Hawks Nest 200k (July 4)

[Tom Rosenbauer]

The Hawks Nest 200k is being offered on July 4, as part of the on-going Eastern PA R-12 series. Event details are posted at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/R12ClubJul1.html

This route is based on the 2009 edition of the Water Gap 600k.

Starting out at the Water Gap Diner we head north up the Allegheny Front through Canadensis and Promised Land. Instead of stopping at Hawley, we'll bypass the busy traffic by heading over to Rt 402 and then on along the scenic Lackawaxen River. After crossing the historic Roebling Aqueduct, we join up with scenic Rt 97 for the run to Port Jervis -- be sure to stop at one of the many scenic overlooks at Hawks Nest.

At Port Jervis, we begin our return leg back to the hostel overnight controle -- down along the Delaware River. This time, we'll head over to Layton for a stop at the quaint Country Store and then finish up through the NJ side of the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area.

There are several steep, extended climbs. A triple or 39x27 is highly recommended.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

[Willie]

Today I had the opportunity to perform a check-out ride of the July R-12 "Hawks Nest 200K". I was impressed with the beauty of the ride down the Lackawaxen and an Delaware Rivers, especially up and over the sections along Pond Eddy and Hawks Nest and suggested to Tom that we include these on an R-12 where we could enjoy it when our legs were still fresh, and we didn't have the prospect of another 400K ahead of us. I had originally thought that this would be a good Fall ride when the leaves were turning but Tom replied that he didn't have a route finalized for the July R-12 and if I pulled something together he'd look at it and possibly make some minor tweaks and edits. Well, Tom has done it again!!! he took what I thought to be a great route, and with some very minor additions and routing changes, took my feeble first pass and transformed it into a "showplace" brevet. I thoroughly enjoyed the routing and know that those who ride it, will agree that to take in so much natural (and "unnatural" - if you count the RRsat dishes, Roebling Aquaduct, and metal animal sculptures just before Port Jervis) beauty in ANY OTHER single brevet, you'd have to ride "at least" a 1000K (such as the recent Endless Mountains), if not a 1200K (such as the Shenandoah)! Additionally, although the sky was without clouds all morning, the tree cover was so heavy that I didn't have any direct sun until I came to the sections along the Lackawaxen and Delaware Rivers, and since this stretch was down hill, I didn't mind the sun all that much. (But then you all know that I dislike hills more than I do the sun!)

It was also great that Tom has such a wealth of "potential routings" that for the new sections he/we added, the "first draft" cue sheet currently posted on the website, Draft 2 6/20/09 Scouting edits, was essentially "perfect to go" but there are a few items that I've noted below for Tom to take into advisement as he prepares the final draft for Saturday's brevet.

1. Parking - when I checked with the owner of the Water Gap Diner, he actually was pleased to hear that we were returning and especially that we were planning to use his facility as a starting point. Based upon the number of riders that are planning to ride, he said that we were welcome to park in the back of the diner, however, if you are planning to do so, I would suggest that you show up close to his 6:00AM opening, and include a "hearty" breakfast as part of your pre-ride preparations. You may also want to plan to enjoy a post ride meal there, as well, as those who have eaten there can attest their prices are very reasonable and their service is great! Alternative parking is available "just down the street" at the Park and Ride. It was full by 6:30AM this morning but I can't imagine that it would not be empty on a Saturday.

2. Course/Cue Sheet notes - while the course is not particularly hilly, it breaks down into 5 sections, which pretty much follow the sections between each controle. The course is very similar to a large roller coaster. One spends the first section gradually climbing to the top of the plateau, the second section on gentle downwards rollers, followed by a fairly steady descent, sharp at first as one follows the scenic Lackawaxen River, and then not so steep, and even a bit rolling, at times as one continues down the Delaware and up over Hawks Nest, before descending into Port Jervis. After Port Jervis, the gentle rollers continue, all the time trending downward as the course follows the Delaware back to the Water Gap starting point.

3. Cue sheet additions -

Mile 36.6, Gumbletown Road is not marked, however there are a couple of signs indicating that you have just come from Egypt Rd. Since this as T, Right , at a stop sign, you REALLY can't miss this one.

Mile 44.1 the turn from Rt. 6 onto Kimbles/Martin Road is not marked with a street sign, but it IS the first Right, and there is a sign indicating that one should turn right to follow PA Bike Route "Y" - the turn comes "right at" one mile and if you look for the sign, you CAN'T miss it.

Mile 71.2 - while this cue DOES let you know you are passing Pond Eddy, the clomb up to Hawks Nest does not begin until after one crosses into Orange County, about 5 1/5 to 6 miles further on down the road. Tom will be modifying the cue sheet to provide a more accurate cue closer to the Hawks Nest climb.

