Pittsburgh Rides -- Destination: Harpers Ferry
-
Pittsburgh lawyer Garry Nelson rode to Harpers Ferry, W.Va., for a Halloween trip.
Share with others:
The bike is all checked out -- transmission, engine oil, lights and tire pressure, all of the minutiae of a pre-trip check that I learned when I pushed 18-wheelers up and down the East Coast in my 20s. My right thumb presses the starter button while adjusting the throttle with the same hand. The motor whirrs and rumbles to life, at first stuttering and unsure, then settles into even combustion as all of the spark plugs are igniting the fuel and all is ready for a Saturday-Sunday round trip we have referred to as our "Harpers Ferry." An anticipated get-away, the perfect distance for a late fall early sunset trip.
Welcome to Pittsburgh Rides, our regular feature on motorcycling. Here we bring you the latest in rides, trends and events, but we need your input. We're looking for voices from the local biking community willing to share (in roughly 500 words) your experiences on the road and what you think is hot on wheels. Send your story or pitch to Weekend editor Scott Mervis at smervis@post-gazette.com.
After biscuits and gravy at the Indian Head Snack Bar we were to visit Negro Mountain ridge's Mount Davis (highest point in Pennsylvania), with its viewing tower being part of the attraction.
My WPA Writers Project Maryland book proclaims that Negro Mountain is the highest point on all of Route 40. Further, the WPA writer reports that during a French and Indian War battle between Colonel Thomas Cresap's group and an Indian war party on this mountain, "one of Cresap's men, a giant Negro, was killed and buried here, hence the name."
Colonel Cresap was known to Pennsylvanians as "the Monster of Maryland" for his personal involvement in the boundary disputes between Maryland and Pennsylvania. The colonel settled the Oldtown area that is on Route 51, southeast of Cumberland, Md. The hometown of "the Monster of Maryland" was the perfect stop on this hallows eve journey through history.
First Published November 18, 2010 12:00 am
