tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42151430739646201872024-03-06T01:08:09.583-05:00Along the Pumpkinvine Nature TrailEvents and reflections related to the building the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail between Goshen, Middlebury and Shipshewana,Indiana.Friends of the Pumpkinvinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06543331016006776864noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-38073443600331068412022-08-11T08:05:00.001-04:002022-08-11T08:12:27.428-04:00Invasive species removal along the Pumpkinvine <p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxeLhh0w2O8ScEvX5mYXu5u2Fuu0ToMTf25LOKfFKHv52euOU5A0owgwbzLHXKFT61wShmUKC2WczPa5WwAJpCQQSUivCc-xrT7-csiWsoH7eSuzRCgaVklIqe4IDzheuM3UJ065_zNTmWsHD2-4Tfh_n0hoBbTgGHBKeoibI6QsOnByDTduy9aExCw/s4176/Y50_3408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2784" data-original-width="4176" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxeLhh0w2O8ScEvX5mYXu5u2Fuu0ToMTf25LOKfFKHv52euOU5A0owgwbzLHXKFT61wShmUKC2WczPa5WwAJpCQQSUivCc-xrT7-csiWsoH7eSuzRCgaVklIqe4IDzheuM3UJ065_zNTmWsHD2-4Tfh_n0hoBbTgGHBKeoibI6QsOnByDTduy9aExCw/s320/Y50_3408.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal">Pictured
at an Aug. 9, 2022, work party are Sarah </p><p class="MsoNormal">Baxter, Trenton Snyder, Randy Snyder, Al Spice,</p><p class="MsoNormal">John J. Smith, Christine Guth.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> A
small group (2-6) volunteers have been removing invasive plants at selected
sections of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail since 2020. All the volunteers learned a lot about botany by working together; we have a good time working
together, no matter how much botany we knew when we started. So far, we
have focused on removing invasive plants in the best-preserved wooded areas
along the trail, especially just west of the parking lot at County Road 33 and
just east of the County Road 43 parking lot. We remove multiflora rose, bush
honeysuckle, oriental bittersweet, garlic mustard and other non-native plants
that can overtake native plants. We work from the edge of the surfaced trail to
the fence lines that separate the trail from neighboring land. After
three years of working two hours per week from April through October, we can
notice a big difference at the fence lines: on the trail side of the fence, there are many fewer invasive plants than in the adjoining woods on the
opposite side, and growing populations of a wide diversity of native trees,
shrubs, vines, and herbaceous ground cover. </p><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-77114159472925272862021-08-08T22:56:00.004-04:002021-08-11T16:08:25.129-04:00The cooling effect of trees along the Pumpkinvine is real and measurable <p><span style="font-size: medium;"> 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.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">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. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">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.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's what I learned about the difference in temperature on today's ride. (You can see the ride here: <a href="https://ridewithgps.com/trips/72888971">Ride of Aug. 8, 2021</a> 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.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">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.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">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. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">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. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-19166702164636139112021-01-19T11:49:00.018-05:002021-01-29T11:12:11.812-05:00The difference a trail makes: the area south of the bridge over the Little Elkhart River<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnt3PM-WakXdLWDIA1N6hKXxKidRZtAAtscwVwO3g71mMJf-DJPYBUtf8oKM6-TzoaMSxfUpCaNMpQAa0_eYe42qoTaZPYDe8caYF5qy0RF3JLqB1kgoUmAkzgqEKsFeMhgDlpWUwNIjQ/s1516/89-97+Looking+S+from+Middlebury+bridge.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="1516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnt3PM-WakXdLWDIA1N6hKXxKidRZtAAtscwVwO3g71mMJf-DJPYBUtf8oKM6-TzoaMSxfUpCaNMpQAa0_eYe42qoTaZPYDe8caYF5qy0RF3JLqB1kgoUmAkzgqEKsFeMhgDlpWUwNIjQ/s320/89-97+Looking+S+from+Middlebury+bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 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. <p></p><p>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.</p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p><br /> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-45374601375273828412019-07-16T19:59:00.000-04:002019-07-20T15:11:07.100-04:00FAQs about the new Pumpkinvine section between CR 33 and CR 20<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Q: Is this section
finished?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A: </span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">No, it is rideable, but not finished. Additions
will include privacy fencing near the overpass and at CR 33, a donor-
recognition area, a second entrance-exit to County Road 20 and signage.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Q: Why is there a curb
along part of the trail just north of the overpass?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A: The curb is designed
to keep gravel from the lane just south of the trail from coming onto the
asphalt trail. This lane gives the landowners access to the land they own south
of the trail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Q: Why is there an
overpass in this section?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5BxiXV10tVLS2CD6F3csf5s1uKu8JkeNzP5V_wN9UXvKmoN6dpxFT6bfFjEL9oaTd9TZEupnw1QyEKnm7VV9pujZX4kFiJUIKkMgTFx9O6zKERPCzKPSQxCzZIbKQIWGjBmOUvgvyJL4/s1600/01-C_overpass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5BxiXV10tVLS2CD6F3csf5s1uKu8JkeNzP5V_wN9UXvKmoN6dpxFT6bfFjEL9oaTd9TZEupnw1QyEKnm7VV9pujZX4kFiJUIKkMgTFx9O6zKERPCzKPSQxCzZIbKQIWGjBmOUvgvyJL4/s320/01-C_overpass.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A: The overpass is the
result of negotiations between the Friends of the Pumpkinvine, Elkhart County
Parks and the adjacent landowners who had land and buildings on both sides of
the trail. The Friends and Elkhart County Parks did not want the trail to leave
the old Pumpkinvine corridor in this area because it would have put the trail
into wetlands. But the landowners were reluctant to divide their property with
the trail. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Friends of the
Pumpkinvine and Elkhart County Parks promised an overpass if the landowners
permitted the trail to stay on the old Pumpkinvine corridor and avoid the wetlands
in this section.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Q: Why are there
concrete sections on the trail?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A: One concrete section
along County Road 20 is for a driveway and a possible future driveway. The others
represent easements that allow the landowner with land on both sides of the
corridor to cross the corridor with heavy equipment now or in the future. These
