Blue-Shamu

Hi Everybody. I was looking at possibly making the trip over to Muncie this weekend to do this ride. Has anybody ever done it before? Any comments/reviews?

Also, would anybody have recommendations regarding campgrounds/state parks in the area where I could pitch a tent for the weekend?

Thanks.

Psimet2001 

I've done it (about three years ago). It is a 300ish person ride along a MUP.

Mariner Fan

I've never done it but I'll be there this year!

Are you coming down Blue-Shamu?

Blue-Shamu

Yeah...I believe so....it'll be going up, though. I have emailed the organizers trying to get a recommendation on a campground/state park to pitch a tent....something close. I saw on the Indiana DNR website that there are two state parks nearby. I plan on leaving Robinson, IL Friday afternoon, driving over, pitching the tent and camping out, doing the 114 mile route, and probably spending the rest of the weekend being a campground bum.

Mariner Fan

Cool! I'm only doing 50 miles but I'd like to meet you. Give me a PM if you need a place to crash.

Blue-Shamu

Thanks for the offer, Mariner. I just got an email from the organizers and they said that Prairie Creek Reservoir offers camping and is right on the route. I couldn't find much on the internet about the place. They sent me the phone number, so, I'll just give them a call in the morning.

They said the greenway passes right through (or next to?) the reservoir and I would be able to access the path and it wouldn't be far to the start area. Sounds like a game plan. Once I figure out my tenting arrangements, I'll let you know and we could maybe meet up at the start area Saturday a.m. I'm sure I'll be the only guy there on a 2007 Blue Orbea Orca!

R900

We did it last year, nice ride, lots of homemade cookies and music at some stops. It was hot last year, and it's on the trail so ride slow and enjoy. We'll be out of town this year. Have fun.

Mariner Fan

Prairie Creek Reservoir is on the Southern end of the trail. I believe the ride begins at the depot so it's about 10 miles from the start of the ride.

Mariner Fan

I was wondering if you were going to be at this ride John. Bummer, that you can't make it.

Blue-Shamu

Weather is calling for 40% precip Friday night and Saturday....but, I'm still going to plan on heading up Friday afternoon. Talked to the folks at Prairie Creek Reservoir...they said they have primitive campsites for $10/night. They said they also have shower facilities and restrooms....that's about all I need.

Blue-Shamu

Looks like I will be in for a rainy, wet, Friday night.....hopefully it will finish off by Saturday morning!

Mariner Fan

Your more than welcome to stay in our guest room Blue Shamu.

Blue-Shamu

Let's see just how much rain is falling by this afternoon when I'm leaving Robinson...he he he...pitching a tent in the rain is certainly no fun! It's raining here right now...looks like in Muncie, too. Hopefully, it will pass by the time I'm ready to head that way. If it's cleared up, I'll be pitching the tent at the reservoir. If the bottom is still falling out of the sky...I may take you up on that offer....

Mariner Fan

I sent you an e-mail with my contact information..

Bob

Mariner Fan

Well I've finished the ride. When we started, it was so humid that my bike was wet. I traveled the complete length of the trail including a trip around a reservoir that Blue-Shamu was staying at. I put in 65 miles and was lucky to meet up with Troy (Blue-Shamu) at the depot. He has this kick butt Orbea bike so it wasn't really hard to find him. He had put in 67 miles and was just grabbing a snack before cranking out some more miles to reach a century.

All in all a good ride. It was kinda slow because groups were blocking the trail but I wasn't in that much of a hurry anyway.

