Type 2 Diabetic. Cyclist Flâneur.   Coffeeneur.    Errandoneur
A bike / map geek with a gadget obsession and a high-viz fetish.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

North Star Junction to Santiago and Imperial

4/27 24M 244#
24 miles on the Montour Trail's north-east end, which I haven't been on in at least six months.

Started off inauspiciously, as my trunk bag on my rear rack lost the connection between the straps and the bag, causing the bag to depart the formation and calling for a return to the car. That bag has gained some weight, and when I went rummaging through it to extract anything essential for the ride the answer was: not much, really. Seems like a self-teachable moment.

Back on the bike, rode MP0 in Groveton to MP11.5 in Boggs round trip. Took a nap in the sun at Boggs. Curious that a man in disheveled dirty clothes with his possessions in bags taking a nap at the Point is a problem, but a man in high-viz with his possessions in panniers taking a nap at the Trailhead is a sign of successful advocacy.

Also pleased to see a new historical marker at MP9.1, the North Star Junction at which the Montour Railroadtrain line once split to go to either Santiago or Imperial (the latter being the course followed by the Montour Trail). What I really liked about the marker was it includes a historic photo. The track switch in the photo is at the same position as the historic marker is today, so you can compare the photo with the layout of the land and see where the other train line used to go. It's pretty cool.

Talked with a couple at Boggs, the gentleman is prepping for a Canada-to-Mexico ride along the Pacific coast on his Surly LHT after his upcoming retirement. He seemed to have it well through out, it was nice to talk with them.

Sad to see the Enlow Station ice cream shop closed and for sale. They had the best pistachio soft serve I've ever had. Nice folks and I wish them well. It's a good location but a seasonal, weekend business.

Saw a new-to-me switchback ramp connecting to the Montour Trail at MP2.9, seems to connect to a housing development. Pretty steep, not bike friendly, but it was probably all they could do given the terrain.

A very nice day for a bike ride.

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