concrete easements are consistent with other easements along the Pumpkinvine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<b>Q:</b> <b>Who built the overpass?</b><br /><b>A:</b> Custom Manufacturing, Clinton, Wisconsin.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-91516075361032419132019-06-30T14:49:00.002-04:002019-07-02T17:47:21.717-04:00Walkers benefit from the new trail section, tooA note from Friends of the Pumpkinvine board member Vivian Schmucker, our most faithful walker and advocate, about her first walk on the new section of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail between CR 33 and CR 20 reminded me that this new section will be a welcome addition to the trail for walkers as much as it is for bikers.<br />
<br />
Even before it was officially open, I saw area residents walking down the trail enjoying its beauty and safety. But Vivian walks with a greater purpose: she is training. She participates in the Maple City Walk's marathon walk in the fall that uses the Pumpkinvine as it's main venue, and in the past, walkers needed to use county roads for 3.4 miles (1.7 miles each way) of the 26.2-mile marathon course. Now the new section of the trail has eliminated two miles of that on-road route, making for a much safer walk.<br />
<br />
Comment from Vivian: <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Since the distance between CR 33 and
CR 35 by county roads is 1.7 miles, the marathoners previously had to walk 3.4
miles on the county roads for the round trip to Middlebury. Now that the new
section of the trail is open, the marathoners will only have to walk .7 miles
on county roads between CR 20 and CR 35 for a total of 1.4 miles for the round
trip." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Those of us who are primarily cyclists have a tendency to forget that walkers make up over 40 percent of trail users and that a new section of trail that takes walkers off the county roads improves their safety significantly, too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-27299943904578503512019-06-26T17:20:00.003-04:002019-06-26T17:20:59.906-04:00The Indiana legislature passed two laws, effective July 1, 2019, that impact cyclists in Indiana.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">T</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">he first is a three-foot passing law that
says when a motorist is overtaking a bicycle proceeding in the same direction,
the motorist must “allow at least three (3) feet of clearance between their
vehicle and the bicycle and </span><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT,Bold", serif; text-indent: 36pt;">not return the vehicle to the
vehicle's original lane of travel until the vehicle is safely clear of the
bicycle.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
A vehicle <b>may</b> pass a bicycle or electric bicycle in a no passing zone if
it is safe to do so, complying with current law.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The second law creates three classes of E
bikes. The Pumpkinvine Advisory Committee made up of the four agencies that
managing the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail will be discussing how this law applies
to the Pumpkinvine at its July meeting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Class 1 electric bicycle</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> means an electric
bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the operator
is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance to the operator when the electric
bicycle reaches a speed of twenty (20) miles per hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Class 2 electric bicycle</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> means an electric
bicycle equipped with an electric motor that may be used exclusively to propel
the electric bicycle and ceases or is unable to provide assistance when the
bicycle reaches a speed of twenty (20) miler per hour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Class 3 electric bicycle </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">means an electric
bicycle equipment with an electric motor that provides assistance only when the
operator is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance once the electric bicycle
reaches a speed of twenty-eight (28) miles per hour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The operator of an electric bicycle has
all the rights and responsibilities as the rider of a non-electric bicycle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Unless specifically stated by statute,
ordinance, etc. Class 1 and 2 electric bicycles may be operated on any bicycle
path or multi -purpose path where bicycles are permitted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A class 3 electric bicycle <b><i>might</i></b>
not be permitted on bicycle paths or multi use paths and the operator should
look toward local ordinances for guidance. (Most trail managing agencies
prohibit class 3 electric bicycles.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A person less than 15 years of age may not
operate a class 3 bicycle. A person less than 15 years may ride as a passenger
if the bicycle accommodates more than one rider. Anyone who rides or operates a
class 3 bicycle that is less than 18 years of age must wear an approved helmet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-5136482868674579242019-06-13T10:08:00.002-04:002019-06-13T10:40:09.243-04:00A smooth ride -- thanks to Bob Carrico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yCp_y0wFzs0K_Ufgz85wiAIzdCFs908WyCNriIE3NkImhFqacnxikC8hTZ5xJfkEEp-ev6JiSvB7n5bNOzKmJxfjaiFSLih3PQ4lrNWrlgLZKewijJ69ewOSMxdLrIaau_cU7BfeSo2D/s1600/Bob+Carrico-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yCp_y0wFzs0K_Ufgz85wiAIzdCFs908WyCNriIE3NkImhFqacnxikC8hTZ5xJfkEEp-ev6JiSvB7n5bNOzKmJxfjaiFSLih3PQ4lrNWrlgLZKewijJ69ewOSMxdLrIaau_cU7BfeSo2D/s320/Bob+Carrico-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In two day, June 15, 2019, a thousand riders will participate in the 20th Pumpkinvine Bike Ride. They will enjoy seeing the new colts in the fields, the beauty of the Indiana countryside and at some point in their ride, experience the shade and off-road safety of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. As they ride the Pumpkinvine, what they may overlook, is the work done to patch the cracks in the trail by Bob Carrico and his crew that results in a far smoother ride than would be the case if they hit a crack multiple time every mile.<br />
<br />
Parts of the Pumpkinvine's asphalt surface are now 20 years old, with the majority of the asphalt being 10 years old. In that time, freezing and thawing have created cracks in the surface of the asphalt that give bike riders a jolt. (The bumps caused by tree roots going under the trail are another issue.) Filling these cracks in a way that makes them smooth is labor intensive, and the local park departments that manage the trail do not have the staff to fill them.<br />
<br />
Enter Bob Carrico, the Trail Operations Manager for the Friends of the Pumpkinvine. He has devised a system for filling the cracks that is so good most riders will never know they just passed over a filled crack. In the past month, Bob and his crew have filled every crack in the 16.5 miles of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail from Abshire Park in Goshen to County Road 850W in Shipshewana.<br />
