Monday, August 26, 2019

September R12: Portland-Stillwater Oldie but Goodie

The R12 event for September revisits a route we haven't ridden in over five years: a loop up to Stillwater Lake that starts/finishes in Portland, PA. You will travel over familiar roads, but at unfamiliar states of fatigue (or lack thereof). It's a beautiful loop with two significant climbs. The finale of the ride passes under the Paulinskill Viaduct and through two Lackawanna tunnels. For full information about the ride, and to register online, see the event web site.

Paulins Kill Viaduct


The old route out of Portland has held up pretty well over the years. The start controle, once a diner, then a bagel shop, is now a Dunkin'.  Nevertheless, some issues on the course needed to be addressed. The cuesheets and RWGPS route have been updated with detours and important safety notes. Make sure you have at least version 3 of the cues, and GPS route updated on or after 26 August 13:17 EDT.

Note that parking at the start of the ride in not at the Dunkin' Donuts. Rather, please park at the Portand Park-N-Ride lot just south of the toll plaza and the railroad tracks crossing River Rd. Speaking of those tracks, you'll likely cross them three times: too and from the Dunkin' and then after the finish. They are angled a bit, and might be slippery, so be careful when you cross them.

The finish of the ride is at Theresa's Pizza.  This is not where your car is parked. There is a very short, all downhill coast back to your car at the Park-N-Ride.




Organizer Chris Nadovich conducted a course check-out pre-ride on August 24th. Here are some course notes:

I lucked out for my pre-ride. It was ideal weather: high 50s at the start moving to low 70s by mid-day. I hope the day of event has equally nice weather so everyone can appreciate this beautiful course.

There was very little of concern on the course, roadway wise. Most of the pavement was in good to excellent condition. Mind the railroad tracks near the start/finish. Stay alert for the occasional gravel patch, pothole or storm grate, and take care riding on or crossing busy roads. Otherwise, enjoy the ride.

mile 40.8 -- Originally, Bridge St bagel was listed as the controle stop in Milford, and this is an excellent place for breakfast. Unfortunately, later in the day I found it quite busy. When I was there (10 AM) the line was out the door. To mitigate against this problem, the Milford controle is now listed as an open controle. If the bagel shop is too busy, good alternatives are the Milford Market and the Citgo. 

mile 70.7 -- This Shell station is the last controle with services sure to be available. Please replenish here, as there are slim pickens for the next 45 miles. The RDJ deli at this Shell makes a decent sandwich.  When I arrived there was only one person minding the store (the woman owner who's kids are named R, D, and J). She was very nice. I had no trouble getting my order quickly, there were few customers, but be sensitive to the possibility of delay if the place is busy.

mile 95 -- Slower riders may not reach the  Millside Cafe (mi 95) before the kitchen closes (3PM). And the Geo. D. Garris General Store in Stillwater (mi 109) closed years ago.  If you're desperate for provisions and Millside is closed, there are services in either direction on Rt 15 about a mile off course. Also, if Millside is closed so you can't get a signature for your card, please answer the info question.

mile 115 -- The Rt 94 bridge in Blairstown is still under construction. There was only one lane open and a traffic light meters one-way traffic through in alternating directions. Instead of waiting your turn and braving the highway traffic, the cues have been revised to take you over the Paulins Kill via the Footbridge in "Footbridge Park". It adds a little distance but is a much more pleasant way to cross the creek. Note too that the Paulins Kill is the same creek crossed by the Paulins Kill Viaduct (121.2), and you will re-cross the Paulins Kill on the Station Rd bridge (121.6).

Entrance to Footbridge Park in Blairstown


Monday, August 5, 2019

Ride Report: YARRR 200K

The relatively small field make quick work of a the challenging course through the Philly suburbs. All 5 of the 5 riders that clipped in made it to the finish in good time for a 100% completion rate.  Preliminary results for the 2019 edition of the Yet Another River to River Ride (YARRR) 200K have been posted on the website.  Please review the results and let me know if they align with your memory.  The results will be submitted to RUSA later in the week and will become official once certified by the ACP.

The YARRR route is challenging both for the climbing and for the hot summer weather that usally accompanies it. Route detours to avoid  flood damaged roads added some to the climbing, but the weather was better than usual. A threat of storms (that never arrived) kept temperatures in the tolerable range.

One of the highlights of the YARRR route (especially in the warm weather) is the Sundae School ice cream shop. They run their air conditioning at full blast, have good places to sit down, and serve a wide variety of flavors. Joe Ray opted for some  salted-something-smores confection in a shake. "It was delicious," he reported, "but the chunks of graham cracker kept getting stuck in the straw." Ahh, the hardships we randonneurs face.

A few of the "hardships" at Sundae School
With PBP only a couple weeks away, most riders are tapering their miles and getting ready for travel to Paris. Nevertheless, three of the five riders that clipped in for YARRR are bound for France: Greg Keenan, Joe Ray, and Paul Weaver. All three seemed most prepared for that grand randonnee. Bonne route to all three of you, and to all Pennsylvania Randonneurs and rando friends throughout the rando community!



Coming up next, the September event is the final ACP brevet on the calendar, a very old 200K route out of Portland, PA that we haven't run in a long time. Visit the event web page for all the details.