So, we left Hermitage in the morning, around 9am I think, and headed out on State Route 62 out toward Sandy Lake. But I planned on riding Rt. 173 north so we stayed on 956 like going to Franklin, and that intersects with 173. North we went. And it got cloudier. And darker. An a few more roads and turns later we met up with a drizzle. Drizzle turned to rain, and slowed down our ride, but it didn't stop us. And across the state border into New York we rode.What did stop us was when I came to a point (see way back in this photo in the upper left) where Route 408 turned right or kept going north. We pulled over on the road so I could be sure which direction to take - we were on the right path! The rest of the group took the opportunity to put on rain gear because riding in the cold rain in a t-shirt can kind of suck!
We don't take the Interstates on our rides. We kick back and stay out for 12-14 hours enjoying the adventure, as Bones like to do (adventure meaning getting a little lost and making random U-turns, etc.). One thing I do when leading is make up a route, but by no means stick to it if I see any problems, and when you're going where you've never been, that's just fine.
If you go the back roads, make your way to Corry, PA, which you can get to easily on State Route 6. Head north on Route 426, and make sure you have your helmet on because you'll reach the state line in no time. And by NO MEANS make a right turn onto State Line Road! Where it meets with 426 it's giant boulder-size gravel, I swear! That was the turn I needed to make, but no way; that's what I mean by being flexible. Follow 426 to Route 474 and turn right, and stay on 474 to the town of Panama, and turn left/north onto North Street. Stay on this road until you reach the T at Route 394 - turn left (which isn't easy) and you'll find restaurants, Boxcar Barney's, and a park. Then you can keep going and circle the lake back down to Jamestown.
We stopped at the Chautauqua Harbor House. It's a small-town diner with typical food, and decorated in a manor not found in big box restaurants. It's a unique experience. We ordered everything from crab cake sandwiches to fish sandwiches to meatloaf and mashed, to burgers and burgers and burgers!We got lucky in that just before arriving in Mayville, the sky cleared and it never rained the entire time we were there, even though the weather called for 80% chance of rain.
Our next stop was at the park that is literally up the road on the right. It's a nice large park with a playground at one end, pavilions, and at the opposite end is a large open area with lots of benches for just sitting to enjoy the air and lake view. And that's what we did. After all that sitting, this was different; a breeze kicked up and the are was fresh. It was beautiful.
At the bench end, away from the playing kids, there were interesting things to see, like this old car ferry that sits by the boat dock. It doesn't run. A group is trying to raise funds to repair it, and it's still sitting on the rail tracks to launch it into the water. 
I think we stayed here about 45 minutes. The sky was getting cloudier and darker from the north. Luckily, right across the street was Boxcar Barney's Ice Cream, so we mounted our horses and went over there.
No sooner were we done with the ice cream when you could see rain on the far side of the lake. We packed it up and hit the road back home. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to get there. Like I said, we don't ride fast and enjoy the ride and stopping to dilly dally. The trip home was good too. We got back to Corry and took Route 6 west and then kept following more familiar routes until we got back to Mercer. We stopped to bullshit at Country Fair, and then said our goodbyes, mounted the horses again and slowly peeled off to our relative homes. It was a great day! Even with riding in the rain, it was good, maybe even more enjoyable because it was different from fair weather riding. Anyway, here are more pictures from the park. Go check it out sometime.
~ Holly, a.k.a. Stitchblade
