East of Jibou the Someș river squeezes through a narrower valley, and around Ileanda the hills close in, wooded and steep, with villages tucked wherever there is room for a few houses and gardens. Glod is a tiny settlement in these hills, and Toaca Glodului is the local name of a height above it; toaca, by the way, is the wooden board struck to call monks to prayer, and hills with that name often have a commanding view. Like many points with this naming pattern in Sălaj, it is listed with the Roman frontier of Dacia, where watchtowers and small forts guarded the approaches to the province. On the ground you should expect little more than traces in a field or woodland, so come for the setting.
And the setting is a good one. The Someș here is broad and brown, with willows on the banks and herons fishing in the shallows. The railway follows the river through short tunnels and over bridges, and the slopes above are covered in oak and beech forest that turns copper in October. Small farms still mow by hand in places, and the haystacks dotted across the meadows are straight out of an old painting.
The main road along the valley, which runs between Jibou and Dej, has smooth stretches and a relaxed rhythm of curves following the river, with little traffic apart from local cars and the occasional truck. Turn off into the side valleys, toward villages like Rus or Gâlgău, and things get rougher: broken tarmac, gravel, mud after rain and steep grades. A light adventure bike is ideal; a heavy tourer will cope on the main road but feel nervous on the tracks. Watch for animals and horse carts, especially around dusk.
Ileanda has a few shops and probably a bar, but for fuel and a proper meal you are better off in Jibou to the west or Dej to the east, both larger towns. Copalnic-Mănăștur, to the north over the hills toward Maramureș, is another option. If you have time, keep riding north into Maramureș itself, where the wooden churches with their tall spires are among the most beautiful buildings in Romania and the road over the hills offers some of the best scenery in the country.