COURTESY "REQUESTED" ON THE PANHANDLE PATHWAY

July 28, 2013  PEDALS adventure:  PANHANDLE PATHWAY 

One of the goals of the summer was to take a canal boat ride on the Wabash Erie Canal in Delphi, IN, which only runs on Saturdays and Sundays, so Tom’s birthday seemed like a good time to check off that goal..and add a bike ride with it. My favorite source of finding trails, Traillink.com, was helpful in showing us a trail we were previously unfamiliar with, the Panhandle trail.   This trail connects the Indiana towns of Winamac  and  Kenneth by going through tiny towns I previously had never heard of such as  Star City and Thornhope.  Since it was in the general direction of Delphi, we decided to go for it.

Part of the reason I like Traillink.com is that previous bikers post information about their ride, such as scenery, quality of the path, and notable sites. I have learned that I can only ride about 20 miles in one trip without creating too much pain for my lower back.   Since this path is 20 miles long, we had to choose at which end to begin because the ride would be 10 miles out…and the same 10 miles back.   I was grateful for the postings because we found out that the best spot on this trail is one mile south of the Winamac Trailhead…a view of the the Tippecanoe River from a fabulous bridge…so Winamac was the winner!

Extreme courtesy is STRONGLY suggested

 

After arriving at a trailhead and getting the bike ready for a ride, I typically go to the map and informational sign that is  posted to get a picture and find out interesting info about the path. I was glad I took the time to complete this task at the Pan Handle, because one of their suggested rules caught my eye…and my sense of humor.  Besides the usual, wear a helmet, stay to the right, don’t litter, the Pan Handle Pathway takes courteous riding seriously….Rule 3 not only asks you to be courtesy, it recommends that you say “Hi” or “Hello” as you pass other riders.   I laughed out loud when I read that…and then proceeded to follow that rule every time we passed other riders.  I chuckled each time too.

The post on Traillink.com was right, we quickly rode up to the bridge on the Tippecanoe River and stopped to enjoy the view.   The water was moving quickly, a testament to the steady rains that have fallen this summer, in contrast to last summer’s drought.  Way too fast for a kayak trip, unless your car is waiting at the other end, but perfect for a nice bike view.

View of the Tippecanoe River from the bridge south of Winamac

2 signs of Agriculture

The path was straight and in some ways,  boring, without a lot of diversity in the scenery or direction.   However, there was enough difference in these two areas, along with a nice tree canopy, to make an enjoyable ride.   As I looked for interesting signs, I was surprised to see a random informational sign in front of a random field.   I came up  to read it  and found  out it was all about (surprise, surprise) CORN IN PULASKI COUNTY!  Corn in any county of Indiana (with the exception of Marion County/Indianapolis) is as common as dirt, but the good people of the Panhandle Trail felt that we path users would want to be informed about THEIR corn.  Not sure what that was about, but it does constitute an interesting sign…plus it gave me an excuse to stop and get off my bike.

 

Another interesting sign was the one that greeted us at the Thornhope city limits…it declared that there were 70 residents that call Thornhope their home.   For such a small town, they sure do have big buildings!

The skyscrapers of Thornhope are part of the SIGNS of agriculture

Besides the really cool bridge over the Tippecanoe River, there were lesser bridges over lesser creek that broke up the long stretch of asphalt. One that caused me to chuckle was  labled “Mike and Mike’s Bridge.”  I presumed it was the newer bridge next to the rusty old bridge, but it brought to mind a favorite ESPN morning radio show of the same name, hosted by Mike “Greenie” Greenburg and Mike Golic.   Somehow, I can’t picture either of them (a big city “dandy” and an ex-football player) riding along in the Indiana countryside on a couple of bikes.  But if they did, I’m sure we’d hear about it.

The Pan Handle Trail did give us the opportunity to spot some interesting wildlife.  Along with the ubiquitous cows found on Indiana farms, a farm on the path also had llamas…or were they alpaca?  Not sure which they were, but they weren’t too sure about us either  and watched us intently, as though WE were the ones with a strange look.   Also crossing our path, literally, was a quail that skittered in front of us as we sped by.   Cool!

 

 

Outside the small town of Star City, another small sign appeared in front of a tree.  Since we had passed hundreds of trees, I of course was curious as to what made this tree special.  Another dedicated supporter sponsored an Indiana Native Tree, the red oak, and wanted to make sure we did not miss it.   

THE MIGHTY RED OAK...not to be missed on the Panhandle Pathway

The final interesting sign was one that appeared with predictable regularity.   At every road where the Pan Handle crossed a county road, a large formal sign indicated that these were access points for the Pan Handle Trail.  To me, these signs represent the enormous pride that the Pan Handle Path supporters have in their trail, a well-maintained and easy to ride path that gives you a glimpse into rural Indiana. 

One of the prettiest Trail signs we have ever seen! 
Kudos to the Panhandle Pathway!

Oh yes, this path will also be remembered as the one where the benchmark of 600 miles was reached….let’s keep riding!

The stats: (RT) 20.1, Time: 1:59, ODO: 618

Notable Nature Sightings:  A quail, llamas (or alpacas), Indiana corn, and a Red Oak Tree (they must be notable..they had signs!

Notable Signs:  Rules of the path requesting that riders say "Hi or Hello" as they pass!!!