| The High Spirits Beer and Wine Tour Scamp 'n' Rascal Cycling Adventures |
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Just how much fun can you cram into five days? A lot! The High Spirits Tour is so full
of fun, we couldn’t squeeze in another drop without making a mess! There are five full
days of some of best riding anywhere - mile after beautiful mile of Amish country
roads, where kids on scooters will keep pace with you and where waving at a buggy
will bring a shy smile and a friendly wave in return. Then there is the road to Hopewell
Furnace and the Oley Valley with an entirely different kind of beauty to grab your
attention.
Along the way there are museums and feasts and laughter and sightseeing and of
course limericks and The Beer Song. There are the wineries; two of them, both award
winning, delicious and unique. And if that isn't enough, there's the beer. Not the ice
cold root beer you can buy from farms as you're passing. We're talking about the real
stuff. This is, after all, Pennsylvania's Dutch country. That's "Dutch" as in "deutch", as
in German, like the language they speak. Welcome to the Fatherland.
If you're with us in June, we'll spend our last night at the Great Eastern Invitational
Microbrew Festival, hosted by our friends at Stoudt's Brewery. Be prepared to get
very, very rowdy!
October, the month for Oktoberfests and ghosts and harvests and spiders and
haystacks, will find us playing at Bube's Brewery. Yes, it's pronounced "Boobies". No,
it's not like Hooters. Yes the wide selection of beer from this small batch brewer is
fantastic. So is their outrageous sense of fun. Just wait 'til you see the Catacombs!
Day 1 – Wednesday afternoon (meeting day)
Day 2 - Thursday
Day 4 – Saturday
Day 5 – Sunday
of fun, we couldn’t squeeze in another drop without making a mess! There are five full
days of some of best riding anywhere - mile after beautiful mile of Amish country
roads, where kids on scooters will keep pace with you and where waving at a buggy
will bring a shy smile and a friendly wave in return. Then there is the road to Hopewell
Furnace and the Oley Valley with an entirely different kind of beauty to grab your
attention.
Along the way there are museums and feasts and laughter and sightseeing and of
course limericks and The Beer Song. There are the wineries; two of them, both award
winning, delicious and unique. And if that isn't enough, there's the beer. Not the ice
cold root beer you can buy from farms as you're passing. We're talking about the real
stuff. This is, after all, Pennsylvania's Dutch country. That's "Dutch" as in "deutch", as
in German, like the language they speak. Welcome to the Fatherland.
If you're with us in June, we'll spend our last night at the Great Eastern Invitational
Microbrew Festival, hosted by our friends at Stoudt's Brewery. Be prepared to get
very, very rowdy!
October, the month for Oktoberfests and ghosts and harvests and spiders and
haystacks, will find us playing at Bube's Brewery. Yes, it's pronounced "Boobies". No,
it's not like Hooters. Yes the wide selection of beer from this small batch brewer is
fantastic. So is their outrageous sense of fun. Just wait 'til you see the Catacombs!
Day 1 – Wednesday afternoon (meeting day)
- We're in love with Churchtown, PA, with its delightful bed and breakfasts and its
close proximity to all things Amish. It's hard to beat The Inn at Twin Linden and
The Churchtown Inn Bed & Breakfast for comfort or class. Having Shady Maple
Smorgasbord just down the road a piece makes it perfect. That's why we chose
Churchtown as the best place to start this outrageous adventure. We’ll gather in
the afternoon, get you registered and give you time to sort yourself out. If you
think you can get there early, let us know. We'll send you an optional cue sheet
ride to help you loosen up.
By the way, if you're going to Shady Maple for dinner, make sure you bring a
good appetite. Last year Rick referred to it as “an eating stadium” and Don
wanted a cue sheet to find our table. Jane’s comment was “I should have worn
my expand-o pants. Next time I come here I’m wearing a nightgown!”
- Dinner on your own
Optional miles
Day 2 - Thursday
- Even if you’re still full from dinner, your innkeepers have a terrific breakfast
waiting for you. You’ll want plenty of energy today. It's a bit of a climb to reach
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, a fantastic snapshot of the early
American iron industry. Once we leave there, it’s down hill for miles as we cruise
into the spectacularly beautiful Oley Valley. We’ll visit Daniel Boone’s
Homestead before we stop by the Oley Dairy for homemade ice cream (straight
from cow to cone). On our way back out of the valley we’ll swing by the French
Creek Ridge Vineyards where you can get a taste of their award winning wines.
If you want to take some home our SAG vehicles will happily collect it for you.
Breakfast, Dinner with an Amish family
Multiple routes, approximately 30 – 60 miles
- It’s hard to imagine a prettier countryside, but easy to imagine you’ve traveled
back in time as you pedal along these sweet country roads heading for
Strasburg PA and our hotel for the night, The Historic Strasburg Inn. Strasburg
is famous for its railroad history. You might want to stop in the National Toy
Train Museum or the Railroad Museum of PA, just to poke around. Or maybe
get off your bike and stick your head inside a one-room schoolhouse to see
what life was like a hundred years ago. The people are friendly here, peaceful
and unassuming, and often happy to answer questions. And of course the Twin
Brook Winery is waiting for you, too. Tour the winery or try a few. If you find
anything you like, our last SAG vehicle will be happy to collect your purchases
and bring them along.
Breakfast, Dinner on your own
Multiple routes, approximately 30 – 60 miles
Day 4 – Saturday
- Oh Baby! The good times are rollin’ today! We’re waving goodbye to Strasburg
and heading north to Ephrata. Well, north, but not as the crow flies. We’re
taking our time and taking in the scenery. Make sure you bring your camera.
There are so many Currier and Ives moments you’ll want to capture. When you
get to Ephrata, be sure you stop in and tour the Ephrata Cloister, one of the
earliest religious communities in America. The Historical Society of the Cocalico
Valley is another place well worth your time. In fact, there are a lot of places in
Ephrata you’re going to want to snoop through. Just make sure you get back to
our hotel, the Hampton Inn, in time for dinner. Whether it's Stoudt's or Bube's,
it's going to be a party you don't want to miss. Just remember you have to ride
your bike tomorrow!
Breakfast, Dinner, Stoudt's Micro Brewery festival or party at Bube's
Multiple routes, 20 – 50 miles
Day 5 – Sunday
- We let you sleep in this morning. Wasn’t that nice of us?! The road back to
Churchtown is especially quiet today. It’s Sunday. Everything is closed. No one
works except the horses taking families to church. When you pass a farm with
scores of buggies on the lawn, you’ll know an Amish congregation has gathered
to worship. (They only meet every other week.) When the buggies surround a
church, you know the old order Mennonites are inside. It’s likely we’ll be the only
ones on the road. It’s the perfect end for our spirited adventure. Who would
have thought you could stuff so much fun into so few days?
Breakfast
50 miles