<br />
Every time I ride the Pumpkinvine I'm aware of this difference this crack sealing makes, i.e., how smooth they are. Unlike the patches I encounter on the road, which more often than not, substitute create a bump up where there was a bump down, Bob's patches are smooth, the work of a cyclist who knows how much cyclists dislike bumps that are even a quarter inch high. This kind of patching takes time and patience, something Bob's crew has in abundance.<br />
<br />
So, anyone who rides the Pumpkinvine Bike Ride this weekend or locals who ride it year round, when you encounter a sealed crack, remember the effort and attention to detail that went into making your ride a lot smoother because of the dedication and skill of Bob Carrico.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-20363957568096908372019-05-22T16:28:00.001-04:002019-05-22T16:28:28.367-04:00Closing a Pumpkinvine Nature Trail gapIt won't be long before we will see the closing of a one-mile gap in the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail between County Road 33 and County Road 20. This project has been in process for over five years and involved negotiating with five landowners because the Friends of the Pumpkinvine owned only five percent of the Pumpkinvine corridor in this section. <br />
<br />
This part of the Pumpkinvine corridor was conveyed to the railroad back in the 1890s as an easement, and that easement went away when the railroad abandoned rail service in 1982, i.e., the land reverted to the adjacent landowners. So, to put a trail through this section on the old corridor meant getting the cooperation of these five adjacent landowners who now owned the Pumpkinvine corridor.<br />
<br />
Our thinking all along was that the most persuasive argument for the trail would be for these landowners to see and use the Pumpkinvine themselves as it approached their area. So, we waited over 20 years for that to happen before we approached them. All were Amish and trail users and by that time they saw the value of the trail for the Amish community. They like the Pumpkinvine, but arriving at a route through this section involved missing wetlands and figuring out a way to accommodate a landowner whose land was divided by the trail.<br />
<br />
The trail through this section will eliminate hills on County Road 33 and County Road 20, and the rough surface of County Road 20, which seems to get worse by the day. It also has very fast traffic. Now the challenge is to close the gap between County Road 20 and County Road 35.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-35482422606032896862018-10-20T15:35:00.000-04:002018-12-17T14:30:12.373-05:00Mike Cloud & Penn CentralWhen I was reporting to the Pumpkinvine Advisory Committee recently about a rails-to-trails conference I attended, I was reminded of the first national rails-to-trails conference I attended in Baltimore in 1991. It was a fateful conference because it put our new Friends group in touch with the right person at Penn Central, the owner of the Pumpkinvine corridor.<br />
<br />
The conference had a workshop session called something like "Meet the railroad representatives," and naturally I wanted to attend. At the time, we had made contact by letter with Penn Central Corp., the owner of the Pumpkinvine corridor, but the person we were in contact with in the Cincinnati, Ohio office didn't seem all that interested in our small group of trail advocates. I went to the meeting hoping that personal contact would make a difference.<br />
<br />
I went to the meeting room and looked around for someone from Penn Central. I don't remember how I found their area, but when I did, I introduced myself to Mike Cloud, the real-estate representative of Penn Central, and immediately asked him if they were interested in selling the Pumpkinvine. He said they were, and I was thrilled. We exchanged phone number (this was before email), and I invited him to come to Elkhart County to see the Pumpkinvine corridor, which he did sometime later. I took him around the county to look at the all the places the Pumpkinvine crossed a county road, and he agreed that it would make a fine trail, although how he could tell that from the country roads it crossed is a mystery. In the end, it didn't matter because how we had a viable contact.<br />
<br />
It took over a year for us to negotiate a selling price of $100,000 -- all the result of that personal meeting in Baltimore. Mike Cloud came to Goshen for the closing. We handed him a check for $100,000 in a little ceremony at Schrock pavilion in Shanklin Park in December 1993.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-35402786517938535682018-10-20T15:19:00.001-04:002018-10-20T15:19:26.453-04:00Shaded and unshaded areas of the Pumpkinvine One of the obvious features of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is that it has both shaded and unshaded areas. The shaded areas are where the trail is on the former railroad corridor. The railroad was built on a strip of land that was either 66 or 80 feet wide, and the railroad bed was only 10 feet wide in the center of that larger strip. Over the 100 plus years since the railroad was built, trees grew up in the areas beside the trail, resulting in the shaded areas we enjoy today.<br />
<br />
The unshaded areas are the result of the need to leave the old Pumpkinvine corridor and go around various farm fields because the railroad's title to the corridor was just an easement that reverted to the adjacent landowner when the railroad abandoned the line or because the corridor split a farm field and the Friends of the Pumpkinvine decided to allow the farmer to square off their field.<br />
<br />
The trees along the Pumpkinvine provide us with shade from summer's sun and a windbreak all year round.<br />
<br />
Riding the trail recently on a very windy day, I noticed a major difference in the degree to which the shaded areas blocked the wind, something I hadn't thought about before. In areas where the trail was shaded only by the trees on the corridor, I noticed a modest decrease in the wind. But where the trail went through a forest, the protection of that mass of trees was much greater. The 20 mph wind in those areas was hardly noticeable. I wish we had more of them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-60577216967291452992018-09-22T21:15:00.000-04:002018-09-22T21:15:03.015-04:00Memorable dayToday I took a ride on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail from Goshen to Shipshewana. I left Goshen around 8:30 a.m. after eating a pancake and sausage breakfast at the MCC Relief Sale at the Elkhart County fairgrounds. I took the Monroe Street Trail to the Abshire Trail to the Pumpkinvine. It was a cool 50 degrees, a hint of fall.<br />
<br />
As I rode north, I passed a large group of Amish cyclists heading south, perhaps going to the Relief Sale. Coming back hours later, I passed three or four Amish groups, which is more than I normally see.<br />
<br />
