The June 19 Elkhart Truth had a very good and up-to-date article on construction progress on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail from Larry Neff, director of Elkhart County Parks. Elkhart Truth article
Monthly Archives: June 2011
Riding between Middlebury and Shipshewana
People are asking if they can ride on the newly paved section of trail west of CR 43. Here’s the answer from Larry Neff, director of Elkhart County Parks.
“The Pumpkinvine Trail that is paved east of Middlebury is still under construction. They have several more phases before it is complete. INDOT does not like trail use until they “sign off” on a project.
In the case of the trail heading west toward Middlebury that is paved, it does not connect to anything at this point. It was designed to come to SR 13 and cross to the west side and continue to the Middlebury trail segment. However, at the last moment INDOT cancelled the design to cross SR 13 at the DQ.
Consequently, our trail ends in a woods and we have submitted another grant to refund the short connection route to connect to the Middlebury Trail using the east side of SR 13 as the trail. We plan to do some clearing so a cyclist or hiker could get to SR 13 but they would be on their own from that point.
Please be patient we are almost complete in this area. The contactors believe they will be finished all the way to LaGrange CR 850 by August 1. Let’s hope they are good estimators.”
The importance of the Pumpkinvine by Shelli Yoder
Homework, housework, career demands, and athletic schedules. So many commitments to keep our lives at a frantic pace. Opportunities to slow down and spend time together as a family are always a top priority. For many years my family lived in Nashville, Tennessee, which is a relatively quiet and very friendly town – a lot like Shipshewana in these respects.
But some of my family’s best memories were spent about 25 miles outside of Nashville in a little town called Ashland City. It was in Ashland City that we discovered a 5-mile stretch of paved bicycle trail that had formerly been a railroad line. We spent many Saturdays with our children, sometimes pushing them in strollers and sometimes riding bicycles up and down this peaceful, rural stretch of Tennessee wilderness. Which is the best thing about a trail like the one in Ashland City or the Pumpkin Vine – it is an easy, affordable and safe way for the entire family to get a little taste of the wilderness. A little relief from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. A little time to reconnect to yourself and the ones you love.
And it is also a time to reconnect to nature. And maybe it seems like living in the world’s most beautiful Amish country it feels like you are surrounded by nature. But experiencing nature through the windows of a car or truck certainly isn’t the same as a meandering and reflective stroll or bicycle ride.
I want my kids to grow up enjoying the outdoors, playing outside, and feeling connected to nature. Current research shows that kids today spend less than 30 minutes a week engaged in unstructured outdoor play. And that’s a shame since spending time in nature yields all sorts of health benefits: physical, mental, and psychological. A safe and inviting outdoor trail like the Pumpkinvine is the perfect place for a family to spend an hour or two out in the fresh air.
From my perspective, the Pumpkinvine is a local treasure for the Shipshewana community. To me, Shipshewana and the surrounding areas are one of the most special places in America – a real national trophy – and the Pumpkinvine is like a “trophy case” – a special space that accentuates and highlights Shipshe and provides a “walkable and bikeable observation deck” that really shows-off the unique land and people of this special place.
I’ve been back to Shipshewana and the surrounding communities many, many times since my childhood, but I am especially looking forward to coming back with my husband and children when the Pumpkinvine is complete and exploring anew these places that I love so deeply.
Article in Goshen News reflects enthusiasm for Pumpkinvine completion
The lead article in the Goshen News today talks about the trail being finished in 2012. Goshen News article on Pumpkinvine, June 7, 2011We have been fortunate through the years to have had the support of the News. Numerous editorials through the years have highlighted the benefits of the trail for the community and encouraged its completion.
Their interest in the trail reflects the general interest in the community that I sense more and more. People constantly ask me when it will be done, and the bike shop owners I see also tell me that their customers ask them when it will be done.
The answer isn’t easy because so much depends on funding from INDOT and INDNR, who have funds for trails, but also many requests for those funds. And we don’t know what will happen next year. The word we hear from both agencies is that when Congress cuts spending, they will very likely cut funding for trails, that they don’t consider essential. So if the trail doesn’t receive funding for construction this year, it could delay completion indefinitely.
— John Yoder