Biking and Triking Through Amish Country

Greetings!

On September 16, 2019, Frankie, Dennis and I drove over to the Pumpkin Vine Trail to ride our bikes.

 We started riding and Frankie pointed out the Amish farms.  There were quite a few with washing hanging out on the line.  Frankie loved this quilt.

There were lots of horses in pastures and Amish black carriages in driveways and under carport-like shelters.

We saw a composite bench that had been chewed up quite a bit by squirrels.

The trail was lovely with lots of shade. 

We rode by cows and buffalo and bulls, lots of clusters of white farm buildings and houses with long clotheslines filled with dresses and overhauls and white shirts.  On some of the buildings were solar collectors.

This area of Indiana is the manufacturing hub for camper trailers.  We passed lots full of campers and biked past the Winnebago manufacturing plant that smelled like plywood.

We arrived at the end of the trail in a town called Shipshewana.  We got off the trail and rode some crushed gravel and tar streets to a very nice cafe with a lovely fresh salad bar.  It appeared the owners and managers were not Amish, but many of the waitresses and staff were wearing Amish gear.

Frankie stopped one and asked the difference between Amish and Menonite.  Amish don't drive cars, the Menonites do.  Amish women wear white caps, the Menonite women where black lacey head covers.  In the restaurant were a Menonite couple and a young married Amish couple as customers.

On our way back to the trai we rode down the main street of Shipshewana.  It had a large shoulder on each side to accomodate the single horse and carriage that the Amish use for transportation.  In the middle of the shoulder was a worn down groove where the many horses clomp as they pull the carriages.

We must have seen 10 or more carriages coming in the opposite direction as we rode the mile through town.

My mind did a flip when I saw a Chiropractic Clinic with Massage and Accupuncture offerings and a slab out front with a railing to tie the horses.  There were two Amish carriages and their horses waiting while their owners either worked or received services in the clinic.

It was a fun ride on a lovely fall day in Indiana with my friends Frankie and Dennis.  Thank you for the great time and great visit.

Now I have to figure out how to either get around Chicago or plow on through it.  Tomorrow I will arrive in Wisconsin!