Dear Friends,
Hope you're all having a holly jolly holiday!
I have two new RUSA permanent routes ready and available to ride 12 months of the year. The first, "North by Northwest," is a 203 kilometer loop starting in Frederick. This route begins heading north to Gettysburg over moderate terrain on pleasant country roads. From there it continues north past Arendtsville and then turns northwest to climb over South Mountain on Buchanan Valley Rd. This is a particularly beautiful stretch, featuring several miles of riding alongside Conewago Creek, some lushly forested landscape in the Michaux State Forest, and a huge scenic area of high elevation orchard country in the Buchanan Valley. After descending to Caledonia State Park, riders are rewarded for all the climbing with a delicious lunch at Mama's II in Fayetteville. Then the westward trek continues into the Cumberland Valley on bucolic farm roads to the westernmost point of the ride, the Enoch Brown Memorial Park. From there the route turns in a southeasterly direction, featuring several more miles of easy valley riding before reaching the last control in Rouzerville. After refueling at the Sheetz, the route climbs back over South Mountain on Old Rt. 16 and the ever-lovely Buena Vista Rd, followed by a pleasant downhill run into Thurmont and a gentle return to Frederick on familiar quiet roads. The two climbs are not particularly steep and the route as a whole is really quite moderate compared to most of my permanents. It's a beauty, too! Estimated elevation gain is about 6700 feet.
The second route, "South Mountain X3," is a 135 kilometer permanent populaire route starting in Thurmont. It follows the "North by Northwest" route as far as Fayetteville, but then turns south and adds an additional climb on PA233 through the Michaux State Forest up to the village of South Mountain, followed by one of our all-time favorite luscious descents on Old Forge Road. From Rouzerville the routing is the same as that of "North by Northwest" back to Thurmont. Just think – you still have time to start your quest for the new P-12 award this year!
RUSA membership required, of course. If you haven't already done so, don't forget to renew before the end of the year :-)
Crista
Crista