But the group that was most memorable was a family of six I saw east of the DQ. I was riding east when I saw three small kids coming toward me. The two youngest were on scooters with small wheels (the kind you stand on) and the oldest had a scooter bike with no pedals. Their parents were 30 yards behind them, the husband pushing a baby carriage with an infant inside. It was the type of scene that make the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail worthwhile -- young parents strolling along with their kids (not on screens) enjoying the freedom of the trail. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-41224984776585632712018-09-20T10:25:00.000-04:002020-03-24T22:23:16.990-04:00Memorial to Ike Heign dedicated Sept. 19, 2018<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxoVEnWNFv4Yi_XGW5GBuJ_KSnrzEDn0ULBhBvepqEDydp-HVAub6sXezDX2S6GBR9SDfl0Dsf1TXsO3JvzQNBwvN6_yPJrHUD6aZW5yfOx_WUweht2D6r4yAtAgwOUdZA7zFrcBTGsjD/s1600/Heign+family-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1509" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxoVEnWNFv4Yi_XGW5GBuJ_KSnrzEDn0ULBhBvepqEDydp-HVAub6sXezDX2S6GBR9SDfl0Dsf1TXsO3JvzQNBwvN6_yPJrHUD6aZW5yfOx_WUweht2D6r4yAtAgwOUdZA7zFrcBTGsjD/s320/Heign+family-2.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoCaption">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">The Heign family with memorial stone: Greg, Bob, Mary Lou, Randy and Jeff. The memorial is located along the Pumpkinvine, 100 yards south of Sun Rise Lane.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Members of the Heign family gathered on Sept. 19 to dedicate a section the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in Middlebury to Ike Heign. Jim Smith, former executive director of the Friends who negotiated the purchase of the land from the Heign family, offered the following remarks.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Thirteen years ago, almost to the day, Bob Carrico, our Trail Operations Manager, and I pulled into the driveway of Mary Lou Heign not far from where we are standing today. It was about 7:30 in the evening and the sun was setting. We were there representing the board of the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. We brought with us a Purchase Contract signed by John Yoder, our president, a check for earnest money, a good pen and high hopes. </span></div>
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<span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Jim Smith<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We were there to purchase what we called "the Heign property." The "Heign property" was not a big parcel of land. It was part of the old railroad corridor that ran through Middlebury and was about one acre in size, a long, skinny piece of real estate which started at Sunrise Lane and extended south about a quarter of a mile. </span><span class="Bodytext2"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">But it was huge to us! </span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Without this 33-foot wide parcel, the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail would pass through the million-dollar US 20 tunnel, go past "That Pretty Place" and end with a whimper about here, in the middle of nowhere. We really needed that piece of land; without it, there was no obvious way to build a trail through Middlebury. But of course, we did not want to look or sound desperate as we made an offer to purchase the "Heign property."</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">We weren't far into our meeting before we realized that Mary Lou and her sons were supporters of the trail. They too wanted to see it pass through Middlebury and link up with Shipshewana and Goshen. It didn't take us long to reach terms acceptable to all. Then Mary Lou mentioned that she would like the portion of the trail that would be built on the "Heign Property" to be named in honor of her late husband, Ike. He had also been a supporter of the trail, but unfortunately had died in an auto accident the year before. I hand-wrote that condition onto the bottom of the agreement, and we both initialed it. The meeting soon ended, and we were gone.</span></div>
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<span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Heign family
with memorial stone: Greg, Bob, Mary Lou, Randy and Jeff. The memorial is
located along the Pumpkinvine, 100 yards south of Sun Rise Lane.</span><span
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<!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">After the signing, I worried from time to time about how we could be sure that that condition, that promise, penciled onto the bottom of our Purchase Agreement, would be fulfilled. Six years later, I left the Pumpkinvine Board. Then in 2013, the corridor, to include the Heign property, was transferred to the Middlebury Park Board and the trail was built. And life went on. Then, just a few days ago, a call came to me from John Yoder. I was delighted to learn that after some 13 years, that handwritten promise at the bottom of the purchase agreement was to become reality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">I am very pleased to be here today, to again thank Mary Lou and her family for selling the land that made the trail through Middlebury possible, and at long last, to participate in dedicating this section of the trail to the memory of Ike Heign.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-59852933236771496412018-09-09T17:01:00.002-04:002018-09-09T17:04:57.080-04:00The importance of maintenanceWhen I became interested in rails-to-trails in the early 1990s, the closest trail to when I lived was the Kal-Haven Trail, formally known as the Kal-Haven Sesquicentennial State Park: https://www.traillink.com/trail/kal-haven-trail-sesquicentennial-state-park/ The trail runs 34 miles from west of Kalamazoo to South Haven Michigan with a crushed stone surface. Whenever I needed inspiration and a renewed vision of what the Pumpkinvine corridor might become, I'd make the hour-plus drive from Goshen to the Kal-Haven and the ride was a tonic: I loved the small towns along the route, the smooth surface the trees along the trail and the open agricultural areas.<br />
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When I wanted to show others what the Pumpkinvine corridor could become, I'd take them to the Kal-Haven for show-and-tell. The message was simply: "We can do this, too." My most memorable excursion of this type was with our state representative, Marvin Riegsecker. At a time when Indiana had zero miles of rails-to-trails, he was the only state elected official willing to look at one and become educated about their potential.<br />
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For a public meeting to discuss the desirability of the trail in Middlebury, I arranged for a Kal-Haven adjacent landowner and former leader of the opposition to the Kal-Haven, Steve Haddad, to come to Middlebury to explain how his attitude had changed from opposition to becoming a member of the Friends of the Kal-Haven board. When the Friends of the Pumpkinvine formed as a non-profit organization, we borrowed our bylaws from the Friends of the Kal-Haven. We also considered the idea of having a user fee to fund on-going maintenance of the Pumpkinvine like the Kal-Haven did.<br />
