Pumpkinvine Trail in Goshen, Indiana. Silly name but a nice multi-use path. The trail has seen me once before but this time there are photos to show for it. And that's why there's a blog.
First of all, the trail is mostly paved in asphalt with long sections of hard packed fine gravel or slag. These materials are well suited for the environment, though the gravel may prove to be more durable in the long run. Tree roots will eventually push up parts of asphalt and, unless the county and city have allocated funds for repair, this will be a sore spot in the years to come. In any case, the trail is plenty wide and the brush has been groomed back so there is a nice buffer to bike, run or hike within. From what I have read, the trail was formerly a light rail line and, like many reclaimed areas having a similar past, it lends its self to recreational use quite well.
The Pumpkinvine Trail apparently only goes on for so long then turns into something else. The reason I bring this up is due to the signs encountered at one of the street crossings that indicate the trail will end at 1000ft. and then again at 200ft. However, directly across the street from where the trail is suppose to end is what appears to be a continuation of the asphalt/gravel trail you are on. Maybe this is to throw off the tourists from, well, where ever it is Goshen gets it's tourists from. Rest assured, the trail goes on for quite a distance longer and includes even more paved area. In fact, the portion that runs from the "end" of the Pumpkinvine Trail to the road section located in Middleburry is all paved. This section also includes the trail's most scenic areas overlooking fields, farms and other stuff Midwesterners typically like. While I write the last part of the last sentence with cynicism of our Midwestern culture, it does, in fact, provide a few nice views of the landscape.
The road portion taking you in to Middleburry is just that- typical, run of the mill, country roads in Indiana. There are a fair number of hills to overtake, familiar livestock, countless mailboxes with the name "Miller" made from aluminum deck plate, and vehicle traffic is light. At this point of the ride, a biker would be wise to keep their eyes open for the orange pumpkin symbols painted on the road indicating the direction to take if you want to keep following the Pumpkinvine Trail which, if you'll remember from the previous paragraph, ended several miles back. I don't make this stuff up, I'm just logging an experience here.
After rolling through the urban center of Middleburry and continuing on my Great Pumpkin chase for a few more miles, I eventually considered checking to see how far I had ridden and where the next trail might be found so I could get off the road. I was about 15 miles from my starting point at Millrace Park so the ride back from this point would make it an even 30. Up until that point there was a nice wind to my back so this meant the return trip might be a bit of a challenge. This assumption was correct. Not only did the wind seem to blow hardest when going up a hill, but those damn painted pumpkins on the road proved most elusive. At one point I decided to disregard them all together and follow the more obvious green signs that say "Bike Route". Surely those will lead me to the same place Linus' mythical Halloween character would. They didn't. The bike route takes a different route away from the trail but eventually leads you to the previously mentioned "end" of Pumpkinvine. In all fairness, there did seem to be a decent effort put into placing the pumpkins on the road at key intersections. However, it would be nice to see a few more along the straight portions of road and at other intersections indicating that you are still on the right track.
Thankfully I did not have to set up camp in the woods overnight and fear slack-jawed yokels with a pig fetish. Feeling slightly relieved, tired and hungry meant that there was no way I would be cooking anything at home. So, there's an excuse if there ever was one to get a pizza from Volcano. And, as luck would have it, they are conveniently located on the drive home.
A map of my ride can be found at this URL: Goshen to Middleburry via Pumpkinvine Trail
