MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA (ERIE)
Despite living here for six years, I did not know any good cycling routes besides Presque Isle. I was a, GULP, runner in the early 80s. But a wedding brought me back to the area and I found some routes for the Lake Erie Cyclefest while the wedding planners were doing their planning stuff.
I drove out to Asbury Woods to begin a 50-mile (80 km) loop. The first three miles (five km) were on rough pavement. Lots of potholes. And that is where the loop portion began. I was in Fairview Township and rode north towards Lake Erie.
I could see on the map that the route did not go right beside the lake but in this area, the land back from the lake is typically higher so one can often see the lake despite being a mile or more away. Not today. I never saw the lake.
I thought I might set a record for at-grade railroad crossings. I was reminded that a lot of rail traffic goes through this area. I went through Fairview Township and passed some vineyards. Compared to the ones in Loudoun County, Va., the vineyards I saw were very unkept.
I went into Girard and then turned south towards Albion and Cranesville. These were small towns very familiar to me and, strangely enough, I have never been. On May 31, 1985, we were told that “Albion was wiped off the map” by the killer tornadoes that swept through the area on that day. It was surreal riding through here. I’m sure a swath had been wiped out but I could not tell where some 39 years later.
The route was mostly on rural roads with little traffic. Some of it is wooded, and some of it is open next to fields. Although it was not exactly on the route, I saw a McDonalds in Albion should I wanted to stop.
Nice route. I’d recommend it. Ialso doubt that I will get to ride this again.
DISTANCE: 49.8 miles (80 km)
