Been away for a while
 

Haven't been riding due to some injuries that kept resurfacing (broken ribs). Parked my touring bike and recently resurrected my old Hardrock. Plan to rebuild it into my commuter/adventure/overnight machine. I have bins full of racks, bags, frame bags, etc. Not to mention lights and gizmos. I plan to start training this coming week. Our county isn't locked down yet, but its coming.

Glad to be back in the saddle.

Welcome back.

I am curious where "kville" is at? I've cycled through Kerrville, TX and Kernville, CA but not sure if it is these or some place in Lebanon County, PA with your location.

I did a day tour just north of Everett and back down in to town for dinner in south central PA last year. That is really pretty country out there, but man the hills are knarly. Best of luck with building back up to riding. Take it easy, don't over-do it off the bat.

I believe it’s Kleinfeltersville, PA.

Rode through there in 2014 while touring from Ohio to Philly.

You got it. Used to live in that area. I miss it.

Many times I led a 74 mile loop ride from the Shady Maple Market to Mt. Gretna. The route took us passed that reservoir on K’Ville Rd. until Sunnyside Rd. The longer route took us to Tom’s Maxi-Mart in, I believe, Milford.

Back in the late '60s of my high school years I was active with both American Youth Hostels and DC area bike racing clubs. One of the adults would regularly take small groups of us up to the PA Dutch Country for weekend tours. We'd often use the Brickerville PA Youth Hostel for a base, just down the road from Kleinfeltersville. Sometimes we'd use a hostel at nearby Bowmansville. I'm sure that many of our rides went through K'ville. Fond memories of those days!

Wow, didn't realize so many were familiar with the area. When I first registered here, I still lived in K-ville. The lake you speak of is Middle Creek Wildlife Reserve, or known to the locals as "project 70."

Where in Brickerville was there a hostel?

That's the name. Been a while since I have been by there.

Interestingly, BobG was one of the leaders of my cross-country tour back in 1999.

All I can remember it was north of town center then a turn down a dirt drive to a charming stone hostel. Houseparents were Mr & Mrs Paul Hagel. There was a closely spaced string of hostels through the Dutch Country... Brickerville, Denver, Bowmansville, Geigertown and another up in Quakertown. The only one still in operation is the Weisel Hostel in Quakertown. The Bowmansville hostel was in the center of town .

That’s a nice place. It was (and may still be) the site of a rest stop on the Central Bucks Bike Club Covered Bridges ride every October. Haven’t done that in many years. Last time I did there were chickens about the grounds.

It wouldn't per chance be on a farm that now raises Christmas trees?

It was located at a rural setting so could now be a tree farm. Last time I was there was around 1972 so my memory is vague. Probably north of PA turnpike?

I did get one Google hit on it. It was referred to as "Canon Hill Youth Hostel". Does that location mean anything to you? There is a "Cannon Hill Lane" north of town. It was not "Elizabeth Farms" you see down by the turnpike. I keep zooming down at different locations with satellite view hoping something jogs my memory. It wasn't far off the pavement as we rode with skinny tires back then.

I rode right by the old Bowmansville hostel on a trip NH to VA in 2014. At that time it was a restaurant. The more recent street view posted above shows that it is no longer a restaurant. That hostel has a long history.

Canon Hill does, as that is the name of that mountain. Elizabeth farms grows trees now. My parents actually farmed that land as tenant farmers when they were first married in 1975, before it was Christmas trees.

I'll ask around about the hostel. I work with some people that lived in that area all their life.

Keep me posted! If you're in the area I suppose you cold also check property records for "Paul Hagel".

I'll see what I can do. That area was called the Village of Hopeland and everyone knew everyone else. I'm sure I can come up with something. Give me a few days.

Steve, I'm 95% sure this is the old Brickerville PA Youth Hostel. Almost everything is how I remember from 50 years ago (not 40 as I said in PM!), the open fields + the distance and proximity to town and Cannon Hill. The hostel is the building to the right, the houseparent's residence is the structure perpendicular to the left at a slightly higher elevation with a sloping terrace down to the hostel. I think most of Fox Road was dirt back then. The street view image of the driveway suggests that it has been since remodeled into more of a house.

I decided to post part of my PM just in case there are any other nostalgic hostelers in the audience!

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e8c73fe8ed.jpg

I have to take a drive back there. We go past Fox Road on our way to church, but that won't be happening for a little while. I talked to some people at work and they always remembered lots of cycle tourist on the back roads in that area, but so far no one can say there was a hostel. I'll keep digging, though.

Steve, I found a book search engine that located the '60-'61 AYH Guide and Handbook. It confirms the above location on Fox Road ...


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d40c633d79.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...265a61b141.jpg

This should jog some memories. It features the Canon Hill Hostel starting at 6:47.

Cool! Thanks for posting Brad. I was VP of a hosteling club at our high school in '67 & '68. We made a short trip through PA using Brickerville hostel for our start. A little more recently than those folks in the video as many of us had 10 speed bikes. I stayed there many other times independently.

This would be the structure to the left in the satellite photo above, the Hagel's residence ...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...012aefdf28.jpg

The hostel was actually the smaller middle structure in the satellite photo where you can see the chimney and upstairs deck. The larger building to the right is likely a tobacco barn ...

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c1e3c1b456.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ef1b24ec85.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2bf3897900.jpg