I was supposed to go to race at Cohutta this weekend, but the forecast called for straight rain all night Friday and all day Saturday through the race. I've done the rainy 100 miler before and it ain't fun. Plus it destroys your bike. So I went off to State College instead.
This was a perfect opportunity to pick up my new Salsa Fargo (a 2012 model) that Evan was holding for me at Rothrock Outfitters in Huntington. Seems like I've heard alot about and emailed with Evan but never met the guy. He is a nice guy and runs a great shop. I was happy to support his business. It so happens that John G picked up Evan's Krampus frame too so I brought that back with me. 
On Saturday, I started out with my father out to Boalsburg and through Brush Valley. The sun was out, spring was in the air, it was a splendid day. Just before Centre Hall, I split north up Black Hawk Gap leaving my dad to add a few more miles before turning back. I crossed over the highway and headed down a forest service road in Bald Eagle State Forest. It was smooth gravel for a long ways and then, after going through a gate, it got much narrower and headed sharply down the mountain. I was greeted by a "bridge out" stream crossing at the bottom. The water was about 10" deep at the point where I obviously could have ridden through. But the morning air was still frosty and I didn't want wet feet at that point. So I shimmied across the tree in this photo. 
Then there was a steep, rocky, jeep trail ascent back up the other side. I had never been down this road before so I was happy to explore and find such exotic trail treasures. The Fargo was the perfect choice ... fast enough to do well on the road and tough enough for the rocky mountain bike ascent. 
After coming down off the mountain at SR192, I pedaled over to Penn's Cave. I got to see the semi-exotic animals they keep there. The farmers were out in their rolling fields doing the spring plowing. It was a very special image. A few miles down the road I came upon the Swamp Church made famous by its ghostly inhabitants. I took a pic and sent it to Eli who loves that story. A few years ago, we drove out there at dusk and really scared the beejeebers out of the little dude. He loved it. I went through Spring Mills and stopped at an old fashioned general store for a snack. It was a great store. Not all touristy and kitchy but a real surviving relic from the early 20th century. It had all kinds of stuff, but mostly food. I sat out front on the bench and watched the locals filter in and out. Quite a lot of Saturday morning business and about 90% of it was guys in big ass pickup trucks, and the guys were all decked out in camo/hunting gear. I was definitely not in Obama territory.
Apparently there was a big fishing tournament in Penns Creek that morning. There were hundreds of guys (and a few gals) all standing in the creek. It went for miles and miles. I feel bad for the fish; I can't imagine any of them could not be caught as there was no where for any of them to swim. I think the "may flies" (or something similar) where hatching that morning too as they were all over that stretch of road. I caught several in my mouth and helmet vents. 
I finally came upon Coburn which was having some kind of celebration of its own. There were a pair of big oxen out front and I couldn't resist taking a picture. The locals were all out enjoying the warm sunshine and the festivities. Once through Coburn I headed up on Riders Hollow Trail. It was kind of a dirt jeep road at the start. Steep bugger too. I couldn't tell if it was private or not. So I kept my head down and just went up, hoping I wouldn't bump in to anyone with a gun. The trail quickly degrades into a serious 4x4 jeep double track that was rocky and washed out. My gps read 20% to 25% for a sustained pitch. My wheel slipped on a wet rock and I had to put a foot down. Hiked for a short bit as it was too steep to remount. I must have climbed nearly a 1000 ft and finally made the summit as the trail interested with Poe Paddy forest road. I took Poe Paddy across the ridge to where it intersects with Siegler Milheim Pike, at the top of the first climb of the Wilderness 101 mountain bike race. I stopped in the shade of a pine forest and had my lunch on a soft bed of pine needles. I even got to see a very plump turkey tom venture out from the road. 
