“it’s Franklin! – the new Paris, France!” Ezra proclaimed in his strong Russian accent.

Ezra was one of two friends who invited me to their marathon weekend in the oil region just outside of Pittsburgh. “As long as I can take my bike”, I said

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I left Franklin on the gravel bike Saturday morning. Touring any new land through the lens of a bicycle offers an unfiltered, highly nuanced perspective. Life gets left behind and you think about, well – bushes.

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Pink Rhododendrons specifically- big and small, one for every house number and blooming with distinct exuberance. It led me to believe they are the new status symbol in Franklin and Oil City.

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Franklin and Oil City represent PA’s oil region where some of the first oil fields were discovered in the US. Oil barons ruled these lands and fueled much of the industrial boom in and around Pittsburgh.

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The Erie to Pittsburgh trail runs through Franklin and Oil City on its 270 mile route. The 20 mile section I rode was mostly paved. Yet the gravel found off the trail was especially great for a lesser known pocket of PA.

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I’d recommend a trip – I’d also check the local bar, Foxtales, for cheap, fantastic food and drink. But don’t drink too much, or you might be lying on the ground with an unexpected thick Russian accent.