Trip Log - Day 5 – (Sat) Pensi Grand Canyon, Pit stop in Lackawaxen, PA

With all of the instability in the weather around us – we certainly have been fortunate. We woke to wet roads this morning windy and partly cloudy - but dry. Much cooler today so we add a few layers and push off early.

With the clouds and sun darting in and out, the views of the fall foliage are wonderful. Although we thought we already passed it we were fortunate to run into a parks service sign directing us to the Pine Creek Gorge (aka the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon). The 20 mile detour is well worth it as we experience more spectacular views. Quite the destination as we park - the place has a a half a dozen bikes parked checking out the Gorge.



























Passing through Troy, NY we decide to stop at the Tamarack Inn (a dive bar and grill) for lunch. The inside looks slightly better than the outside does. The beers were cheap and the food was fair.

Another Kodak moment on route passing through the Allegany Mountains. Warriors Path has an amazing view of the valley and Susquehanna River.

































After last nights late arrival at our stop, we were able to abide to our newly created rule of no driving at night. We head into Lackawaxen for our 2 day stopover around 6pm. Our friends were prepared for our arrival as we toast some dry martinis to the new machine.

The night continues with some hawk throwing and cold Jager (for a change)

Trip Route Chicago to New York

Our trip to pick up our new bike would start in Barrington, IL and end up in Nesconset, NY. This is approximately 850 miles assuming interstate driving (but who wants to do that). After speaking with a few seasoned riders, there was no question that the route to take was Route 6. Route 6 is a wonderful back road that winds its way through Illinios on the lower portion of the great lakes, through the planes of Indiana and Ohio, continuing on through the Allegany mountain region of Pennsylvania and on to New York. The actual mileage ended up to be 1250 miles after a fiew sightseeing detours. But the views and the diversity of the landscape was exactly why we took this journey and definitely made up for the extra saddle time.

The trip was setup in legs that generally kept us on Route 6. There were a few occasions where we did some interstate driving to make up some time since we had reservations at specific hotels that we had to make. The legs were as follows:

1. Barrington, IL through Chicago via Lake View Drive
2. Chicago, IL to Nappanee, IN
3. Nappanee, IN to Napoleon, OH
4. Napoleon, OH to Sandusky, OH (2nd Overnight Stopover)
5. Sandusky, OH to Andover, OH
6. Andover, OH to Meadville, PA
7. Meadville, PA to Olean, NY
8. Olean, NY through Pine Creek Gorge (Pensi’s Grand Canyon)
9. Pine Creek Gorge to Meshoppen, PA
10. Meshoppen, PA to Lackawaxen, PA (2 Day Overnight Stopover)
11. Lackawaxen through Rte 97 /Hawks Nest to Bear Mountain (Bridge), NY
12. Bear Mountain, NY to Long Island destination

Total Trip Approximate 1250 Miles