Black-Eyed Susan along the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail
Sunday, December 25, 2016
2016 Blog statistic
I notice from the statistics that Google keeps about this blog that the Friends of the Pumpkinvine have posted only 11 blogs this year, down from
Flashbacks in the Trail Talk Friends of the Pumpkinvine newsletter
Four years ago I started doing a regular feature in the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Trail Talk newsletter called "Flashbacks," in which I highlighted something in the history of the Pumpkinvine (trail or Friends) organization that was significant five, 10, 15 and 20 years ago. The purpose of this feature was to remind people of the effort it takes to produce something like the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. There were multiple law suits, lots of uncertainty, generous donations and times of celebration along the say. I thought that knowing some of that history might make people more patient when the see the slow progress on closing the gaps in the trail.
I enjoyed digging into the history through old newsletters and timelines. How easy it is to forget the people and critical events that brought us to today.
However, as I was thinking about flashbacks for the coming March 2017 issue, it occurred to me that there is a slight flaw in my method going forward. If I were to continue to do flashback at five-year intervals going back 20 years, then in the fifth year of that cycle, I would start repeating events from previous flashbacks. In other words, the 10-year flashback of 2017, i.e., 2007, is the same as the five -year flashback of 2012, i.e., 2007, and so on.
Since I started the flashbacks four years ago, I have one more year to do them before I start repeating the events, but the writing is on the wall, as they say. I will need to find another method for giving people a sense of trail history or decide that it isn't important to know that much history.
I enjoyed digging into the history through old newsletters and timelines. How easy it is to forget the people and critical events that brought us to today.
However, as I was thinking about flashbacks for the coming March 2017 issue, it occurred to me that there is a slight flaw in my method going forward. If I were to continue to do flashback at five-year intervals going back 20 years, then in the fifth year of that cycle, I would start repeating events from previous flashbacks. In other words, the 10-year flashback of 2017, i.e., 2007, is the same as the five -year flashback of 2012, i.e., 2007, and so on.
Since I started the flashbacks four years ago, I have one more year to do them before I start repeating the events, but the writing is on the wall, as they say. I will need to find another method for giving people a sense of trail history or decide that it isn't important to know that much history.
Monday, November 14, 2016
A 80-mile birthday walk ends on the Pumpkinvine
A
80-mile birthday walk ends on the Pumpkinvine
By B. Harry Dyck
An 80th birthday
is something special. Considering the longevity of US males is only 76.61
years, I am quite happy to be on the plus side of that rather sobering statistic.
One regular activity that has surely contributed to my longevity is walking, an
exercise I have now followed for at least a decade. Wanting to do something
unique for this 80th birthday, I decided an 80-mile walk would serve
that purpose memorably, and I intended to do the 80 miles in eight days. To add
a little variant, I started looking for coins, since my daughter and I had been
competing for years in this fun challenge.
My
first day’s walk was a 12-mile loop with a celebratory stop for a coffee and
bagel at Panera Bread, two miles from home. Day two took me on another loop – in
the opposite direction -- an 11-miler to our former home in Elkhart where, as
luck would have it, I found some friends and neighbors at home willing to socialize
over coffee and cookies (That surely adds to longevity too, not so?) Day 3 Eric, my son-in-law dropped me off in Nappanee
from where I would walk home. Alas, the break for coffee and a refill of water
that I had intended in Wakarusa was not to be since their shops on my route were
all closed on Sundays. Too bad since I was already low on water. What to do?
Keep on walking, that’s what - down CR 3 until I heard a human voice coming
from the open window of a nearby farm house. In response to my call and request
for water a friendly voice invited me to ‘Come on up.” I was promptly supplied with my water needs
but with the happy discussion following about commemorating my upcoming 80th
birthday, this kind lady acknowledged that she had had a birthday just the day before.
I doubt that she had half as many birthdays as I, but, ‘Joy’ - on
with my walk. By the time I had covered
10 miles, rain threatened but thanks to cell phones, my chauffeur son-in-law arrived
to rescue me moments before the clouds opened.
