The Amish Ride

Finally, after several setbacks having to do with such annoyances as boating, swimming, sunshine, drinking beer and taking money, I was able to get out and ride this weekend. There was some issue with rain as well, but let's just forget about that.

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

At the Risk Of

At the risk of appearing the desire to be a bike blog, here's the next or next to next item in my fleet. It is an Electra Amsterdam Classic 3i. While not a "real" Dutch bike, it certainly looks to have the necessary accoutrements minus a rack, which, along with a bell, would be imperative. Steel, black, fenders, guards, skirts... chicks would totally dig me. Well, if they weren't into big trucks and Harleys and I was far better looking and not on a bicycle.

For clarification's sake, I don't desire to author bike only blogs, it just happens I've nothing else happening in my life at the moment. Hell, look at the date and time- it's after nine on a Saturday for cripes sake and this is as good as it gets for me. I'm holding out for a random drunk text from any of my friends who actually have lives, so, you know, I've that to look forward to. Oh, and my can of High Life is almost empty, so let's hope the fridge is not bare. Good day to you.

Man, I Got Nothin'

All it takes to make me happy, on some days, is to see an attractive woman on a bike.

Until that shit gets weird.

For Peat's Sake

It all comes down to horticulture. Not really. Nothing else came to mind. Moving along...

Recently I set up a Twitter account, something that has been on a list of things to not do, and in doing so remembered I had a blog. Hey, lookit that. It's been a while so here is an update.

Biking has taken over as my exercise of choice. Ok, that's probably mild. Consider this- if my home wasn't a twenty minute drive from most beacons of civilization I would happily bike the distance. Work is only six miles away but the route to get there contains one state highway, one narrow county road with fast unforgiving drivers and a Wal-Mart. I just kind of dislike the Wal-Mart, it isn't really a problem. In any case, my fixed gear/biking obsession has grown to now include a hybrid bike.

After selling some stuff on Craigslist and amassing a hundred bucks, I decided to take the old Trek Antelope mountain bike down the path of rejuvenation. Considering the bike has proven its self to be one of the more indestructible things I've owned over the years, the option to fix it up was pretty easy. It's got fenders now, yo! Some new hybrid tires to decrease rolling resistance and a rack just big enough for a 12 pack of whatever.

I still plan to post stories of Chicago riding on critical mass days and others as well. But, you see, my head is off into other things like "will I actually work on the kitchen floor today?", "who sells Skatelite for cheap?" and "can I bike to get it?". Be well.

Meijer Organic Coffee: Meh...

The Meijer brand organic coffee was on sale last week and looked to be appealing enough. Saddly, unlike most of the other store brand organic stuff, this is lacking in many ways. The roast is a bit weak and the taste comes out watery, even in a french press. Note to self- spend an extra couple of dollars on something else.

Fixed the Park

(if the grammar and spelling seems a bit worse than usual, blame it on a slight hangover from a friends birthday celebration last night)

The weather in Michiana has finally switched to more a spring-like condition than a winter-like one. This is subject to revision though. It has snowed here towards the end of May. That might have been 1987. Damn, I am getting old. That and the hangover make me want to crawl back in bed. Where was I going with this?

Oh, yeah- Took the fixed gear to Central Park (no, not THAT central park; this one is in Mishawaka) to see how the new bridge between the Battel and Beutter parks turned out and to check the bike path conditions. For a relatively small area (about a 2 mile loop) they have done a great job of incorporating landscape, art, architecture and public use. If the long term plans for this area are carried out in a similar manner, they will have created a well developed public space that is attractive to visitors as well as to current and potential residents. It wasn't completely out of my mind to move close to the area while riding around. There were a number of bicyclists and runners as well as people walking, laying out and taking in the day with their dogs. And that last part just makes me happy.

In riding the fixie in the park, a couple of things occurred to me. The first was its stealthy manner. People do not hear it coming at all. When you glide past them you get a sense they were not expecting to be overtaken by anyone walking, rollerblading or anything else, but especially not a bike. So a little extra caution there.

Another thing was other bicyclists in the park. A mountain bike zoomed past while I was pseudo trackstanding and taking in some of the new park features. A short while later found me positioned to pass him. Going up a hill. While he was fumbling around with his gears. Internally I was laughing since this is the kind of story many who ride a fixed gear write about.

Most people pay little attention to bike types, but it was curious to see some of the expressions of people who did. One guy in particular studied the bike with a look of confusion- I know something is different, but just can't tell what it is.

I'm going back to bed now. The drugs aren't working.

To Succeed

"To attain what you do not currently have, you must do things you have never done". This phrase in its various forms, for whatever reason, sticks with me. And it has been on my mind more in the past year or so. The idea, of course, is to try new things. Clearly the work of a devout optimist. I can not help but agree with the sentiment. However, my optimism often wanes and contributes to my cynicism.

My curiosity has the better of me at times, though. So I have not been able to keep myself from wondering if the opposite is also true "To attain what was previously had, continue doing that which has always been done".