Taken yesterday in Nappanee, Indiana.
These guys were part of the afternoon rush hour after the local RV factories let off work.
Once the train had passed, they could hardly wait for the barriers to raise before they were off and pedaling hard.
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19 Comments
Hi Erik. Did you get to that museum/community center in Nappanee? I loved it. The fact that locals designed the kitchens for the Kennedys, Sinatra and other celebrities was fascinating to me. Also I toured the Ruthmere mansion in Elkart (amazing place!) and they also had a Nappanee kitchen! Enjoy the rest of your trip
Candis unfortunately I did not make it but I bet it is a nice stop. So many interesting places and people, so little time…
Of course if that was us ‘englishers’ we’d all be decked out in multi-colored spandex…
Thanks for sharing Erik! I am happy to see that the RV factories are still in business as I know the Elkart area was hit hard with unemployment!
Morinne I have no good scientific data but while I was up there I heard mixed things on RVs–some said they just had a better year, though it’s slowing down again, others were pretty negative about the long-term prospects.
RV Industry
Unless the gasoline prices improve, the RV industry won’t fare well. Most motorhomes get less than 10 mpg. It’s actually cheaper to fly somewhere and rent a motel room than to take a motor home to get there.
We used to take my father’s motorhome on vacation when our kids were little. It was great to be able to keep their meals normal and not have to eat out, but today, it would be exorbitantly expensive to travel that way.
I love this action street picture.
Me too! It’s a good photo, Erik. The same coloured shirts with suspenders – the bikes and the way the subject is slightly off-center and framed by the train and road make it a very strong composition.
Katie and Magdalena, thank you, Magdalena you give me too much credit 🙂 I was lucky that this one turned out \–the train was going so fast and I had to time it to where the men and bikes were visible. I had one or two where the wheels pretty well blocked them out.
Now that is a picture worth a thousand words! Hope you didn’t put yourself at risk taking that shot 🙂 Thanks for all you do and going to any extreme to bring joy to your readers!
Sure thing Jan-o, I was safe in my car waiting patiently on the other side 🙂
Greetings!!
Nice picture Erik!!
I am winding down from moving. Got the furniture into storage today. Tomorrow I have some boxes to move here, odds and ends. Then clean out the fridge and kitchen cabinets and I will be pretty much done moving and just need to run the sweeper. I have a ton of tomatoes to pick from the garden again and still have not dug potatoes.
I donated my big air conditioner and some other items to a local church and they will be picking them up tomorrow.
I am pretty well beat but still need to push on for a few more days to tie up the loose ends. Boy will I be sooooo happy when all is done. I have missed being online on a regular basis but hopefully by the middle of next week I can breath a whole lot easier.
You be safe in your travels Erik.
Blessings, Alice
Alice great to hear you are making the move work (and that you didn’t forget about us!). I think I said before that I don’t envy you, moving is never fun.
I just got back late last night and boy am I bushed, but plan to post a trip round-up and some more highlights on Monday.
Erik
Erik, this move has been a nightmare and I am so grateful it is almost over. Frank left an even bigger mess than I had realized and I under-estimated the job for sure. But soon I will be back to a normal schedule again. 🙂
Wish I had known when you would be in Indiana in spite of the move I still might have tried to get over to meet you. Oh well, next time!!
I am still planning on getting to Arthur soon. Right now I am thinking somewhere around the 7th of September. I am looking forward to the break and getting away for the day. I will take and send those pictures as promised.
Love ya, Alice
Das Museek / Reflection
“Waiting on a Train” reminds me of a song by a Canadian blues, reggae, rock band I’ve followed since I was a teenager. The song is “Goodbye Train”, and when I read Erik’s headline earlier before reading the post and seeing the picture, the lyric “she met me at the station, waving my hand”, because there is two versions of “Goodbye Train” by Big Sugar I can’t help but wonder what happened to the hapless lover in Gordie Johnson’s singing that he’d put it that way.
Does anyone imaging the Amish in this picture would wear reflecting X safety vests while riding bike if it were municipal or state law for them to do so?
Das Museek / Reflection
Amish wearing safety vests
Shom I can’t comment on the songs but on the reflective safety vests, some Amish do wear them–on this latest trip I saw at least a couple of ladies wearing them in the evening, both in Ohio and in Indiana.
Some Amish also wear the yellow reflector bands (the ones that strap around your ankle or wrists). A friend of mine used to own a company selling these products as well as the orange SMV triangle and other safety items (he recently sold it). If we did see a law requiring vests I am sure some would protest.
As usual Erik,this is a great picture, glad you’re back and can soon send us all kind of pictures and I’m hoping for some great recipes…..you ate at Lovina’s with Kevin, so I almost know you had some good food 🙂 I still think of her chocolate chip cookies and I haven’t even had any 🙂 Maybe one day Kevin will have a contest again and this time I just might win…..keep up the good work…..and by the way do you keep up with the articles posted on A.L.? Kristin has a good one posted now…..and she was asking some Amish questions that I know you could answer…..so if you get time check it out 🙂
Also, I will send you a picture on your email and see if you want to post it or talk about it…..it is really cool…….and has to do with BUTTER 🙂
Thank you Mona it was good-and thanks for the photo!
Reflecting / Music / Witnessing “Rachel’s” comeback
Thanks Erik! I think the vests or the reflector bands are a good idea. To be honest, I had never noticed the bands locally, but I sometimes don’t look that close. I often think I should take up bicycling again, and I often think I should invest in a reflector vest for that. I’ve seen people around here wearing them. At least can’t complain the vests are hard to see, if I can see them, then anyone can see them. Some people wear them as a fashion statement however.
On the music, it just popped into my head when I saw the headline, “Goodbye Train” did. Maybe it also had to do with the fact I watched the Amish involved film “Witness” last weekend, and I like the scene when Samuel and his mother are in the train watching the world speed by, including the horse and buggy and later the hot air balloon.
Did anyone else read an article online or in print recently that indicated that the actress that played Rachel in Witness is planning on making a movie comeback. My local paper showed her in a Top Gun shot, I didn’t recognize her with all that 1980s not-modest hair (can you believe I’ve never watch Top Gun either).