Schellsburg, PA: One of Our Favorites

On Sunday, May 30, 2021, we took an overnight trip to Schellsburg, PA. Along for this trip was Meanie, Chisel, Hammer, Tiny, and myself. Goldilocks was on a trip to help move their daughter Samantha and son-in-law south for her to take up her medical residency. So the five of us bundled up for the chilled, overcast, and what would become drizzly weather. 

We started out with breakfast at DeSilvio's bar and grille in Hubbard. 

The best time to catch someone happy is with a random selfie, like this one with me and Chisel. 

The best time to catch a picture of Bryon is to let him know ahead of time. I'm sure you can understand why. 

Anyway, the route I planned was the usual since this wasn't our first rodeo (if you've read previous blogs):

OH-616 south

US-422 east

Exit at Ford City on PA-66 south to Apollo

Make a left onto PA-819  (which this time has no sign) after crossing the RR tracks

Make a left onto PA-981 and follow south to Latrobe, all the way to US-30 Lincoln Highway. 

From there is easy cheesy to Schellburg. 

Side Note: PA-819 and 981 are really nice to ride!

In Latrobe, we stopped at the Dunkin Donuts for a break and some food. Caught this fun pic of Chisel, and one of Hammer and Tiny. Just prior to that, we had to stop at a traffic light, and Meanie riding second turned to ask Tiny wha that sound was. He said he didn't hear anything, so we kept going and pulled into Dunkin. 

We finished and got out side to leave. After pulling out of DD, Tiny alerted us that we needed to pull over because his handlebars were wobbling. So there we are on the south side of PA-981 and can see US-30 straight ahead. But it was a no go when we discovered that Tiny's front wheel bearings had blown out! That sucked. And while bad, US-30 was going to be mountains and curves, and bearings going out there may have been much worse. 

The one Harley dealer that was open said they could accept the bike if it got towed there, but they were closing at 4pm no matter what. Tiny couldn't get a local tow truck to come out and tow a motorcycle, let alone all the way back home. So we did what we knew best and called Watson's Towing back in Hubbard. Ziba agreed to come and get Tiny and his bike. Just down the road was a Dairy Queen on the left before the road went uphill, so Tiny limped the bike along the side of the highway and the rest of us followed blocking traffic when needed. How were we to spend the next few hours?

WITH AN AIR SHOW FROM THE 

U.S. NAVY'S BLUE ANGELS!!!

It's a total downer to have your bike break down, but you don't always get what you want, you often get what you need. As it was Memorial Day weekend, for me it was fitting to see planes flying overhead as my grandfather Walter Pittman was an Air Force pilot who was killed and MIA in Korea, so maybe he brought us to the show. 

 As we watched the planes fly over and around, and listed to the amazing thunder in the skies, we hung out at the DQ taking photos of ourselves and the planes, as well as videos. 

The DQ did not have food, so Chisel and I walked while the guys rode the bikes up the road to a Subway after the air show ended. We ate and came back. Alas, Ziba arrived and he and Tiny loaded the bike onto the tow truck. Meanie has been friends with the Watson family for 30 plus years, and we knew we could count on their assistance. 

Tiny made sure that we continued with the trip. Once they were off, so were we. We got onto the Lincoln Highway eastbound. Still cold and overcast, but no big deal. When we arrived at the Shawnee Motel in Schellburg, there were two goals after settling in: go back up the road a very short way to the Chestnut Ridge and Union Church Cemetery, and hit up the Shawnee Country Market for snacks and stuff.

The view from our room, #14, but it was actually the 13th room.

Hammer with his Signature Wave

The Cemetery. What a cool, old place. The earliest burials are from 1806, so contain the remains of people who lived through the Revolutionary War. Think about that. Tall, thin, tablets of stone and small obelisks and really neat markers that hold flower planters. The old log church itself is a work of craftsmanship, and is surrounded by the oldest graves. Newer graves are further out. The church is only open on the Sunday before Memorial Day (at least that's what the sign said), and we had gotten there too late to go inside.

Check out the photos:

tiny obelisk, about 8 inches tall

Back at the Shawnee Market, we got cups of coffee, sweet snacks, and Chisel bought enough for for 10 people. After getting showers, we met in Hammer and Chisel's room to watch TV and eat. We had potato ships, onion dip, meat sticks, pretzels, wafer cookies, string cheese, Entenman's donuts, etc. I can plow through some onion dip! But bedtime sounded good after an hour and a half of the tv crap. 

In the morning, Hammer caught Chisel on the big swing, and swinging is one of her favorite things. 

Memorial Day. We got up for breakfast at the Shawnee Market. They have a deli and make hot breakfast sandwiches on bagels, toast, or english muffins. Sausage, bacon, ham, egg, cheese. Hot coffee is at the front when you walk in, and they have indoor booths where you can eat. They also host an ice cream shop. I adore that store! Make the Shawnee Market and the Shawnee Motel a simple and enjoyable destination. 