My
Days 4 and 5 were noteworthy for the delightful repast I enjoyed with Jim
Smith, Goshen, and a brand-new golf ball I found off the sidewalk in Bristol. By
Day 6, I had already walked 64 miles and nothing to rue the undertaking yet except
for one blister under my big toe, nothing that a bandage and an extra sock could
not remedy.
And
then I was on to the last 18 miles of my Birthday walk - from Shipshewana, down
our renowned Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, through Middlebury, and on to my goal - The
Chief Ice Cream Shop in Goshen where a dozen of my finest friends joined me to
celebrate the venture I had undertaken. As for the accumulation of valuables I sought: I found 32 cents, that aforementioned golf ball,
and enough hardware to go into business selling used nuts and bolts.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Seniors are generous contributors to the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail
Last fall the Friends of the Pumpkinvine recently sent out a
fundraising appeal to close the gap in the Pumpkinvine between CR 33 and CR 20.
As responses to that appeal came, I was struck by the unselfish generosity of
seniors toward a project that will benefit others much more than themselves.
Later I met one of those senior donors at a social event and
thanked him for his $1,000 contribution. He’s over 90 years old and not able to
ride his bike anymore, but he immediately said in response that he gave to the
Friends of the Pumpkinvine so that future generations could enjoy the trail.
This generosity of these trail supporters who give so that future
generations can enjoy a greenway that links three towns reminds me of the
response of seniors to our 1993 appeal to buy the Pumpkinvine corridor. We
promised donors then that anyone who contributed $500 toward the purchase of
the Pumpkinvine corridor would receive recognition at Abshire Park. Sixty seven
households, individuals and organizations took the challenge, and their names
are indeed on the sign in the plaza in Abshire Park. I know that at least 13 of
those people have died and did not see or use the Pumpkinvine in any significant
way. They were motivated by intergenerational thinking.
I look at that plaque occasionally, and quietly thank those
who showed their support for a project that many in the community said would be
an unqualified disaster – unsafe, a magnet for crime and full of litter. Those
same opponents also claimed we didn’t own the land. Yet these 67 people gave
anyway. Disregarding the naysayers, they made a down payment on a potential
greenway, and because of their willingness to take a chance that it would be
successful, we have a greenway that is a community treasure.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Sun and shade
The temperature today was in the high 80s, so when my wife and I hit the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail around 2 p.m., it was felt oppressively hot. But as soon as we got on the Pumpkinvine at Abshire Park, we were in the shade of the trees that line the trail. It felt like someone had switched on the air conditioner. What a relief. As we road to County Road 33, we emerged from the trees into the two open areas that happen to be where the trail leaves the old railroad corridor, and again it was very hot.
I wonder if anyone has measured the difference in temperature between the sunny and shaded areas of the trail. Would the temperature be the same, and the difference just be how we feel out of the direct sunlight?
One consolation in these areas are the beautiful wildflowers that are currently in full bloom. The areas between County Road 127 and County Road 26 that were planted several years ago are showing their colors for the first time, and they are spectacular. finally mature.
The other interesting thing about these alternating hot and shaded areas is that the hot areas make me appreciate the shaded areas that much more. I slow down in them and speed up in the treeless areas. The rhythm makes the ride more interesting as well as more challenging.
I wonder if anyone has measured the difference in temperature between the sunny and shaded areas of the trail. Would the temperature be the same, and the difference just be how we feel out of the direct sunlight?
One consolation in these areas are the beautiful wildflowers that are currently in full bloom. The areas between County Road 127 and County Road 26 that were planted several years ago are showing their colors for the first time, and they are spectacular. finally mature.
The other interesting thing about these alternating hot and shaded areas is that the hot areas make me appreciate the shaded areas that much more. I slow down in them and speed up in the treeless areas. The rhythm makes the ride more interesting as well as more challenging.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
The Shorts are an ‘example of what every town or city wants’
On a Thursday in May 2011, Spencer Short accepted a job to help manage three bike shops in Michigan.
The very next day, the owner of Pumpkinvine Cyclery in Middlebury offered to sell him that bike shop and they shook hands on the deal.
On the Sunday two days later, he and his wife, Brittany, found out she was pregnant with their first child.
