DUNCANNON, PENNSYLVANIA
I was surfing on Facebook and one of those annoying and not-requested groups showed up. It featured a paddlewheel ferry on the Susquehanna River. I read quickly to see what kind of ferry it was, that is, was it passenger only? I saw they took cars plus horses and buggies, so I figured they would take a bike.
I went to RideWithGPS and looked for bike routes around Millersburg. I found a 44-mile ride that started at the ferry in Millersburg and ended there as well, with a ferry ride across the river from a campground on the west side of the river.
It was a bit difficult to find current information about the ferry, but it seemed to operate only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I texted them and got confirmation that for today (Friday), the hours were 10-4.
I hoped to leave the house by 7:00 a.m. but I was a little late. My ETA kept creeping back as I drove north towards Harrisburg. As I got closer to Millersburg, I realized I didn’t have a lot of room for error if I started from Millersburg and rode the 44 miles on the route that I downloaded, should I have any problems. On a clock face, Millersburg would be around 2:00. Duncannon would be at the bottom, i.e., 6:00. I headed to Duncannon to start since it would be the closest starting point on the route as I drove north.
I was very glad to make this alteration to the route.. The original route had a half-mile diversion to a Sheetz on U.S. 22. This section is quite busy, although there is a shoulder. There is no way to get back to the turnoff short of salmoning upstream against traffic on the shoulder. No thanks. Since I started in Duncannon, I did not need to start with a rest stop and was able to cut this part out.
I found an empty lot, a private lot, that was posted as open for visitors. It was at the confluence of the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers. You could feel the power of the rivers and appreciate the overwhelming beauty.
As soon as I started pedaling, I was on a narrow two-lane bridge that crossed the Juniata River. As quickly as I went through an underpass, I turned right to leave town and started climbing. There were no mountains today. There were plenty of hills. The longest hill was probably 1.5 miles.
Most of the way from Duncannon to Newport was on backcountry roads. No traffic. Zero.
Newport is a neat-looking town. I followed my map and passed the Weis grocery store, which was listed on this route as a rest stop. It was here I crossed back over the Juniata.
The bridge over the river looked to be a long span without a wide berth or shoulder. I could see a sidewalk and decided that I would not ride on the deck. It was a wise decision. The deck was an open grate bridge. Those aren’t fun to ride on. I was glad I was on the sidewalk.
Leaving Newport, I rode 2.5 miles on the Juniata Parkway, which was more like a lightly traveled highway, two lanes, and not a parkway. Turning off, I headed back into the woods. And saw the dreaded orange sign – FRESH OIL AND CHIPS.
Ugh. Owl Hollow Road didn’t appear to have been done recently, as I never saw fresh oil. But there were plenty of loose chips, gravel, and I had to use caution even while climbing. The road was empty, maybe because it had been recently chipped. No cars. Just a lovely ride through the forest down to the river.
I came down to U.S. 15 and alternately rode on the shoulder of 15 and Old Trail Road, a parallel road to 15. I came to the ferry campground and had to cross over a median on 15. That was sort of sketchy. I think the route was designed for me to cross at an intersection and then salmon on the shoulder for about 100 yards.
The Ferry Campground looked very nice. I followed the road next to the river and saw the ferry was docked and boarding. I was hoping to enjoy an ice cream at the camp store before the ride, but instead walked onto the ferry.
It is a ferry that has been operating for 200 years (“began as early as 1825”). Not these actual boats, of course, but the ferry business. There were two cars and one trike (three-wheel motorcycle), plus one bicycle on this paddlewheel ferry. And a bunch of people.
Halfway across the river, the captain announced he was going to sound the horn. I expected a good, hearty riverboat horn, but instead it was a 1920s Model-T a-oooga horn. We were approaching two guys floating and fishing in a canoe, and the captain yelled out to them, “Please move, you are in our way.”
It appeared at first that they were not going to move. I wondered who had the right of way. But the canoe moved.
As we disembarked, the captain was very curious about where I was going. He knew I was going one way, he had greeted me by telling me I looked like a professional cyclist, but was concerned that I would miss the last trip and be stranded. I assured him that I had a bike and that I would be fine.
Leaving Millersburg, I was on State Highway 147. There was enough of a shoulder that much of the way back for the next 15 miles was on a shoulder. There were a few areas where I had to be in the travel lane, but I didn’t hold up traffic often.
In Halifax, I found a convenience store and was able to get water. I thought it might be the last store I would see headed back to Duncannon. But the next couple of miles had lots of options, which is why I liked starting in Duncannon. I stopped at a Sheetz. I was going to buy water, but had a full bottle on the back cage. I simply filled my front bottle with ice and poured the water from the second one into the iced-up bottle. And bought a Snickers.
After another mile or so, I was back on country roads. With two miles to go, I came back to Hwy 147. I wondered why I wasn’t routed that way initially but I think the trade-off of highway for country roads was the answer.
I had to cross the Susquehanna River at Clarks Ferry Bridge on U.S. 22. There is a shoulder, but at the end, it was very sketchy waiting for an opening to get to the left turn lane so I could get back to where I parked.
What a nice ride. Mostly very rural roads and, of course, a paddlewheel ferry. I don’t think I will do this ride again simply because it’s too far to travel. But if someone wanted me to join them they I would agree. I feel strongly that starting in Duncannon is the key, first to avoid the Sheetz on 22 as a necessary stop, and second, to have the stores after Halifax as an option near the end of the ride.
TYPE OF RIDE: ADVENTURE
NUMBER OF RIDERS: SOLO