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So in many ways, the Kal-Haven was an inspiration for the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. However, in recent years, I've been hearing less positive stories about the Kal-Haven. When I met trail users from southern Michigan on the Pumpkinvine, I would ask them why they came to ride the Pumpkinvine when the Kal-Haven Trail was much closer, and they would say that they liked the asphalt surface of the Pumpkinvine better or that it was more interesting than the Kal-Haven.<br />
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Then I talked with a friend who had ridden the Kal-Haven recently, and he also said that he enjoyed the Pumpkinvine much more than the Kal-Haven. That comment led to a discussion of its weaknesses, most of which can be summed up in the phrase, lack of maintenance. He noted that there were sections that had been patched with large stones that made crossing the area with a narrow-tired bike difficult and dangerous. (He fell once in such a section.) He said the railroad cabooses that were used to distribute trail maps looked uncared for, and the trail itself had areas where grass was growing up in the middle -- an indication of little trail traffic.<br />
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My point in writing this blog about the Kal-Haven, which I haven't seen in 15 years, is to underscore the importance of maintaining a trail after it is built. I think it would be a tragedy for all the supporters who have helped build the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail to have it decline because we didn't have the vision to see how important maintenance is for the health of the trail. As we near the completion of the Pumpkinvine, it becomes increasingly important that we keep the importance of maintenance in mind -- plan for it, raise funds for it and talk about it as a priority.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-39344388372704673262018-08-17T14:09:00.003-04:002018-08-17T14:09:55.828-04:00That's a wrap folksI've spent the last two weeks of my internship frantically trying to wrap up my different projects (with this blog post being the last of them). <div>
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I finished up my management plan which clocked in at 27 pages, made a new home page for the website (check it out at <a href="http://pumpkinvine.org/">pumpkinvine.org</a>) emailed approximately 5 billion people, and got bit by some more mosquitos. </div>
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Yesterday I met with my supervisors for the last time over lunch (I highly recommend Kelly Jae's Key Lime Pie), and then presented my work from this summer to the Friends board.</div>
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It would be impossible to quickly explain everything I did this summer. So I'll just say I spent this summer learning a lot about what it means to be self driven and holding myself accountable to get my work done while also learning more about plants than I ever thought I would need to know.</div>
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So that's basically it from me, I just want to say thanks for reading my blog posts this summer, and thanks to John Smith and John Yoder for giving me the opportunity to work on the Pumpkinvine this summer.</div>
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So this is Isabela Torres, signing off!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-15729601056627783522018-08-06T15:54:00.000-04:002018-08-06T15:54:24.792-04:00Two weeks left?The summer is wrapping up as GCS begins the 2018-19 school year on Wednesday, and with it so wraps up my summer internship. There are only two weeks left and yet it feels like there is so much left to do!<br />
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I still have to make significant edits to my long term management plan before submitting it to the different parks departments, I want to begin composing a Spanish translation for the Friends website, I need to write an official thesis proposal for my school (Amherst College), I need to contact the parties who funded my summer here and thank them for making this opportunity economically feasible, I need to prepare a final presentation on my work for the Friends' board, and I need to take time to stop and smell the roses.<br />
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Obviously not the multiflora roses though because those are invasive.<br />
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This summer has been so full of new experiences -- namely living at home for the first time since I left for college in 2015. I've done a lot of work from The Brew, JoJo's Pretzels, and my bed (from which I write this post right now). I am doing work for a job that I never would have imagined myself having (and even less, enjoying) in places that I grew up in. I applied to colleges in these places, imagining myself majoring in Flute Performance, maybe a minor in Spanish or Political Science, definitely playing in my college marching band.<br />
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I find myself back in my favorite spots for getting work done going into my senior year of college as an Environmental Studies major who plays on the rugby team and has not touched her flute in over a year.<br />
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I've spent a lot of time this summer thinking about how different I am from who I thought I would be, but living in Goshen again has made me realize that some things never change. I still love a straight forward original pretzel, prefer maple frosted cinnamon rolls over vanilla, and will fall asleep working in my bed 100% of the time.<br />
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The beauty of interning for the Friends this summer has been getting to watch this new version of myself interact with places and people of my past. So many things can change, but I can always count on the tornado siren going off at 2pm on Thursday. I know every person I walk/bike/run past will smile, nod, and say hi no matter what. And I know that this place will always feel like home.<br />
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So this post is less about the specifics of my work on the trail this summer (in short: hot, mosquitos, poison ivy, meetings, technology, writing, research, emails), and instead it is about how much I appreciate having the opportunity to be here for one last summer and give back to the community that has given me so much.<br />
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This feels like a farewell post, but as the title of this blog post suggests -- I still have two more weeks! So keep your eyes peeled for a farewell post that is much less about me, and much more about the final products of all the work I've done this summer and where I see nature management headed for the Pumpkinvine in the years to come!<br />
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--Isabela TorresUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-66714819813782621052018-07-02T14:05:00.000-04:002018-07-02T14:06:46.307-04:00Midsummer Progress ReportSo what have I been up to this summer?<br />