In the morning, we took Chisel to Gravity Hill, located in New Paris, PA. It's up the road a ways off of PA-96, turn left on Bethel Hollow Road until you see the road sign for Gravity Hill. She ended up being more interested in the cicadas smashed on the road. But I had fun riding my bike UPHILL with the engine off. And rolling backwards UPHILL. Please, go try it out!

We went back toward Schellsburg, and our next stop was the Colvin Covered Bridge. We followed Mill Road to the bridge off of US-30. 

We continued on Mill Road (becomes Skip Back Road) until it connected with PA-31. We went west on that road to Glen Savage Road and made a left on that to our next stop the Pack Saddle Covered Bridge. 

Here is a screenshot of the bridge area if that helps you top get there because the scenery of the area is gorgeous! The road numbered 2017 is Glen Savage Road.

Now the Colvin bridge was a lot easier to stop and see with some off and on road parking and low traffic. The Pack Saddle bridge got me all fucked up. When you finally figure out which roads to take to get there, there is a parking spot on the right BEFORE the bridge, but once you cross it, the road goes uphill and splits into two. And they aren't nice roads for bikes either. 

This bridge is built on some outcropped terraced bedrock and you can actually get down to the water. So of course Chisel and I did. It was so cold and clear. We started picking up some stones for our collections. It was time to move along, and we went back the way we came, which is all uphill, even at the stop sign to turn left back to PA-31. 

Once on PA-31 west, we rode on to Somerset, and then somehow ended up at the US-30 crossroads. So we took that back to Latrobe and followed our path back home. I think it rained on the way back because we stopped at a gas station near New Castle, maybe. I don't know. Adventure before dementia!

Get out there and see these wonderful places and make memories.

~ Holly

World's Largest Coffee Pot 'N Stuff 'N Things

On June 23rd and 24th, we rode the motorcycles to one of our favorite areas around Bedford, Pennsylvania. We started out on the bikes meeting at Dunkin' in Hermitage on Rt. 18. It was Tiny, Hammer, Meanie, and me, and we would later pick up Bones on the way. Everything went fine and breakfast was okay, but oh man, we were making the turn off 18 to get on I-376 when Meanie's bike stopped working. Good thing the weather was finally nice, for we sat on the side of the road deciding what to do.

Meanie made the decision to take the bike home once it started after cooling off (we thought we had the previous problem fixed), and to get his Mustang and meet us at the motel in Schellsburg, PA. So we did! I, Mama Stitch, took the lead and told Tiny and Hammer that it was time for them to eat rice!!! LOL, me and my Yamaha Poseidon took hold of the road and the three of us headed to East Brady.

That's a nice ride, going east on US 422 and then east on PA 68. You land in East Brady across the river. Bones was waiting on us. Tiny couldn't wait to get off the bike for a cicada had gone up his jacket sleeve about ten miles before we stopped and it was crawling around inside! Bones was ready to ride and he took us on a short cut winding road back to PA 68. We needed to go south on PA 268 to Kittaning on US 422.

Once there, it was our regular route: Starting at Ford City, we take PA 66 south through Apollo, and after crossing the railroad tracks, turn left on PA 819. That we follow to a T in the road with PA 981, turn left, and take 981 all the way through Latrobe to US 30, the Lincoln Highway.

Well planned routes often have to be changed, especially when there has been a landslide on your road! We came upon a road closure, turned around and stopped at a gas station. The woman working said it was a landslide and wasn't sure if motorcycles could get through. Hammer being a blond thought it would be a good idea to go check it out and let us know if we could get through. We waited and waited, then Bones got a call. It was Hammer. He was on the other side of the landslide and in the company of the local police! Ha ha ha! I didn't believe Bones at first when he said that Hammer was in trouble and was about to be fined $250 for breaking the road closed signs blockade. That charming bugger told the police there were more of us on the other side and wondered if we could just come through anyway, or could he go back around the landslide and meet us at the station. He wasn't allowed. We had to find a way to meet him on the other side. Soo... we got directions around the south side of the river into Vandergrift, pulled over to look at the Google map, and got a call from Hammer saying he was looking at a blue bridge. Not helpful. Honestly, I don't know how the the Blond Viking did it, but he found us! Onward.

We road east through Vandergrift on the road we were on (Alt. 66?) and it lead us to PA 66 that we needed to be on. A left turn, then an erroneous right turn too soon, a U-turn, a right turn, and the next right turn put us on our road. From Apollo we were easy riders. We got into Latrobe and skated through, intersected with US 30, and stopped at Eat 'n Park for a break and lunch. That's when I spoke with Bryon. He was already in Schellsburg while we were still 43 miles west. But he didn't have as much fun as we did! Anyway, we finally met at the Shawnee Motel, our favorite independent motel that is run by a couple who take very good care of the place. The cost of a room is $59 + taxes.   The cool thing about this motel is that the owner was out early wiping the dew off of our bike seats! And they leave a box of disposable rags by the office so you can use them for dirty jobs.

