2009-04-09 18:04:20
12
Pgh to Shannondale, PA
Might get up early and meet the wife and kids up in Shannondale (just south of Brookvile).
Once the 4 lane ends on 28 It seems like an OK biking road, other than some fast moving traffic.
Route plan so far:
View Larger Map
2009-04-09 18:01:29
The idea so far:
Saxonburg to Freeport Rd to 128 to 28 where it crosses 422, Take 28 all the way up. About 65 miles.
The google walking directions take a detour around New Bethlehem through farmland. Can't really see why, but seems like an OK route, it passes near a road labeled as both "Beautiful Lookout Road" and "Dump Road". Nice
Any advice?
2009-04-09 18:10:11
that goes WAY out of the way.
If I were going to ride there (visit alladin and its
sister city schenley, both are empty and have 1 road
in and one road out!!!)...
That way seems crazy.
you could take freeport road to freeport then garvers ferry to apollo then go from there.
2009-04-09 18:25:01
Wow! It is really cool that Googel gives walking directions. I'll start using it.
Rt 28 (along with Rt 51 and Banksville Rd) is on my do-not-ride list.
To me, "other than fast-moving traffic" is kinda like "Other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?"
Maybe north of I-80, Rt 28 probably isn't so bad. I might be mistaken about it between where it goes two-lane and I-80.
I would go for the smaller roads, though, even if they are a little longer and more hilly.
That means you would want to have to take a good map - or better, a few good maps. Maybe print out a lot of pages from Google-maps and have another detailed map.
Lots of turns, checking the map, asking for directions, and perhaps the occasional navigate-by-celestial-bodies, but that would be my preference. Others may disagree.
Mick
2009-04-09 18:32:49
Apollo?
Garvers Ferry?
Maybe I'm missing something but both these are on the wrong side of the river and south of Freeport. I'm headed north.
I'm not seeing how my route is out of the way. It is 2 miles longer than the direct route there by car (straight shot up 28). Are we talking about the same thing steevo?
I've found that often is is safer on wider busier roads than narrower roads with less traffic. I've been out on some back roads in PA with no shoulders, some country folk drive fast and don't expect bikes. Bad combination
2009-04-09 18:50:22
I used to drive through there on my way to college, the 2 lane sections of 28 are, from the best i can recall, mostly 55 mph an windy and hilly. There are some very cool town names that you will pass through..spaces corners (ive always plotted stealing their town sign), Goheenville and Distant. Not sure why I have always liekd these names, but they are cool to me. Either way, make sure to stop at the shannondale Ice cream stand for a twist cone. according to their sign a 
+ a twist = a 
. Sorry this whole post probably didnt help.....
2009-04-09 22:51:01
28 is deadly as it is a highway with a shoulder
essentially.
I mentioned appollo to get to 66n without going out
saxonburg. Saxonburg takes you out of the way. better ways to appollo and 56 and old 56 and north of all that
freeport rd to 128 is a straighter shot.
2009-04-12 15:35:20
Ah I get it now Steevo, thanks.
I ended up bagging the trip, got up and couldn't motivate myself to start the ride in the rain. No fenders on the road bike right now.
2009-04-13 01:34:56
Not sure if you'll attempt this ride again, but I would advise strongly against 28 from kittaning to New Beth. The hills are steep enough that you'll be going very slow relative to fast traffic, and there are a lot of "coal trucks" and logging trucks on that road.
Options could be; continue with your plans to Kittaning and 28N, but then swing a right and head out toward Rural Valley, PA (where they filmed opening scenes of Silence of the Lambs)and make your way up rte85, rt839 to sr1017, sr1019 to rte 536 into Mayport and back on 28 just south of Shannondale. Super rural, quiet and safe.
you could also access a similar, longer route by heading out 56east (from the new ken area) to 156 and then accessing 839 from 156.
final option, would be to drive.
2009-04-13 14:30:29
top, i'm doing this tomorrow, i'm planning on crossing the 62nd st bridge to freeport to leechburg , winding up to kitanning and following the river to bridgeburg and taking 1018/1025 to my destination
if anyone has any advice for any of these roads i would really appreciate the foresight.
map
2010-04-02 03:09:52
top, i'm doing this tomorrow, i'm planning on crossing the 62nd st bridge to freeport to leechburg , winding up the armstrong trail to 1018/1025 to my destination
if anyone has any advice for any of these roads i would really appreciate the foresight. really taking off on leechburg is the only questionable thing i see... anyway... please advise
map
2010-04-02 03:26:32