Walking South Bend

I wanted to do something else besides an urban trail in the Region.  I've been wanting to explore Amish country of northeast Indiana.  The Pumpkin Vine trail between Goshen and Shipshewanna is rated as Indiana's #1 railtrail.  What held me back was the weather report, with rain expected starting at 2pm with increasing chances as the day progressed.  I decided to drive to South Bend, walk around, and go farther east if weather allowed.

I had never been in downtown South Bend.  The Notre Dame campus is on the north side and that's the only thing I know of that town.  I had walked the campus grounds years ago with my mother, but we never had a reason to go there for shopping years ago.  I had read that the town has been revitalized with business and that the current mayor, Peter Buttigieg, has turned a dying city around.  Buttigieg is also running as a Democratic candidate for president in 2020 and is ranked fourth in the poles.

I came into town via IN2 from the west, with dilapidated buildings on either side of the road.  It wasn't until I got into the town center that I saw more modern buildings blended in with the 1890 limestone and red brick buildings.  I wanted to find a place to park and walk the riverwalk on the east bank, but instead parked on Jefferson Drive a few blocks from the western bank and began walking east.  Today was the second day of stifling humidity and it didn't take long for sweat to trickle down my back.  Zeke didn't look too comfortable, either.

The old courthouse is north of Jefferson.  Its domed roof faces the east.  The city blocks around the courthouse are the historic ones and I stayed around the area.  The "Worlds Largest Chocolate Factory" is across the street.  The factory is now a mini-mall, with the famed South Bend Chocolate Company (SBCC), grill, store inside.  The SBCC makes excellent coffee; I first discovered the brand while stopping on the Indiana Toll road years ago for a coffee break and ordered a cappuccino.  There are SBCC stores in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan.  I then took Zeke along the river starting at the Century Center, but had to stay on the western bank because the eastern bank's trail was exposed.  I wanted Zeke to stay cool under the old shade trees and see if I could get him to the water.

The western bank's riverwalk isn't very long.  Parts of it are old viewpoints with piers for kayaks.  I could smell affluent when I got close to the water.  Zeke did dip in for a drink.  After the dip in the St Joseph river, I opted to find a brewpub and found one on Madison, a small pub that was once a florist shop inside the old State theatre.  We sat against the store wall to sit in the shade, but that shade slowly decreased as the sun moved east above us.

The South Bend Brew Werks (SBBW) was a good decision because it's got a dog-friendly patio, the beers are good, and the food is reasonably priced.  I had a huge hummus platter with a Belgian Witbier and a flight of beer.   The server, a young exuberant man of college age, wanted to take Zeke's photograph for the company's "dog wall," but couldn't get his camera to work.

I brought Zeke's dog bowl and there's more water for dogs on the patio.  I was very pleased with my experience at the SBBW, but I could see the sky getting darker during my stay.  I knew then that I wouldn't be able to drive any farther than South Bend.  I decided to stay in town and walk around for as long as possible.

The downtown area definitely looks healthy, with dedicated bikepaths, places to sit and people watch, and an attractive mingling of old and new architecture.  It's a town I would come back to to explore some more.  The only troubling thing was the smell of the river.  It smells of sewage, but perhaps that's because of the recent rains spilling into the river from the factories near the lakefront.  The Canadian geese nearby didn't seem to mind.  We managed just under four miles of city walking.

 There was so much I didn't see or do, but today's short visit gave me a nice taste of South Bend.  By 3pm I decided to head back west, stopping briefly at the Rum Village trails off Gertrude.  I ended up walking on the west side, the dedicated mountainbike section, and not the east side, where the wider hiking trails are.  None of the bikers reprimanded me, but I felt foolish once I noticed my error.  We only walked for 1.5 miles due to the many bugs. 

My last stop was in LaPorte, where in the late 1960s I spent many a day.  My stepdad's mother had moved from Culver, IN to LaPorte, IN because of her husband's job.  She stayed in town after his massive heart attack.  My stepdad's only sister, Colleen, is my age and we often walked around town to get away from the adults.  Despite three lakes in town, LaPorte never developed into a resort town like other lake towns in northern Indiana.  In fact, I didn't see much improvement when I drove through. It still looks and feel neglected.

The one thing I wanted to check out was its lone brewery, Back Road Brewing.  Its operating hours are limited to 3:30pm-7pm Wednesday through Saturday.  It was 5:20pm when I drove up, parking in front of what looks like an old white brick warehouse next to train tracks.  A small white sign above the entrance was the only indication that I was in the right place.

I had walked into what looks like a private basement.  Furniture was mismatched and old and looked like donated furniture or stuff picked up off the street.  Exposed pipes ran down the ceiling.  Dogs were allowed in this meeting area but not in the serving area to the right.  Here is where everyone was sitting, and I was welcomed to sit and stay.

Several locals bragged about this place.  The brewer has been brewing beer in this building for 22 years and was the fourth brewing license in Indiana.  Twenty-two years ago I was drinking craft beer, but didn't get into the craze until more recently.  The place didn't look like it's been modernized since the brewer began his business, but despite the eclectic decor, I liked the place, and I liked the Back Road Ale I chose, served in a plastic cup.

"You need to come on a Thursday!" said at least two of the customers.  "There are often 70 people in the meeting room drinking" explained one woman as she left.  She didn't know why Thursdays were the busy day, but I made note of coming back on a Thursday.  Coming back would give me an excuse to walk along the lake and experience the historic district.

It began to drizzle on the drive back to Crown Point.  That drizzle turned into a heavy storm with thunder and lightning a few hours later, and that rain persisted well into the night.  All those corn and soybean fields that had two days to dry out were surely saturated again.