Malvern and Mad Anthony

St. David's Episcopal 

The sky has been overcast and threatening rain all day, not a good day for riding with the possibility of a downpour in the air but great light conditions for photography.  With that in mind, today's ride at midday was a scout for good photo sites.  My first idea was to hit the Willistown Friends Meeting House, on Goshen and Warren, and get some shot is the parking lot.  Of course, leave to the Quakers to have services (meetings?  I don't know.) on Sunday and fill up the parking lot in front of the meeting house with random cars.  Imagine that!  With that option out of the question the next plan was to run out on Warren towards 30 and scout that area. 

As I've mentioned before, Warren between Goshen and Providence is a hard-packed dirt road with loose gravel and some washed out areas.  Discretion being the best part of valor I made the big block on Sugartown to Providence for a left at Warren rather that taking it from Goshen.

The first part of Warren runs through farm country, fairly straight but with some hilly terrain.  After Davis Rd, Warren runs through a more residential area and flatter terrain to eventually come to a light at the Paoli Pike, where the little reservoir is on the north side of the Pike.  From there Warren enters Malvern, site of the Paoli Massacre on 20 Sept. 1777 or so the sign says, and flattens and straigthens almost completely.  There is an interesting sight shortly past the Pike on Warren, on the left there is a school with a large white statue of Christ on top of a hill.  I though about crossing the road for a shot but continued on to downtown Malvern.  There I followed King Street to 30 east.

Most of the road surface on 30 has been redone and the conditions there are excellent.  Lancaster Ave (30) is not a great ride but the road surface called for some speed and that's what happened, specially on the stretch between Woodside and Waterloo (not the Waterloo in Berwyn, the one in Devon).  I overshot Waterloo and Devon, but made a right on Dorset and back to Devon all the way to Saint David's Episcopal.

Grave of Major General Mad Anthony Wayne

At St. Davids, I pulled into the church yard for a photo of Major General Mad Anthony Wayne's tomb and some other shots.  The light conditions were perfect but the tiger mosquitoes did not want to cooperate.  After a handful of shots, I headed home.

This was a short ride, just a little over 22 miles, but it was a nice exploration.  The sky cooperated and there was no rain until after getting home.  At the beginning of the ride the odo read 1525 miles and at the end it clocked 1547.  A short but enjoyable day.

Chapel in the church yard

St. David's Episcopal

Chapel