DAY TWO: Having Route 6 run through our territory, we’ve become
accustomed to motorcyclists, bikers, walkers, etc. passing through
on their way to somewhere else.

Monday’s Erie newspaper included a story which detailed a
cross-state bicycling trip that is utilizing part of Route 6 and
included a stop in Smethport.

Pat Howard, in what appears to be a daily update on the trip,
writes of the grueling trek over our hilly terrain.

Here’s what he had to say about Day 2, “View from top worth the
climb”:

“The road out of Warren takes you through some gentle rises up
to the Kinzua Dam. The road from Kinzua on the way to Smethport
takes you up one serious hill.

“It’s not all that steep really although it takes a cumulative
toll on the body. But it goes on for miles. Really.

“At some point on such a hill, your legs cease to be your
biggest worry. Your mind takes over.

“One key to pedaling up hills, at least for me, is to take
comfort in visual confirmation that you’ll reach the top if you
keep at it. A long ascent like the one out of Kinzua, however,
plays tricks on you.

“The road might look like it peaks above you, for instance,
offering the prospect of a respite and perhaps even a glide down
the far side. But then you get there only to discover the focal
point of hope was really just a bend in the road that leads to more
uphill pavement as far as the eye can see.

But there were some aesthetic rewards: “There were a couple of
points in the Kinzua area where I glanced to the side and the vista
was enough to take my breath away, even without a hill under my
wheels. …

“This section of our journey concluded with a five-mile descent
into Smethport, a thrill ride that had me repeatedly reaching for
the brakes.”

The road itself, he writes, has attributes important to bikers:
smooth and consistent pavement, and “a roomy and equally smooth
berm which is especially comforting when fully load logging trucks
go screaming by.”

As for Smethport, he said, “It’s a cool town with rows of
gorgeous and well-kept old homes. And unlike many older towns I’ve
seen it has the vibe of a place whose best days aren’t behind
it.”