“It was just like, whoa,” he said. “Within two weeks we were running the shop.”
Nearly five years later, they just moved the shop into a new, larger building at 420 N. Main St., Middlebury. Spencer, 29, and Brittany, 30, work together, along with employee Neil Yoder, to sell, rent and maintain bikes.
Their proximity to Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is a huge factor in growing the business, in needing a larger space. “We wouldn’t be there without the trail,” he said.
There are other bike shops in Elkhart County, probably more than you think. Other places also offer great service and have been doing so for years. What’s remarkable about the Shorts is how they’re living in and into a community in a way they never expected.
The couple went to Northridge. He graduated from Goshen College right before those fateful days in May. She was working as the manager of a dental office in South Bend, working 60 to 65 hours a week in addition to a longer-than-desired commute by car. It wasn’t very long until she quit her job and went to work in the shop.
In late 2010, as the Great Recession was abating, Brian Cole started the bike shop. Seven months later, he got his job back and found Short to take over. “I never thought I would own a business in Middlebury,” Short said. “We’re rooted.”
They’re buying a house. Their kids are ages 4 and 2. Rather than moving to Michigan, they’re operating a bike shop in their hometown.
“They’re a model example of what every town or city wants,” said Grace Bonewitz, executive director of the Middlebury Chamber of Commerce.
Towns need businesses that prevail through the decades. Middlebury has them, ranging from Cardinal Bus at more than 90 years and Das Dutchman Essenhaus at 45. Yet they also need new places to serve changing needs. “We’re going to be growing. The question is going to be starting the businesses,” Bonewitz said.
When the recent Vibrant Communities conversation happened in Middlebury, the main topic was trails, particularly ones that bikes or pedestrians use. Residents want the Ridge Run Trail to be completed. They want Middlebury and Bristol to be connected with one, Bonewitz said.
More bike trails would be good for bike business, but that’s not why Spencer helped build the Bonneyville Mill mountain bike trail. He just wanted a place to ride his bike. He rode the trail in Warsaw, ate at the restaurants there, and wanted that experience closer to home. “You can be part of a change in your community,” he said.
So he and others built a trail. It gets less traffic than the Pumpkinvine trail, and that may always be. Aside from the thousands of local residents who pack the Pumpkinvine on summer days, tourists are coming. They’re coming from Chicago, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. But they’re also coming from Australia, China and Spain.
“We never expected there would be as much tourists as there is,” said Brittany.
On a Saturday, half the customers at Pumpkinvine Cyclery are from more than 30 miles away, she said. They rent them bikes and sell them accessories.
They praise the other young people in Middlebury opening businesses and making the town a place they’re excited to live, a place with more to do. They cite Austin Slabach at 41 Degrees North, a downtown restaurant featuring craft brew, locally raised food and a different vibe.
“There are younger couples wanting this community to thrive, so they’re doing what they can to make it better,” Brittany said.
Conversations are underway about how to make our community better and what we want. Bike trails are high on the list. But it also takes the Shorts and others like them who take chances, invest and find ways to serve as they make a living.
“We like to see things improve. We like to fix things that need fixed. We want to see things grow and improve,” Spencer said.
A few people like that and you have a vibrant community.
Marshall V. King is community editor for The Elkhart Truth and food columnist for Flavor 574. You can reach him at 574-296-5805, mking@ elkharttruth.com, and on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The very next day, the owner of Pumpkinvine Cyclery in Middlebury offered to sell him that bike shop and they shook hands on the deal.
On the Sunday two days later, he and his wife, Brittany, found out she was pregnant with their first child.
“It was just like, whoa,” he said. “Within two weeks we were running the shop.”
Nearly five years later, they just moved the shop into a new, larger building at 420 N. Main St., Middlebury. Spencer, 29, and Brittany, 30, work together, along with employee Neil Yoder, to sell, rent and maintain bikes.
Their proximity to Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is a huge factor in growing the business, in needing a larger space. “We wouldn’t be there without the trail,” he said.
There are other bike shops in Elkhart County, probably more than you think. Other places also offer great service and have been doing so for years. What’s remarkable about the Shorts is how they’re living in and into a community in a way they never expected.
