Through the Pennsylvania Hills (Aug '10) - Return Trip!

Before I had to roll back to Maryland, I was able to get a little more riding in around the old stomping grounds. I cut out from our family reunion on Saturday for about 20 minutes to give cousin Louise a ride around Amish Country between Mercer and Volant. Passed a few buggies along the way and waved at a couple Amish kids who were admiring my ride (they have good taste). After the reunion, I cruised back down around home and rode down past Cooper's Lake Campground to observe the collection of bucket-heads who were gathered for the Pennsic War. My friend Kat (no, not Kat Von D, unfortunately) was somewhere in that gaggle with her family but we weren't able to connect.

Moving right along, I rode over to see my friends Mike & Shelley so I could check out Shelley's Raider. Now, I always thought Shel was a cool lady, but any gal who rides a Raider takes it to a whole 'nother level! I'm thinking about putting different pipes on my bike, and she had a set of Cobras on her's that I wanted to hear.

Shelley's rockin' Raider.

View Portersville, PA to Columbia, MD in a larger map

On Sunday morning it was time to head back to Maryland so I started off by retracing my steps back as far as Ebensburg on Rt. 422 where I hopped over to Rt. 22 and moved east a few miles before dropping off south on Rt. 164 toward Raystown Lake. This was another excellent ride through the hills and valleys of central Pennsylvania. There are some fantastic sights along the tops of the hills, and some nice curves and sweepers one would expect whilst rolling up, down and around the hills. There are a few small towns along the way as well, in case there's a need for fuel for the bike or your belly. There's a big gap between Portage and East Freedom, and then you have Roaring Spring and Martinsburg in quick succession. After another shot of hills, I came up to Rt. 26 which is where I turned south toward Everett.

I don't think I knew I would cross the Eastern Continental Divide.

On Rt. 164 towards Raystown. Darn power lines mess up a great view.

Rt. 26 runs north/south along the entire western side of Raystown Lake, but I caught it down near the south side. It was time for lunch; I'd passed a few fast-food joints in the aforementioned towns because I wanted something local and diner-ish. As luck would have it, I came up to the Happy Hollow Restaurant near Saxton. From the outside, it seemed like what I was looking for. I walked in and the first thing I saw was a counter with paper placemats and a few knick-knacks fastened to the wall. Perfect. One of the specials was ham steak so that's what I ordered, and I settled in with coffee and my map to take a look over where I'd been and where I was moving toward next. I enjoyed the banter between the wait staff and the locals while I worked on the ham steak & fries that I ordered.

The Happy Hollow Restaurant near Saxton on Rt. 26.

Heading back out on Rt. 26 south, I had a nice cruise along the Warrior's Path State Park and then a few miles along the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River. The road bends west a bit before curving back south towards Everett. Below Everett, I very much enjoyed the great curves on Rt. 26. What a fun road!

I needed to get on back to Columbia so I hopped onto I-68 and rolled east, getting on I-70 to get on back home. This weekend’s rides through Pennsylvania was incredible. I can’t wait to do it again - hopefully with some company next time!

One happy biker, raccoon eyes and all.