I followed Decker Valley, across 322, and then Crowfield. This is a long stretch in the W101 that is undulating gravel. Some moderate climbs and never ending roads make this seem like a chore. I also had enough headwind yesterday to make the going a bit rougher. I got to see a large coyote scamper off into the woods. But I made my way along the W101 course over to Penn Roosevelt State Park. This place was first used in the timber industry in the early 1900s. Apparently there was a railroad that came up through here from Milroy. Once the place was cleared of wood, it was disused for a while until the Great Depression hit. Then a CCV camp was set up here and the young men built all the roads that I now ride upon. The place seems so remote that I can't imagine all those guys living up there and doing all the road building labor by hand. There are a few structures still standing including the cooking fireplace (see pic). But mostly miles of awesome gravel roads. 
I climbed up Thickhead mountain on the rocky path. I started to be a bit more focused on the climbs at this point (about mile 65). So I made decent time scampering up the big climb. It looks as though someone (forest service?) had come through early this spring or late last fall and cleared a lot of the overgrowth back. The trail seemed much wider and more manicured than I remembered from last July. It was funny just how few people I had seen out on the paths/roads today. A few cars. But no cyclist yet or hikers. And such a beautiful Saturday. Once on top, I came down Detweiler. I must now confess to more fully appreciating modern suspension designs. The Fargo wasn't terrible, but it is a rigid bike and flying down the rocky path at 30 mph sent all the jolts through the bike and my body. I had to stop twice to retighten the fork-mounted water bottle cages as they had both rattled loose on the jarring descent.
I popped out on the forest road and stuck with the W101 course up over to Bear Meadows. Here I deviated and turned left on North Meadows road. This used to be a major gravel road that I traversed regularly as a kid. But it was gated and is now more of a grassy path than a road. I made quick work of the climb up to Big Flat Top. I went down Greenlee road now following the W101 course backwards. Someone had just regraded the road and/or put down fresh gravel. So the surface was very soft and sketchy. I almost wiped out once and had to come down a little more cautiously than I would have liked. I was starting to feel a bit drained now, so I took a quick detour out to SR26 to get a snack at the Whipple's Dam general store.
After my nosh, I started the long march back up Little Flat Top. There is about 4 miles of gravel at 1-2% and then it goes up more sharply from there. Unfortunately, I still felt a headwind even though now I was pointed back toward the East. Just one of those days where you seem to have a headwind no matter which way you turn. I turned off at Pine Swamp Rd and then went through the gate up Little Shingletown Rd. I almost always come down this path, so it was interesting going back up. My legs were feeling it now and the path went up, first at 12% and then hit patches of rockiness at over 20%. I had to stop a few times to catch my breadth.
I came down the front side to Tussey and back on the roads to State College. I hit 92 miles for the day at 7:30 moving time (about an hour of stoppage time) and 9k feet of climbing. It wasn't quite the Cohutta 100 but it was a good day regardless.
My impressions of the Salsa Fargo? Great bike. I'm glad to add it to my stable. This route was perfect for it: about 30% back country roads (paved), about 50% gravel forest roads, and about 20% trail or double track. The bike does decently on the paved roads. It is not quite as nimble as my cross bike, but it still makes a good pace. It slows a little on the climbs because of the extra weight. On the forest roads it is perfect. That is its sweet spot. It is more stable than a skinny cross bike and has better gearing for the steep climbs and better brakes for the fast descents. On the rocky double track, it did fine. Almost as good as any rigid mountain bike. But most importantly, it CAN DO that kind of stuff. There really isn't hardly anywhere you could ride a bike where this thing couldn't go and make a good showing. It is about as good of a compromise for an all around bike as I could imagine. I hate the saddle. That WTB thing is just way too soft and unsupportive. I have firmer saddles that I can put on so that is no issue. I like the woodchippers but now that I've spent 8 hours in them I might have to tweak the set up a little. My shop put on real spiffy Brooke's bar tape, but I'm not sure I love that. It is too slippery and I wouldn't mind something with a little more padding. I also need to convert the tires to tubeless so I can run them at a lower pressure. I would have enjoyed the rocky jeep trails more with a few less PSI in the tires. But those are small niggles that can be fixed easily. Conceptually, the bike is a big winner. I can't wait to take it on my first overnight trip soon.
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