When 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.
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.
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.
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.
Black-Eyed Susan along the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Shaded 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.
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.
The trees along the Pumpkinvine provide us with shade from summer's sun and a windbreak all year round.
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.
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.
The trees along the Pumpkinvine provide us with shade from summer's sun and a windbreak all year round.
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.
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Memorable day
Today 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Memorial to Ike Heign dedicated Sept. 19, 2018
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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.
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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.
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.
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. But it was huge to us! 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."
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.
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.
Sunday, September 9, 2018
The importance of maintenance
When 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, August 17, 2018
That's a wrap folks
I'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).
I finished up my management plan which clocked in at 27 pages, made a new home page for the website (check it out at pumpkinvine.org) emailed approximately 5 billion people, and got bit by some more mosquitos.
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.
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.
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.
So this is Isabela Torres, signing off!
Monday, August 6, 2018
Two 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!
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.
Obviously not the multiflora roses though because those are invasive.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
--Isabela Torres
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.
Obviously not the multiflora roses though because those are invasive.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
--Isabela Torres
Monday, July 2, 2018
Midsummer Progress Report
So what have I been up to this summer?
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:
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.
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.
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!
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!
-Isabela Torres
Friday, June 1, 2018
On Poison Ivy and Culverts
Poison ivy and culverts have nothing in common except that I had to deal with both in the last two weeks.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
So shouldn't we reciprocate?
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
So shouldn't we reciprocate?
Friday, May 18, 2018
Interning Along the Pumpkinvine
Hey Pumpkinvine Blog!
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.
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 registration 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.
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!
--Isabela Torres
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!
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.
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 registration 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.
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!
--Isabela Torres
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!
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
2018 Annual Friends of the Pumpkinivine dinner
On 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.
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.
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..
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:
It is awe,
It does not shout;
It whispers:
“Rider, awake!
Walker, awake!”
There is a place
Of understated beauty,
Of awe laid low.
Our back yard
Where we live,
Yet animated by the same
Dizzying atoms
That form Yosemite’s vistas.
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.
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..
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:
Awe
By Matthew Lind
Each day it waits, patiently.
I know it’s there
And even that
Fills me with anticipation.
It is a place where freedom lies
And comfort, perhaps
And awe…
Awe?
Aren’t the Rocky Mountains “awe”?
Maybe Precipice Trail,
Red River Gorge,
Angel’s Landing,
The Highland Trail…
But the Pumpkinvine?
Let me explain.It is awe,
Brought down to earth;
A miracle that forms
This wondrous NOW.It does not shout;
It whispers:
“Rider, awake!
Walker, awake!”
For majestic mountain peaks,
For the overload of senses
That completely humbles.
Yet here this is:
Of forest and field,Of understated beauty,
Of awe laid low.
Our back yard
Where we live,
Yet animated by the same
Dizzying atoms
That form Yosemite’s vistas.
It does not shout.
It whispers:
“Come, walk my path.
Awake!”
Friday, March 23, 2018
The floods of February 2018 and the Pumpkinvine
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.
Friday, March 16, 2018
A printed newsletter
Every 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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Soft trail section
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.
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.
I suspect that walkers and runners also experience some of the same frustrations as the biker. Their shoes would become caked with dirt.
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