Traverse City Adventure: Pittsburgh to Oakdale

DAY 12 • 23 AUGUST 2017 • OAKDALE

We rode 19 miles to Oakdale today.  We eventually made our way to the Fort Pitt Motel where our host Teresa took good care of us.

The highlight of this day though was the good beer we drank at the end of the ride at the brand new Halicon Brewery along the trail in Oakdale. They’ve been open since November of 2016 and serve 80 percent of the beer over the metal bar there served with great bags of kettle-cooked chips and cashews. Their beers range from a light lager at about 4.5 percent up to some heavier, hoppier and citriuser amber lagers and IPAs in the 7 to 7.5 percent alcohol.

Owner Chris is a big Dogfish fan and has toured Sam’s brewery at least three times.  Zach told us that Halicon refers to a mountain in Greek mythology where the muses live.  Muses are what inspire artists.  Their logo is a combination of a Greek harp, with pieces reminiscent of a barley grain, Poseidon’s trident because of the importance of water to beer and a foundation line representing hops.

Jim overheard us talking about Delaware and struck up a conversation.  He stayed at Rehoboth Crossing two weeks ago, rides the Junction and Breakwater Trail and often stops at Revelation brewery in West Rehoboth to slake his thirst after a ride.  He informed us that the Fort Pitt Motel was a few miles up a steep and curvy road.  “No road to ride, especially this time of day.”

He threw back the cover on the bed of his red Ford 250 and we loaded up the bikes, strapped them down, and threw our bags in the back seat with Becky.  What a nice guy!

So many nice people in the world and we’re meeting a lot of them on this trip.

Our total is now up to 416 miles.