Cardinal Greenway, Jonesboro, Indiana to north of Marion, Indiana

August 15, 2019
35 miles
including:
Sweetser Switch Trail
Converse Junction Trail

Started out in the Gas City Trailhead parking lot. It was 69 degrees and overcast so again I'm wearing my jacket. It's August and I'm cold, it doesn't make sense!

 Street signs in Gas City, Indiana

First thing I noticed this morning was this northern section of the Cardinal Greenway has been smoothed out where the roots had bumped up the trail. It's a rough surface but so much better than the bumps! You can see from the picture below how bumpy that would have been if it hadn't been ground down. It gives you an idea of what we have been riding over the past few days. Another nice feature of this section is that there are a succession of 9 bridges that go over roads, streams and railroad tracks. It was much more pleasant not having to watch for traffic and slow down at every road crossing. 

 Smoothing out the tree roots

 Trail bridges through Marion, Indiana

At the end of Cardinal Greenway north of Marion the Sweetser Switch Trail begins almost seamlessly. It is a short trail (4 miles) but very beautiful and interesting. It also has an actual toilet and not a porta potty! In downtown Sweetser is an old train with a fiberglass Garfield standing at the back of the train. Jim Davis, creator of the comic strip Garfield is from Marion, Indiana. A local leader in the area came up with the idea to place a Garfield in every community in the county hoping to bring in some tourism.

 Entrance to Sweetser Switch Trail

 College bound Garfield, Sweetser, Indiana

 Bikes Peak, Sweetser, Indiana

As a bonus we discovered that another short trail (3 miles), Converse Junction Trail, connected to the end of Sweetser Switch Trail. Somehow we missed this trail on TrailLink so it was a surprise to us. We've come this far, why not add this on to our ride today. Once in the town of Converse we found a great BBQ restaurant and immediately made it our lunch spot. On the way back to our car the sun finally decided to come out, I actually took off my jacket and by the time we finished it was 76 degrees, perfect riding weather in my opinion. We've had a great three days of cycling in Indiana!

Cardinal Greenway, Muncie, Indiana south to Economy, Indiana

August 14, 2019
57 miles
including:
White River Greenway

We left this morning around 10am. Once we left the city of Muncie we discovered why there was a fog advisory this morning. There was lingering fog in the fields and it was very overcast. The temperature was in the 70s but I had to wear a jacket because without the bright sun I was cold. Again, we went through sections where the trail was extremely bumpy. Also, along this trail you have many road crossings which mean you are constantly slowing down and/or stopping.

The trail goes through some very small towns and there aren't many places to stop for refreshments or potty breaks. Most trailheads have porta potties which I guess should help with the bathroom breaks but..... I looked in one porta potty and immediately decided I could wait. It looked like someone had a blowout all over and in front of the potty!! 

On the way back to Muncie we stopped in Losantville and ate lunch at the Pizza Barn. I think this was the only restaurant we passed on the trail today. It was very good. I've come to the realization that while long distance cycling all food tastes really good!!

Back in Muncie we stopped at the Wysor Street Depot (built in 1901) where they have bicycles to "rent" and it is also a gift shop. I put rent in quotations because it actually doesn't cost anything, you just have to leave your license with them while using the bikes. What a nice service that is! We also learned that the Cardinal Greenway is part of the Great American Rail Trail. Using current trails and connecting them to make a coast to coast trail from Washington DC to Seattle, Washington. I wish it was completed right now so we could ride coast to coast without being on the road!

 Wysor Street Depot, Muncie, Indiana 

We decide that we would bike another trail that was connected to the Cardinal Greenway. It is called White River Greenway and goes along the White River in Muncie and through a section of Ball State University. 

 E.B. Ball Mansion

White River

Today's ride was our longest this year. Tomorrow we will drive to the section of trail that is disconnected and start from a trailhead in Gas City, Indiana, thereby avoiding bicycling on the road. 

Cardinal Greenway, Muncie, Indiana north to Gaston, Indiana

August 13, 2019
24 miles

Arrived in Muncie, Indiana and checked into the Airbnb (first-time user of Airbnb) at 5pm. Unloaded the car and quickly changed into our cycling clothes. We were anxious to get out on the trail, which was conveniently only 3 short blocks away. Our first priority was to eat supper before riding the trail. We checked out places to eat before leaving the bnb and found a Chick-fil-A that was just off the trail and easy to bike to. Yay, we love CFA!

 Carriage House Loft Apartment

 Our dinner view

Not long after leaving CFA we hit something on the bike. We think it was a rock but whatever it was really bounced our bike and we heard it shoot off into the trees. We are very fortunate that we didn't crash. It was in a section that was tree covered so the trail had lots of shadows and was dark, especially since it was evening. We had to stop to inspect the bike because something didn't feel right. The only thing we found was a loose spoke. Clay was able to tighten it and we were back riding within a short time.

Approximately 12 miles north the trail ends at a town named Gaston (playing the soundtrack from Beauty and the Beast in my head). There is a 11 mile gap where you bicycle on the road, with no shoulder, before picking the trail back up in Jonesboro, Indiana just south of Marion. This gap exists because the private landowners acquired the former rail corridor. It's a shame to have this trail disconnected. We didn't want to ride on the road so this is where we chose to turn around.

It was a nice ride but I have to say that there are many places along this trail that are very bumpy because of the tree roots. Our bicycle really took a beating this evening!