Sept 30 day 19

Sept 30

Day 19

Altoona PA

Miles 110

Looking at the weather we decided to get up early today and try to maximize the time free of Rain.  It was clear from the weather forecast that rain was coming from the Southwest and the sooner we started the shorter the time in the rain we would be.  We were out of bed before 7 and on the road at 8:30.  The forecast was correct we had no rain close to Williamsport changing to misting rain, increasing to light drizzle and evolving to heavy drizzle that became definitely rain for the last 20 mins of the ride.  So we were past damp and short of soaked when we reached the hotel.

Me waiting for Di who missed a traffic light

   

The ride followed the Susquehanna river then part of the canal system before diverting up to Altoona.  Altoona started out as a Iroquois or Six Nation stockade town before European arrival.  In 1811 Iron smelting started in the area.  The richest man in the area build his home here and it grew to supply iron and rail cars and steam locomotives.  Rather than starting as canal town it was rail center and would haul boats over the ridge old fashion rail cars.  Then as the rail became more important a tunnel was built and the famous Horseshoe Bend was constructed in the mountain.  That is when the town switched to railcar construction.  In the 1860s it had 3 round houses to turn locomotives around and plenty of track today it still has ties to the rail industry.  

The ride took us though Bald Eagle state park and past 2 old water powered mils that show part of the reason this area became industrialized. We were going downhill in rain and on a curve for both so it was impossible to stop for pictures.  It also pasted 2 sites for old fashion style blast furnaces.   This is because the area had lots of forests for charcoal production, iron ore and limestone.  We also passed two operational paper mils showing lumber products are still vital to the economy here.  

Note not my picture of Horeshoe bend

Just as side note we on Old Highway 220 which was one of my mother’s part of the drive to Virginia to visit her family.  This means in the 1950s and 60s I rode the road in the back seat. of the car.  

Counts

14 corn fields 13 soya fields, 8 hay fields, 1 field of pumpkins

8 pumpkin selling sites

5 camp wood selling stalls

2 state park 1 RV park

2 railroad crossings and 2 overpasses

1 bike trail crossing

2 deer 2 truck 2 tractor 6 buggy signs 4 firehall signs 8 school bus signs

1 horse and buggy 

4 piles of horse dung

4 roadkill (2 were skunks yesterday 4 of the 6 were skunks) 

8 trucks (note there were interstates in the area so most trucks took those roads)

45 Trump signs (this is rural PA and they like him here) 6 Harris signs (good see some at least)

2 colleges and 2 schools

4 horses and only 2 cows

5 churches and 4 cemeteries