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I've been working on creating a management plan to help improve the quality of the nature bordering the trail. This entails sitting on my computer for hours creating maps of the different regions along the trail that have the best chance of not being overrun by invasive species (specifically -1, 4.5, 8.5 and 12.5). Here is a draft of my map of the region along mile marker 12.5:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRav9GQmXjIvqwOIO6grwcDF24yFY8P_D2pyzS1cpiTVW45vd_gAgjaDmR-x3hwzWhR0Davlqnxn9YujBY5wJFDpaWWEuLVu01mY3TbWxnO9vvOtB2liL2XjZXgNj4IsqDOyHuuefpKwQ/s1600/blog+12.5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1600" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRav9GQmXjIvqwOIO6grwcDF24yFY8P_D2pyzS1cpiTVW45vd_gAgjaDmR-x3hwzWhR0Davlqnxn9YujBY5wJFDpaWWEuLVu01mY3TbWxnO9vvOtB2liL2XjZXgNj4IsqDOyHuuefpKwQ/s400/blog+12.5.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's definitely a rough first draft, but the purpose of it is to show where different invasive species exist within Pumpkinvine trail property so that the parks departments and volunteers know where to focus their energy for removal in the coming years.</div>
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In the next week or two I hope to finalize the first draft of my management plan, and then get out along the trail and start implementing it. This will hopefully give me a chance to figure out what elements I may need to add or alter in future drafts.</div>
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If you're interested in helping out with species removal this summer, looking for a volunteer opportunity for a group either now or in the future, please feel free to reach out to us in the comments (or email itorres19@amherst.edu) as we'd love to get you involved -- the more the merrier!</div>
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Questions? Comments? Ideas? I'd love to hear from people who are interested in improving the quality of natural areas and/or have areas along the trail that are near and dear to their hearts!</div>
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-Isabela Torres</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-60220418214701495762018-06-01T14:04:00.000-04:002018-06-01T14:04:20.454-04:00On Poison Ivy and CulvertsPoison ivy and culverts have nothing in common except that I had to deal with both in the last two weeks.<br />
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I'll answer your first question right away: a culvert is a structure used for crossings generally under 12 feet instead of constructing a bridge. In practice a culvert basically looks like a huge pipe that allows running water to continue along it's natural path. The Pumpkinvine has one such culvert in Shipshewana, for crossing Mather's Ditch, which collapsed a few weeks ago after years of erosion caused by heavy rain.<br />
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I have gotten poison ivy twice in the past two weeks and I am scratching the rash on my arms as I type this post. Here's the thing though, poison ivy is meant to be here. Culverts are not.<br />
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Poison ivy is a nuisance to humans, and it is generally acceptable to remove this plant despite it's role in the local ecosystem as bird food. Culverts are not naturally occurring, but people utilize them to make nature more human friendly.<br />
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So if the Pumpkinvine is a nature trail, what is the efficacy of manipulating the environment in the name of human enjoyment and not ecosystem restoration?<br />
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I don't have a good answer for this. The town of Shipshewana had to spend around $12,000 to install a new, more resilient, culvert. We changed nature to better suit our needs.<br />
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So shouldn't we reciprocate?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-31492010086753871692018-05-18T13:45:00.000-04:002018-05-18T13:45:30.090-04:00Interning Along the PumpkinvineHey Pumpkinvine Blog!<br />
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My name is Isabela Torres, and I am interning with the Friends of the Pumpkinvine this summer. I was raised in Goshen and graduated from GHS in 2015. I've been attending Amherst College in Massachusetts where I've majored in Environmental Studies. I'm excited to get to learn about the ecology of Northern Indiana and the opportunity to use that knowledge to contribute to the management and future success of the nature surrounding the trail.<br />
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I will be doing a variety of things with the Friends this summer, and you will probably see me out on the trail, posting on the Facebook page, or volunteering at the annual bike ride (for which <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-pumpkinvine-bike-ride-june-16-check-in-at-700-am-edt-registration-42670523685" target="_blank">registration </a>is still open!). I'm super interested in learning more about the history and politics of the trail, along with how management styles have changed as the parks departments became more involved over time.<br />
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In summary: I'll try to contribute to this blog consistently throughout the summer for anyone interested in seeing what I've been up to. Thanks for reading!<br />
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--Isabela Torres<br />
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PS. Here is what I look like so if you see me digging up plants along the trail you'll know I'm supposed to be doing that -- if you see me around in Goshen (or at Los Primos where I work in the evenings) feel free to stop me and say hi!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8TWirGuWWwmW7puEsfxndbYjjB_QknfkLzEHrxu63PuCWSXvNS74wVtX8qSpfvSZiwacQMkf8IKcQwGtjvP97fgk5TbU6hyphenhyphenBYd9BeekUDCqNgjkP3SL3KiHX8zCL1NshVXBko9B41rs/s1600/headshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8TWirGuWWwmW7puEsfxndbYjjB_QknfkLzEHrxu63PuCWSXvNS74wVtX8qSpfvSZiwacQMkf8IKcQwGtjvP97fgk5TbU6hyphenhyphenBYd9BeekUDCqNgjkP3SL3KiHX8zCL1NshVXBko9B41rs/s200/headshot.png" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-40661570627717610222018-05-09T11:18:00.002-04:002018-05-09T11:18:41.484-04:002018 Annual Friends of the Pumpkinivine dinnerOn April 24, we had our 17th annual Friends of the Pumpkinvine dinner at the Crystal Ballroom of the Lerner Theater in downtown Elkhart. It was the first time we had the dinner in Elkhart. Previously, we had rotated the dinners between Goshen, Middlebury and Shipshewana.<br />
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Around 280 attended the dinner -- about what we've had in previous years. I gave a talk about how patience is rewarded, if certain conditions exist, citing examples of how patience our supporters have been when there were years when there was little or no progress in building the trail, and how the Community Foundation of Elkhart County was patience in requiring an onsite visit for their $300,000 grant. Both are examples of how they trusted us and we trusted them.<br />
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I also mentioned that the Amish churches have become a financial supporters through a fundraising letter we sent to them. A less obvious way they have become supporters is by the inclusion of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in the 2017 edition of the Indiana Amish Directory..<br />