Mile 94.5 - Jager Road/Route 626 is not marked, however it is the first Left Turn, and ONLY turn on this section of road before one hits the climb that one would find a couple more miles down the road. I'll attempt to download the photos I took of this turn but again, one really cant miss it. After a little over 3 miles on Old Mine Road, you pass a couple of corn fields off to your right, followed by a slight veer off to the right. At this point there is a road off to the left that goes up the hill, but believe me, if you miss this turn, you WILL backtrack to the course and take the Jager Road hill as it is MUCH LESS STEEP, has MUCH LESS traffic, and is SHORTER than the alternative. You can thank Tom for this addition, as I originally had the route taking the steeper, longer climb up out of Dingman's Crossing. Additional cues to make you confident you made the correct turn is that the back of the stop sign for traffic coming down Jager Road is painted brown, and the telephone pole on the opposite corner has "unique" aluminum number tag "NJ 226" clearly visible from the road. Alhough the initial turn is not marked, as you get about a quarter mile up the road you'll see signs indicting that you are on Rt. 646, NOT 626, as indicated on the cue sheet. Tom will be correcting the cue sheet to indicate the route should be 646.

Potential road hazards - in addition to deer, racoons, woodchucks, squirrels, and if your lucky, bear and fox that could bolt out of the lush forest vegetation, there are two grated bridges, one around mile 31/31 on Rt 390 before Promised Land, and the other on Gumbletown Road, around mile 37.7. They are both clearly signed so that you know that they coming and they shouldn't present any problems if they aren't wet. If they appear to be wet, just use caution. They were damp this morning and I had no problem but just be careful, as the road sign warns.

Road surfaces - those that rode the PA brevet series can recall that the road on some sections of Rt. 390 are "unconsolidated" due to frost heave and heavy traffic. It is still the same so one must choose ones path on the road to avoid the bumps. Alternatively one could ride a bike with wider, softer tires than the 23mm at 120psi I rode today.
Additionally, they are taking steps to improve the dismal road surface of the road just north of the Delaware Water Gap. Several of the large potholes in the lane, or in some cases across the entire road are STILL there, as they were for the last two years so one must be alert for them, and be aware of other traffic as one is choosing ones route around these areas. The good news (but also bad news) is that they've re-surfaced the last 3 miles of road, including the last one lane section with the stop light. They used the "standard" NJ stones that are probably too large and too sharp, but there has been enough traffic that there is a section that is 2 to 3 feet wide that one can ride in. Most of this 3 miles is down hill, and one should use caution - like holding one's speed to 15 to 20 mph vs. barreling down as fast as one can ride. The uphills are steep enough that again, just go to a lower gear and use caution. I found that if one stayed in the area that was relatively free of stones, the surface was not any worse, and probably better than most non-paved roads we've ridden - and there weren't any ruts or potholes anymore as they repaired them prior to applying the "chip and seal." The alternative to this would be to re-route over to the west side of the Delaware but this section will have a lot more traffic, as well as drivers that enjoy offering "advice" as they pass. Although it is the RBA's call, I'd recommend leaving this section in. By the time riders come to it, they'll know that they are less than 4 miles (the 3 miles of chip and seal plus one more mile across the bridge and into Water Gap) so they should take comfort in knowing that they'll make the controle, even if they ride with a slight degree of prudence.

I'm having some technical difficulties loading the photos I took today. When I get them posted I'll add the link.

Bill

[Tom Rosenbauer]

Thanks Bill, for the preride checkout of the course -- the cuesheet has been updated with your comments and has been posted (Draft 3 dated 7/1). This should be the final version for the ride.

As Bill mentioned, there is a 2.9 mile of recent chip seal that was laid down just before the Rt 80 pedestrian walk, in the Worthington State Forest. Unfortunately, there is a lot of loose gravel that has been left behind, but if you take a line along one of the tire tracks, it is rideable, but take it with caution and a bit less speed. I've added a warning to the cuesheet to alert you to this hazard -- but take note that the gravel section starts just after a slight downhill ... if you're not paying attention, you may encounter the gravel area too fast.

Given that any course is a series of trade-offs, Bill and I agreed that the benefit of the quietier roads on the NJ side, would be preferable than going down the PA side for this ride.

-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA

[Willie]

I've posted the photos - including a slide show with captions at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/randonnerd/ ... directlink

It has photos of what you'll see at Mile 44.1 and 94.5 where the road signs are missing - as well as some other interesting photos showing the natural (and un-natural) beauty along the route.

Bill