Lancaster County Bike Ride

yesterday was such a wonderful day! even though i thought my legs might never recover, i wish that we could repeat yesterday's outing every weekend!  

i was itching to do something in this beautiful weather (cool mornings, mid 70's in the afternoon, sunny without much humidity - not the norm in PA) and decided to research a bike ride that didn't include our normal bike path routes.  i came across this article, which brought me to the lancaster bike club's site which is just chock-full of rides for all types of riders. although Lancaster County is only about an hour from our town, i've only been there once in the years i've been in PA.  and that was only to go to the outlets...which really didn't count, it's not exactly the best way to experience pennsylvania dutch country culture.

i decided on the Lapps Ice Cream Ride, since ice cream is delicious, and this one has a stop for fresh amish ice cream PLUS a covered bridge! after printing out our cue sheets, we packed up the bikes and traveled out to Amish (and mennonite and brethren) country. the sky was perfectly blue and the rolling hills covered with farms is so picturesque...and kinda sad with the commercial areas creeping up on this lifestyle that seems stuck in time.

we passed a few buggies on the road and arrived at our starting point at the Strasburg Railroad and museum.  free parking, woo-hoo!

our bike ride was primarily on back roads that were in great shape, so much better than roads that are heavily traveled by vehicles other than horses!  there were many kids on scooters, with their suspenders and hats -  or dresses, aprons and bonnets - that we passed along the way, but we were off the main roads for the most part so avoided cars much of the trek. it was so nice to be able to ride side-by-side and be able to talk to each other during our ride rather than hugging the breakdown lane line.

many of the farms were harvesting their corn and we got to witness horse-drawn tractors (some with generators, too) and some ancient looking tools. of course, there was the occasional whiff of manure as we passed some of the barns that were closer to the road.  i so wish i could've stopped to take more pictures, but the more we stopped the more my legs burned...and since most Anabaptists are vehemently against having their picture taken, i didn't want to be overtly offensive (or get my iphone smashed!). i know some of the ways are fairly backwards in comparison to our daily life, but i find it fascinating that their culture can thrive just miles from city life and that it can be so entrancingly peaceful.

our ice cream stop at Lapp Valley Farm was delicious.  such a rich and creamy treat on our hot trip! gotta warn you though - the hill after the farm is BRUTAL.  it was by far the steepest we came across on the route, and right after ice cream made it a real kick in the pants! since we were riding, we didn't stop at any of the other farm stands or bakeries, but we did pick up some incredible homemade root beer from the parking lot for our car ride home.  only $5 for that giant jug of the darkest rootbeer i've ever seen! awesome end to a fabulous outing!!

i can't wait to go back and explore new bike routes and some of the little villages in that area! let me know if you want in on exploring this little piece of old country!

here are just a pathetic number of iphone pics that simply don't do the landscape justice.