The cooling effect of trees along the Pumpkinvine is real and measurable

 Many times as I've ridden the Pumpkinvine in the heat of summer, I've noticed how much cooler it feels when I'm in the tree-lined sections compared to the open areas. It felt so much cooler that I've speculated the temperature had dropped 10 degrees in the shaded sections. But that was just a guess.

Well, Sunday, Aug. 8,  I realized that I had a way of testing that hypothesis through the temperature reading on my GPS, a GPS that I've had for two years, but that I never thought to consult about this issue. 

My first insight came when I realized that I could read and remember the temperature on the GPS display as I rode along. Shortly after mentally recording two or three-degree changes in the temperature, I realized that there's a much simpler way to get that data, i.e., the chart that the GPS uploads to the website, www.RidewithGPS.com. The GPS has been collecting this data for two years, but I never thought to consult it.

Here's what I learned about the difference in temperature on today's ride. (You can see the ride here: Ride of Aug. 8, 2021 Click on the temperature icon at the bottom of the map, then have your cursor hover over the graph to see the temperature and the corresponding location on the map.)

My ride Sunday was from home to Abshire Park to Dips on the Vine in Middlebury. As I approached the trailhead at Abshire Park, the temperature was 88 degrees. (I was approaching on State Road 4.) By the time I reached CR 127, having traveled that 2.25 miles in the shade on packed limestone, the temperature had dropped to 79 degrees --- nine degrees lower. As soon as I got into the open area along CR 26, the temperature went back to 88 degrees. In the half-mile west of CR 33, the temperature dropped to 81. East of CR 35, the temperature was 82 degrees. Then it climbed to 86 degrees in Middlebury.

In summary, the temperature dropped the most in the limestone surfaced, longest wooded area between SR 4 and CR 127 (nine degrees) It dropped six degrees in the shorter, asphalt-coated areas. 

It happened to be a sunny day, and I'm sure changes in the cloud cover at various times made a difference, too. But I have to conclude that the canopy of trees that line the Pumpkinvine really do offer riders cool relief from the summer sun. 

The difference a trail makes: the area south of the bridge over the Little Elkhart River

 Every time I ride the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail over the trestle bridge spanning the Little Elkhart River in Middlebury, I'm reminded of how bad the area south of the bridge looked before it was turned into the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. I remember it as something like a dump, and I'm amazed to see how much better it looks today with the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail on the east side and Krider World's Fair Garden on the west. They make an inviting and pleasing place to visit or ride through. 

I've mentioned the transformation of the area south of the bridge to many of my riding companions over the years, but when I looked for a photo of the area to prove my point, I couldn't find any in my Pumpkinvine picture collection.

Then today while scanning some old Pumpkinvine slides, I found one from 1989 that shows the area. The slide is indexed as "Looking south from Middlebury bridge." You can also identify the area from two details in the photo. On the near left you see the railing of the bridge, and on the right is the windmill in Krider Garden. The area doesn't look as junk-filled as I remember it, but keep in mind that it was another six years before the Pumpkinvine was built in this area, so it could have gotten worse in that time. 

It is also important to note that this view of Krider World's Fair Garden is prior to its renovation. It was not in good shape in 1989. Together the new Garden and Pumpkinvine result in a striking transformation of this Middlebury area.