Training Log Archive: JanetTIn the 1 days ending Jun 8, 2021:
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Tuesday Jun 8, 2021 #
12 PM
Biking 1:04:54 16.93 km (3:50 / km) +64m 3:46 / km
ahr:104 max:144 shoes: Trek DS 3 hybrid
Well, that was an adventure!!
Another hot day but we wanted to get out, and Glen's weather app said we weren't supposed to get any rain (as previously predicted), so we picked a section of the D&L rail trail north of Allentown, parking at the Cove Rd lot near where Rt 145 crosses the Lehigh River, and heading north towards Slatington. This part of the D&L is almost entirely shaded partly by tall mature trees and partly by the steep bank of the Lehigh itself, often by cliffs of slate or shale alongside the former railbed, so it made for a good place to ride on a hot sunny day. We'd ridden on part of this section before but hadn't gone all the way to Slatington (hereafter S'ton).
There were various things in bloom: some were invasives like multiflora rose, dames rocket, and buttercups; but others native like a mountain laurel hanging onto a cliff, and rubus odoratus (flowering raspberry) with large purple rose-like flowers. We passed one remnant concrete phone booth (used for communication by those working on the railroads or in the vicinity, back in the days of the RR line's existence), and a few remnant poles and signal boxes, a former dam, and a spot near a stone water-tank foundation that a local had decorated with a couple of phantom bikes (rusty old bikes with fake skeletons attached), so a bit more interesting than your typical featureless rail trail.
Not long before we reached S'ton we heard a few rumbles of thunder but the sky was still bright so we kept going. There was a shale/slate restroom building near the former train station (both refurbished and with fancy slate roofs), and a food truck nearby. We'd only had granola bars before heading out so we split a soft pretzel from the food truck, heard more thunder, and decided we'd better head back towards the car. Made one stop so I could photograph the raspberry flowers, but shortly thereafter (about 2.2km from the car) it started raining, and then it poured. It was still warm (86 when we started) so we never got too chilled. (So much for G's weather app. ;-) )
We had talked to one fellow at the S'ton station, who was heading farther south than us; we encountered him, and two other guys on bikes, stopped to wait out the rain under the Rt 145 underpass shortly before the lot where we parked the car. We chatted about bikes and rides while the rain continued to pour down, and when it lightened up some, the other fellows continued on their way to wherever they were headed. Since it was still raining, we moved the car under the underpass so we could change clothes in relatively dry conditions.
At least the conditions were warm enough that we wouldn't get hypothermic, and we weren't riding on a flat open area exposed to lightning (saw some impressive bolts on the drive home, though!). A ride to remember!
Another hot day but we wanted to get out, and Glen's weather app said we weren't supposed to get any rain (as previously predicted), so we picked a section of the D&L rail trail north of Allentown, parking at the Cove Rd lot near where Rt 145 crosses the Lehigh River, and heading north towards Slatington. This part of the D&L is almost entirely shaded partly by tall mature trees and partly by the steep bank of the Lehigh itself, often by cliffs of slate or shale alongside the former railbed, so it made for a good place to ride on a hot sunny day. We'd ridden on part of this section before but hadn't gone all the way to Slatington (hereafter S'ton).
There were various things in bloom: some were invasives like multiflora rose, dames rocket, and buttercups; but others native like a mountain laurel hanging onto a cliff, and rubus odoratus (flowering raspberry) with large purple rose-like flowers. We passed one remnant concrete phone booth (used for communication by those working on the railroads or in the vicinity, back in the days of the RR line's existence), and a few remnant poles and signal boxes, a former dam, and a spot near a stone water-tank foundation that a local had decorated with a couple of phantom bikes (rusty old bikes with fake skeletons attached), so a bit more interesting than your typical featureless rail trail.
Not long before we reached S'ton we heard a few rumbles of thunder but the sky was still bright so we kept going. There was a shale/slate restroom building near the former train station (both refurbished and with fancy slate roofs), and a food truck nearby. We'd only had granola bars before heading out so we split a soft pretzel from the food truck, heard more thunder, and decided we'd better head back towards the car. Made one stop so I could photograph the raspberry flowers, but shortly thereafter (about 2.2km from the car) it started raining, and then it poured. It was still warm (86 when we started) so we never got too chilled. (So much for G's weather app. ;-) )
We had talked to one fellow at the S'ton station, who was heading farther south than us; we encountered him, and two other guys on bikes, stopped to wait out the rain under the Rt 145 underpass shortly before the lot where we parked the car. We chatted about bikes and rides while the rain continued to pour down, and when it lightened up some, the other fellows continued on their way to wherever they were headed. Since it was still raining, we moved the car under the underpass so we could change clothes in relatively dry conditions.
At least the conditions were warm enough that we wouldn't get hypothermic, and we weren't riding on a flat open area exposed to lightning (saw some impressive bolts on the drive home, though!). A ride to remember!