Blue-Shamu

Well, I'm back from Muncie...it's now Sunday afternoon. It was nice to meet Bob (Mariner-Fan)....both of us displaced in the midwest....He was right about one thing...the air was so heavy you needed a knife to slice your way through it Saturday morning. Ten miles into the ride, I was drenched from head to toe...I felt like I was back in Lousyana!! M-F and I met at the lunch break, as he said. I had done the North out/back route first where he apparently done the south. I headed south after lunch, did the loop around the reservoir, and back out on the greenway to the end. Right at the trailhead, I wasn't paying much attention and ran over this HUGE rock...it about knocked my hands off the hoods!! As luck would have it...psssssss..... The rock didn't puncture my tire or tube...but it pinched my tube and caused two tears on the wheel side of the tube!! Luckily, it was the front tire which made changing it at the trailhead quite quick and easy. Met several nice folks from Indy there at the trailhead while changing my tire and rode back with them for a ways and later spooled it up to get back in a little quicker. The sun was now out and felt like it was zapping me. I met another nice guy from the Muncie area on the North half...he and I shared the last name....Also, ran into a couple from Findlay, OH that work for the same company as I...just they work out of Findlay...I met them at RAIN as part of our unofficial "Corporate Challenge." It's a small and wonderful world!

I ended up with 110 miles...I must have missed 4 miles somewhere along the way...at least they said if I rode all the way out North, all the way down south, and did the loop around the reservoir, it would be 114 miles. Maybe I straightened out too many curves?? The Greenway was pretty nice...even if it was pretty much an out/back. About the only thing I can say I didn't care much for was all the stop and go road crossings at Muncie and the town to the North...whatever it was...where you got back on the trail. A brief section of country roads between the trails was pretty nice and scenic....but again...you traveled the same roads on the way back....which had its + points, too...especially when I would begin to wonder if I missed a dan henry...then I would see a landmark I remembered on the way up. The SAG stops were well staffed and well fortified with snacks and various goodies....they were even handing out PowerGel packs....I don't do the caffeine that well...so I had to pass on those....but the homemade cookies were a treat.

Primitive camping at the reservoir....not exactly what I had expected and would probably try one of the two nearby state parks if I ever went back up there for a weekend. I felt like I was pitching my tent in the middle of a redneck trailer park. Good grief...I've never seen so many campers set up for full time living in my life! I'm talking complete with wood decks, elaborate light fixtures, tent garages....some RV spots even looked like the RV owners had brought in an extra load of gravel to maticulously place around their pad....lots of permanent structures....lots of golf carts....and lots of pontoon boats on the lake. Whole new meaning to redneck yacht club....errr...land-yacht club.

Blue-Shamu

The Orbea Orca is a kick-butt bike....I've got a long way to go to catch up to it!! It's funny, though, I've only seen one other one out on the road...it was the traditionally advertised white/black Orca. Naturally, having to march to the beat of my own drum, I selected the blue from the made to order website. It certainly draws a lot of positive comments...thanks for yours, M-F.

Great...now I'm going to have to get a volkswagen shell for a helmet!!

tzanka

The Indianapolis Star had an interesting article about this trial within the last two weeks. Might be worth your while to check their archives. Sounds like a good ride.

AverageCommuter

Glad to hear that you had a good time here in Muncie. You're right though, the stop and go through the center of town leaves something to be desired.

This has been a HUGE issue here. Every time there is an attempt to oust these perma-campers, it is somehow stopped. I don't which one of them has connections, but it seems that someone does.

If you want to try one of the nearby State parks, I would be inclined to recommend Mounds State Park over Summit Lake State Park. Every time we take the dogs to Summit Lake one of us comes back with a tick. On the other hand, at Mounds you'll probably be camping with the RV's. Summit Lake does put the tent campers in their own space. So I guess you'd have to weigh your options.

Timbike700c

On the Great Greenway Tour 2009 I took the north route to Jonesboro and added some extra mileage by going to Fairmount, making my ride a metric century. The back road from Jonesboro to Fairmount is part of Grant County's James Dean Trail--Back Creek Friends Church, an Indian motorcycle shop, and Park Cemetery, where James Dean was interred after his fatal crash in California on September 30, 1955. The water tower in Fairmount has the pictures of both James Dean and Garfield the comic strip cat. The ride is quite flat, just like the Flat 50+ of Decatur, Indiana.

Tim Ellsworth
Fort Wayne, Indiana