The Oilfield Roads of the Allegheny National Forest - Overnighter
Sometimes, it's not about the roads themselves, but about what lies under them... oil. Over 150 miles of dirt roads have been built in the Allegheny Nation Forest to reach the oil reserves underneath. The forest is dotted with oil wells, pumpjacks, piping and valves, storage tanks, and oil distribution buildings. The pumps are small, perhaps 6 to 10 feet tall, unlike the majestic ones you may see in the southern states. In any case with all the dirt roads connecting these facilities, the possibilities for bikepacking are endless: It was fun to spend two days trying to not get lost along the twisted roads that connect the wells. Both Francesca and I are chemists; for this reason we are both attracted and repulsed by the power of the black gold. It powers the world and it is used to build many materials, including monomers and plastic. For our job, we both use and manipulate materials derived from petroleum every day, which gives us an especially intimate relationship with it. I mean