Texter Mountain

Here's a pile of reasons to climb Texter Mountain in the Fall.


Sportsman Rd near the bottom of the climb. Average 5% grade.


The top of Sportsman Rd. Yeah, that's another rider up there. The grade here ranges between 12% and 20%. It's a challenging end to a 4-mile climb. Then again, Texter Mountain Rd has one last steep surprise...


This is the intersection of Sportsman Rd and Texter Mountain Rd looking up towards the summit of Texter Mountain.


This is the same view as the camera-phone shot here.


This is the view from Texter Mountain Rd down into the Cocalico valley and Rt. 897.


Here's one of the awesomely steep descents down Texter Mountain Rd leading into the valley.


The valley.






This last photo is at the 422 side of Texter Mountain Rd. The buildings in the foreground belong to the Wernersville State Hospital.

I won't be doing any climbing tomorrow. My rear brakes are caput.

Three Cool Things In Burbank, CA

I'm in Burbank, California on business and couldn't resist seeking out some items which I would've tried to collect had I been in the saddle. And there are certainly many other interesting attractions in the San Fernando Valley, but the following items made me smile.

First, the Chandler Boulevard Bikeway:


This two-lane concrete cycling roadway runs down the median strip of Chandler Blvd and is so (rightfully) beloved that city planners have added a bronze statue of a family of bike riders -- the little girl, by the way, is riding with her hands in the air, and the adult in the scene appears to be smacking her right hand:


The bikeway, however, used to be the historic Burbank Railroad which bisected the former ranch lands of the Valley.


The above photo was taken just a block beyond the eastern end of the bikeway where the railroad tracks remain intact, though unused. Another relic of a time before the car culture.

Second, one of the few publicly displayed F-104 Starfighter jets from Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works facility:

From The Valley Observed:

Burbank Airport was home to Lockheed's secret Skunk Works, where the U2 spy plane and other war birds were hatched. Residents in the 1950s and '60s had to put up with sonic booms that shattered windows ands frazzled nerves, the product of test flights. Read more here.

The Starfighter was first tested here in Burbank in 1954 and was used by the military between 1958 and 1967.

And finally, my perpetual LA motel of choice:


The Safari Inn is my definition of a classic American motel. The '50s era theme and signpost. The breezeway check-in area with the cement deck above. The pool. The outdoor walkway on the second floor. The Safari was also used as a location in True Romance -- the hotel in which James Gandolfini brutally assaults Patricia Arquette. Fortunately, the interiors of the rooms are very different now. No bloody mirrors and no mosquito nets (I'm fairly certain a different location was used for the interior scenes of the movie, but the exterior shots are all Safari).

I could spend an entire week here photographing classic motels. They're living monuments to mid-20th Century America, and, in my opinion, are historic locations, worthy of preservation. More on this in later road tours, but they're truly one of my obsessions.

Wooltown Road

Photo by Lauren. There has to be something wrong with this road. Poisonous snakes who hate bikes leaping out of the trees, perhaps. Something. Other than it being too short, Wooltown is awesome (Berks pronunciation: "WOOL-tahn").

View From The Spring House

This is the view due east from the historic Spring House, home of the "largest natural spring east of the Mississippi." I would verify it online, if only the joint had a website. But the signpost at the spring said that the house was built in 1735. Yet no website. Back to the photo -- the mountain in the center distance looks like a profile view of a crashing wave. That's steep.

Speaking of steep... I rode the same grueling circuit from last night, by the way. This time I avoided Steely Rd and hit Gaul Rd which seemed to go straight up for a full mile. Very nice. Fortunately, I was prepared this time. Though at one point the grade was so steep that after each crank, my bike would stop for a split second before the next crank. Crank--stop--crank--stop. Liquid hot magma in the legs.

However, I found my new favorite back road: Wooltown Rd between North Church and Big Spring Rd (location of the above photo). Long downhill traveling west, leading to flats along a creek and adjacent to a horse riding stable. It made Gaul 100-percent worth it.

Tomorrow I'm taking the Jake up to Spokes for a derailleur check. The sprockets slipped every time I stood up to crank. I concluded that it was my NO-SPEED fall the other day. Everything on the right: my hip, knee, ankle, and derailleur. Messed with the gears to make sure everything was aligned, but it didn't matter. "On the smoothest ride, there's a squeeky wheel" -Rush, Bravest Face.

The Kona Jake At State Hill

Tuesday afternoon/evening, I made the 5 mile climb to the top of State Hill, then the 7 mile ride down. Here's my Kona at the peak overlooking Blue Marsh Lake. This photo was snapped at the top of the access road to the State Hill boat ramp on Brownsville Rd. The camera? My Razr phone. Not too bad for a really awful camera phone.

This circuit was both beautiful and brutal. Some steep climbs, heavy traffic, and not much shoulder room in some places. I'll post the route later.