The couple went to Northridge. He graduated from Goshen College right before those fateful days in May. She was working as the manager of a dental office in South Bend, working 60 to 65 hours a week in addition to a longer-than-desired commute by car. It wasn’t very long until she quit her job and went to work in the shop.
In late 2010, as the Great Recession was abating, Brian Cole started the bike shop. Seven months later, he got his job back and found Short to take over. “I never thought I would own a business in Middlebury,” Short said. “We’re rooted.”
They’re buying a house. Their kids are ages 4 and 2. Rather than moving to Michigan, they’re operating a bike shop in their hometown.
“They’re a model example of what every town or city wants,” said Grace Bonewitz, executive director of the Middlebury Chamber of Commerce.
Towns need businesses that prevail through the decades. Middlebury has them, ranging from Cardinal Bus at more than 90 years and Das Dutchman Essenhaus at 45. Yet they also need new places to serve changing needs. “We’re going to be growing. The question is going to be starting the businesses,” Bonewitz said.
When the recent Vibrant Communities conversation happened in Middlebury, the main topic was trails, particularly ones that bikes or pedestrians use. Residents want the Ridge Run Trail to be completed. They want Middlebury and Bristol to be connected with one, Bonewitz said.
More bike trails would be good for bike business, but that’s not why Spencer helped build the Bonneyville Mill mountain bike trail. He just wanted a place to ride his bike. He rode the trail in Warsaw, ate at the restaurants there, and wanted that experience closer to home. “You can be part of a change in your community,” he said.
So he and others built a trail. It gets less traffic than the Pumpkinvine trail, and that may always be. Aside from the thousands of local residents who pack the Pumpkinvine on summer days, tourists are coming. They’re coming from Chicago, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. But they’re also coming from Australia, China and Spain.
“We never expected there would be as much tourists as there is,” said Brittany.
On a Saturday, half the customers at Pumpkinvine Cyclery are from more than 30 miles away, she said. They rent them bikes and sell them accessories.
They praise the other young people in Middlebury opening businesses and making the town a place they’re excited to live, a place with more to do. They cite Austin Slabach at 41 Degrees North, a downtown restaurant featuring craft brew, locally raised food and a different vibe.
“There are younger couples wanting this community to thrive, so they’re doing what they can to make it better,” Brittany said.
Conversations are underway about how to make our community better and what we want. Bike trails are high on the list. But it also takes the Shorts and others like them who take chances, invest and find ways to serve as they make a living.
“We like to see things improve. We like to fix things that need fixed. We want to see things grow and improve,” Spencer said.
A few people like that and you have a vibrant community.
Marshall V. King is community editor for The Elkhart Truth and food columnist for Flavor 574. You can reach him at 574-296-5805, mking@ elkharttruth.com, and on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Brittany and Spencer Short have operated Pumpkinvine Cyclery for nearly five years.
Elkhart Truth photo/Marshall V. King
MARSHALL V. KING
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The variety on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail
Reading the book, A walk in the woods, by Bill Bryson, I was struck by the comment he made about his walk on the Appalachian Trail, the subject of that book. His comment was that for all the joy the trail gives to hikers, he finds the change of pace that results from leaving the mile-after-mile of wooded trail and going into a town very refreshing. That small change makes the trip more interesting and breaks up the monotony on the endless walking in the woods. He promotes the idea of variety -- some wilderness and trees and also some civilization as in a motel or restaurant -- as the more enjoyable way to hike.
When I read that, I thought of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail and the fact that it also has more variety than some trails I've been on, like the Little Miami Scenic Trail in Ohio. It is a lovely trail, but it is pretty much the same mile after mile. The Pumpkinvine from Goshen to Middlebury in contrast, has wooded areas that give way to open fields, another wooded area and then another open space. I think that variety is one of its charming features.
When I read that, I thought of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail and the fact that it also has more variety than some trails I've been on, like the Little Miami Scenic Trail in Ohio. It is a lovely trail, but it is pretty much the same mile after mile. The Pumpkinvine from Goshen to Middlebury in contrast, has wooded areas that give way to open fields, another wooded area and then another open space. I think that variety is one of its charming features.
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