in Birdsboro, the road to Geigertown (Rt. 82) was flooded out years ago and never restored. You can see and feel what yellow line fever is like!
If anyone is interested in this trip, please make your own motel reservations.
Leader: Dan Rappoport 609 924 9417 609 933 6258