We unpacked and relaxed for an hour or so. Some of us walked over the the market for drinks and snacks to store in the fridges. The Shawnee Motel does not have coffee makers or hairdryers. The market is open at 6am and has coffee going all day long, plus a deli and cooked food and sandwiches for every meal, AND an ice cream shop. You can't beat it.

What to do? With plenty of daylight left, I suggested that we ride some more! It's easy to get these guys on bikes. We headed east past Bedford, following US 30 to the Breezewood exit on the PA turnpike. After Breezewood, 30 has sweet mountain roads that rise and bend and turn and go downhill, well marked too. Forty miles later we found ourselves in McConnellsville. And hungry. And McDonald's it was, plus I was dying for an iced coffee and you can tell that the boys were all emaciated and starving. Yeah right! The ride back to the motel in the dark was interesting and challenging. Shortly before the motel, we all saw a deer laying by the side of the road. She had been hit and was laying there with a broken leg but her head was up and she was looking around. Oh man it was so sad! I can't forget the forlorn look on her face. Poor thing.

Monday morning everyone was up before Meanie and I were awake. But we got our shit together and had a nice morning in the sunshine. Packed and ready for the adventures, we headed east again on the Lincoln Highway. The deer from the night before was dead. 

First stop was breakfast at the Birds Nest Cafe and Bakery. Totally nice place with vintage eclectic decor, and baked goods all around. The menu was full of traditional breakfast items and meals, the coffee was hot, the juice was cold, the scrambled eggs fluffy as were the pancakes. There are a couple of outside tables too. Street parking and a lot across the way are available.


Next was a stop at the Bedford County Visitors Bureau around the block from the cafe. There you can find and as for all kinds of visitor information and buy some merchandise for some of the sites including Gravity Hill and the Koontz Coffee Pot. Pins and stickers and t-shirts and mugs were all available, but unfortunately no patches at this time. We walked around the area outside too, taking in some of the old architecture and sights like the horse tie poles alongside the streets and the gazebo in the town center adjacent to some memorials.

On our way out of Bedford, we stopped at the last sight, the world's largest coffee pot! It's called the Koontz Coffee Pot and sits on the Bedford County Fair property entrance. It's a huge building that was part of the attractions of the early days of driving when US 30 was new. It had many uses over the years. The photo below proves that Tiny really is tiny!

On the road again. Next stop: Zepka Harley-Davidson where we learned it's the oldest HD dealership in the state of Pennsylvania, and run by the third generation of the family. When we got back on US 30 west, we turned right on PA 56 east, and that was definitely a nice road to follow. It took us all the way to the outskirts of Johnstown where we finally found (after two search parties went looking) Zepka HD. Hammer refused to by Bones a trike. Isn't that just awful? What kind of friendship is that?!? :)

We shopped a little, got our goods, and thank goodness Meanie had the Mustang support vehicle because it ended up with a loaded trunk. Note to self: a 5.0 Mustang is not the most fuel efficient choice for a support vehicle. From Zepka, we went north on US 219 a short distance to the exit for the Johnstown Flood Memorial, part of our National Parks Service. That was a first visit for all of us and it's a nice place that once poured out a menace and created a disaster. 

We headed out north on 219 again and stopped on US 22 for food. We found a Taco Bell next to a Starbucks and called it heaven! Immediately the boys started talking about the gassy downside of eating Taco Bell while riding, and I ordered a Mexican pizza and said now they'd be eating rice and beans! Gosh, we are so immature! LOL! I said, "Come on minions", and Hammer replied, "Mama Stitch and the Youngins." We went right to Starbucks for coffee and watched the sky. 

Our final goal was to go home. It was 3 PM. It was just a skip up to US 422, and we took that west. However, Tiny had warned us that a storm was approaching home yet we may beat it there. We first had to take Bones back to East Brady, which we did. A little dilly dallying there probably put us into the path of the storm. We took PA 68 back to 422, and the sky got darker and darker and darker. I know, you're thinking, "Well, we sure could use some rain around here." NOT! Nature didn't care. By the time we reached New Castle out there by Fat Jimmy's BBQ, it was raining hard. We stopped at a gas station and waited a bit. 

It wasn't long before a very minuscule break convinced us to suck it up and ride home. So we did. It rained, but you get used to it after a while. It's really not that bad. We all made it safe and sound.

Well, that's that. A nice two days out on the American highways, choosing to do what makes us happy. Shoot, there's nothing like getting the hell out of Dodge for a bit.

Stay tuned for more blogs and go on out yourself and see this great nation! Your tax dollars literally pave the way so go get a taste of AMERICA!!!

~ Holly
a.k.a. Stitchblade, a.k.a. Mama Stitch