Oct 10, 2013

We have had a good ride today and thankfully our backs have been relatively comfortable. The ride saw us travelling on some great turnpikes and interstates with good surfaces and covered the ground well. We wound through lots of beautifully kept and productive farmland, much of it in the hands of the Amish by the look of the buildings and then climbed through leaf covered hills to mountain ranges. The leaves are changing here as well but a lot of trees have already lost their leaves ahead of the usual colour change. Part of the ride took us on tunnels under three mountains, Blue, Kittatinny and Tuscarora Mountains which was an impressive experience. Once we left the major roads we have had a great ride on the Lincoln Highway and the I 30 W with steep climbs and lots of corners as well as the great views.



A view from lookout point Mount Ararat, Allegheny Mountains, elevation 2,464 feet. We climbed to over 2,900 feet before we started to descend and glimpsed some great views which we couldn’t stop to photograph.



A farming view as we descended.



The point of our ride today was to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial, Stoystown but alas it was closed due to the Federal Government shutdown. We had hoped being more remote it may have been open ….. and so did many others who pulled into the entry in the time we were there. Everyone was annoyed. This is a view from the top of the hill of part of it only and showed that even if we could ride around the barrier that apart from being unlawful would have meant that we would encounter personnel at the plaza as there were several cars there.



And here is the sign on the barrier that may or may not have been added to by an Australian tourist ….. or someone. Anyway, enough said.



We discoverd that other than the memorial there was little which would draw people to the area, at least on the main road anyway so it was with some relief that we turned off the main road to discover an attractive little town. This is a house just down the hill from our accommodation in Ligonier.



And another on the way to our dinner spot.



A bonus for us was to find Fort Ligonier which was the scene of one of the key battles in the French and Indian War. Fort Ligonier, built by the British in 1758, has been reconstructed and houses a museum with outstanding artefacts and exhibits relating to the 18th century events here. It was very impressive and we were glad we got to see it. They are preparing for 3 days celebration from October 11th to 13th. This is a shot within the fort walls.



And of the barricades on the perimeter which demonstrates why it was never overrun by the Indians.



And the rotunda in the square in the middle of town. Shame they are preparing for a big influx of people because there are extra rubbish bins everywhere.

Bits and Bobs:



At one of the turnpike service facilities I spotted this sign on a door in the restroom which intrigued me in what it had to offer.



I was impressed with what I found.



A quirky sculpture Norm spotted on the road between the Memorial site and Ligonier.



And a display table in the window of a shop in Ligonier.

Last 2 night’s Accommodation:



Lancaster Arts Hotel
300 Harrisburg Avenue
Lancaster PA 17603

An interesting building starting life as a tobacco storage warehouse from 1881 up until 1945 and then a paper and twine store for another 40 years and now a hotel. It has beautiful big timbers throughout the building and lovely old brick walls and timber floors. Our room is spacious and comfortable and bathroom well fitted out with a large shower. A continental breakfast and free undercover parking is included and the public spaces are quirky and tastefully decorated. I've also enjoyed a profusion of artworks throughout the hotel. Very nice. An enjoyable experience.

Last night’s Dinner:

John J Jeffries – the Hotel restaurant which had a cosy but modern ambience, great service and a sense of privacy while dining as well as enough carpet and soft furnishings not to echo. So nice. The best bit was the food which was superb! Good value and great experience. Definitely recommend it!