Day 37, Meadville, PA to Bradford, PA

Today I rode 101.92 miles with 5,282 ft. of elevation gain burning 6,291 calories in the process. I left Meadville and reached Bradford, both in PA. On Tuesday, I will enter my home state of New York and will travel through it for 4 days spending one night each in Corning, Cazenovia, Lake Pleasant and Ticonderoga.

Large murals and colorful sculptures made from official Pennsylvania road signs by Allegheny college students and state dept. of transportation employees. The highway department art display, fed by an apparently limitless supply of old metal reflective signs, continues to add more sculptures, making return visits to Meadville rewarding.

The Allegheny National Forest is a National Forest located in northwestern Pennsylvania. The forest covers 513,175 acres (801.8 sq. mi; 2,076.7 km2) of land. Within the forest is Kinzua Dam, which impounds the Allegheny River to form Allegheny Reservoir.

The Kinzua Dam, on the Allegheny River in Warren County, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest dams in the United States east of the Mississippi River. It is located within the Allegheny National Forest.

The Allegheny Reservoir is a man-made lake created along the Allegheny River with the construction of the Kinzua Dam in 1965. The lake and the dam are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The construction of the lake and dam cost $108 million and destroyed the towns of Kinzua and Corydon, led to the dissolution of the town of Elko, and flooded some of the lands of the Seneca Nation. The residents in these areas were forced to move.

Totally surrounded by forest, Kinzua Dam and Allegheny Reservoir are the heart of one of the largest and most popular outdoor recreation complexes in the northeastern United States. The Allegheny Reservoir spans the border between Pennsylvania and New York. In Pennsylvania, the reservoir is completely surrounded by the Allegheny National Forest; and in New York by Allegany State Park and the Allegany Indian Reservation of the Seneca Nation.

Today’s ride was very enjoyable. The vibrant fall colors were visible on the mountain slopes. The smell of burning wood in the camps along the route triggered some very fond memories of camping with my family.

If anyone wants to join me on my ride through New York, contact me at 315-778-3859 for details. You may ride with me the entire day or any part of it you like. On Tuesday, the ride is from Bradford, PA to Corning, NY. On Wednesday, the ride is from Corning to Cazenovia, NY. On Thursday, the ride is from Cazenovia to Lake Pleasant, NY and on Friday, the ride is from Lake Pleasant to Ticonderoga, NY. Then we move on to Vermont for a night, to New Hampshire for a night and wrap up the journey in Maine on Monday.