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A highlight of the evening was the poetry reading of the poem that won first prize in our first annual poetry contest. Matt Lind read his poem "Awe" and gave the poem some context. I've asked Matt to write down the remarks he made for this blog, but I haven't seen them yet. I found them very helpful in understanding the poem. Here's Matts poem:<br />
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Awe</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">By Matthew Lind</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Each day it waits, patiently.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">I know it’s there</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">And even that</span></div>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Fills me with anticipation.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">It is a place where freedom lies</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">And comfort, perhaps</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">And awe…</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Awe?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Aren’t the Rocky Mountains “awe”?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Maybe Precipice Trail,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Red River Gorge,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Angel’s Landing,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">The Highland Trail…</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">But the Pumpkinvine?</span></div>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Let me explain.</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">It is awe, </span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Brought down to earth;</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">A miracle that forms </span></div>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">This wondrous NOW.</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">It does not shout;</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">It whispers:</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">“Rider, awake!</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Walker, awake!”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">There is a place</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">For majestic mountain peaks,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">For the overload of senses</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">That completely humbles.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Yet here this is:</span></div>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Of forest and field,</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Of understated beauty,</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Of awe laid low.</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Our back yard</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Where we live,</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Yet animated by the same</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Dizzying atoms</span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">That form Yosemite’s vistas.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">It does not shout.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">It whispers:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">“Come, walk my path.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px;">Awake!”</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-70528841771087890732018-03-23T08:45:00.001-04:002018-03-23T08:46:22.064-04:00The floods of February 2018 and the Pumpkinvine <div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKEnpiC2b1hxpzve2BoH7IeBhMvJ-DQG61iBQpuQsCbAZw1Hwq6yErMwbixA_piNQytBxh5MBSVrsdsDX0ZohEO1KNMgRwi5O9DSR_tYKbADGM-bWOwFlMdIgIaGabK887PlMFRgx1BmD/s1600/02.22.2018_Trail+under+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKEnpiC2b1hxpzve2BoH7IeBhMvJ-DQG61iBQpuQsCbAZw1Hwq6yErMwbixA_piNQytBxh5MBSVrsdsDX0ZohEO1KNMgRwi5O9DSR_tYKbADGM-bWOwFlMdIgIaGabK887PlMFRgx1BmD/s320/02.22.2018_Trail+under+water.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Elkhart County experience record floods from the Elkhart River and other bodies of water in February, but the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail excaped major damage. Between County Road 35 and County Road 37 there is a low spot that was covered for a distance of over 150 feet, but in a few days, that water receded. That's at least the second time that area has been under water.<br />
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However, when compared to the damage done to the Abshire Trail and the trail around Fidler Pond, that area of standing water was an inconvenience, not a disaster. As I rode the Pumpkinvine recently, I was thankful that the railroad engineers of 1890s who built the Pumpkinvine had the wisdom to elevate the railroad bed so that it would not be flooded. The section of the Pumpkinvine pictured here is one part of the trail that is not on the old railroad corridor.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-26049331886840654392018-03-16T13:05:00.004-04:002018-03-16T13:12:01.185-04:00A printed newsletterEvery time a new physically printed Friends of the Pumpkinvine newsletter comes out, I ask myself if printing a hard copy of a newsletter is still a good idea? It is expensive to design, print and mail, and I see that other trail groups send out electronic newsletters. I know of only one other trail in Indiana that prints a newsletter -- the B&O Trail in Brownsburg, Ind.<br />
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Then today something happened that underscored the difference between print and electroic newsletters. I wrote a letter to the new president of Goshen College, Rebecca Stoltzfus, and her husband, Kevin Miller, inviting them to the Friends of the Pumpkinvine annual dinner April 24. Since I did not know their address and I didn't want to send a letter to both of them to the college, I decided to drop it off in person at their house, a location I knew. I thought it would be helpful to put a newsletter and brochure with the letter, also. I wrote the letter, picked up the extra newsletters at the Goshen College printing office and then drove to their house. Kevin was home, and I gave him the materials and talked with him briefly about the dinner and the Pumpkinvine, which he has not seen. However, I discovered that his daughter is dating someone who works at Pumpkinvine Cyclery, and he naturally had heard about the trail, so we had a connection of sorts<br />
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How much better it was for me to be able to give him a printed brochure and newsletter, rather than refer him to a website with basically the same information? (I had links to our website in the letter, also.) I think it made for a much more cordual and helpful exchange, compared to telling him to go to a website, which I would have needed to do without a brochure and newsletter in hand.<br />
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So, I'm still a proponent of a physical newsletter that I can hand to people. I'll bring the extra copies of the last three newsletters to the annual dinner, with the hope that new supporters will pick them up.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-16167986224571249402018-03-16T12:51:00.001-04:002018-04-29T08:59:03.224-04:00Soft trail section<p dir="ltr">From January to April, the crushed-limestone section of the PV from SR 4 to CR 28 is soft and as a result, becomes quite rutted from the bikes that ride the trail. Riding on it when it is this moist put a coat of dust on your bike frame, chain, derailleur, wheels, and usually your legs as well. And the ruts you create make it more difficult for subsequent riders to ride.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As as result, many of us avoid that section of the trail, and for those of us in Goshen, it means we just avoid riding on the PNT altogether because the cleanup involved is a hassle.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I suspect that walkers and runners also experience some of the same frustrations as the biker. Their shoes would become caked with dirt.<br>
</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-45749630993352572862017-09-09T13:28:00.000-04:002017-09-09T13:28:57.942-04:00On which side of the trail should walkers be? <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Occasionally I have a discussion with walkers about which side of the trail they should be on Should they be on the right with the bikers or on the left facing oncoming bikers? As children, we learned that when we walk on a road, we should walk toward traffic to </span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">make sure cars are not driving over the edge of the road where we are walking. We</span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"> might, therefore, assume that we should do the same when walking on a trail. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">However, a trail is not a highway, and the safest way for bikers and walkers to interact is for both to use the right side of the trail. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Here's the general rule.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1504721317703_6593"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><b>Walking (and biking) on a multi-use trail like the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail (no motorized vehicles): </b>Walkers (and bikers) u</span></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">se the "keep right except to pass" rule. When a walker or cyclist wants to pass (</span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">just like driving)</span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">, they use the left lane and only pass when no one is coming and there is no curve. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">In addition, bikers need to signal their approach to walkers with a bell or a verbal warning like, "Passing on your left," and walkers should acknowledge that they've heard the warning by raising their left hand </span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">-- not a law but a gesture I'm promoting -- </span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">and moving right, if necessary. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-41739826813696002222017-07-25T11:54:00.002-04:002017-07-25T12:00:39.171-04:00Pumpkinvine one of Indiana's longer trailsI'm always surprised at how many people travel from a distance to ride the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. They come from Detroit, Indianapolis and Chicago and all points between.<br />
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Then the other day I was looking up something about the B&O Trail west of Indianapolis on www.traillink.com, the website where the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has a listing of all U.S. trails. I noticed that Indiana has 110 trails listed on the site, but most of them are fairly short, like five miles or less. A quick look through the list showed that the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail at 17 miles is actually one of the longer trails. Here's a list of all trails 10 miles or larger.<br />
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<ol>
<li>Cardinal Greenway - 62 miles</li>
<li>Nickle Plate Trail - 36.9 miles</li>
<li>Rivergreenway, Fort Wayne - 30.1iles</li>
<li>Monon - 24 miles</li>
<li>Panhandle Pathway - 21 miles</li>
<li>Erie-Lackawanna - 17.7 miles</li>
<li><b>Pumpkinvine Nature Trail - 17 miles</b></li>
<li>Columbus People Trail - 15.7 miles</li>
<li>Vandalia Trail - 16 miles</li>
<li>Milwaukee Road Transportation Trailway - 10.3 miles</li>
<li>Prairie Duneland Trail - 10.3 miles</li>
<li>Delphi Historic Trails - 10 mile</li>
</ol>
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So it's possible people come to ride the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail for its length, as well as its natural features. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4215143073964620187.post-45731366785214893272017-07-21T17:16:00.001-04:002018-01-28T14:04:59.489-05:002017 Pumpkinvine Bike Ride photographFor the past 16 years, I've taken photographs of the Pumpkinvine Bike Ride, rather than riding in it. (I did ride the first two years.) We use these photographs in our August Friends of the Pumpkinvine newsletter, in the bike-ride brochure for the next year, on our website, blog and membership brochure. We also frequently get requests for trail photos from the Elkhart County Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce or other publications, and I'm able to send a nice selection from the bike ride, since it is by far the time when there are more riders on the Pumpkinvine than at any other time of the year. <br>
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Besides myself, there were five others taking pictures: <span style="font-size: 16px;">Branden Beachy, </span>Danny Graber, Jim Loomis, Bruce Nethercutt and Ryan Smith. We divided the territory up so that some of us were on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, while others drove the sections of the routes on the county roads.<br>
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I like to take photos on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail but change which section I cover from year-to-year. This year I was on the trail between Goshen and Middlebury. I started out taking photos south of State Road 4, a section that I'd never photographed during the bike ride. There's nice curve in that section that allows me to see a number of riders at the same time and see separation between them than is the case on a straight part of the trail. I like to capture groups of riders, if possible, as well as various ages.<br>
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As I was standing beside the trail, I began to notice that there were a lot of mosquitoes attacking my bare arms and face. I swatted them away as best I could, but found that it was making it difficult to concentrate on the riders. After I'd taken what seemed like a good sample of riders in that section, I went back to my van and made a quick trip the CVS in Goshen for insect repellant.<div><br></div><div>That did the trick. The bugs let me along, and I was able to continue taking photos. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0