Elevation: 646'-657'
Significance: Urban trail on former railroad path, which will eventually extend in both directions. Is part of the Grand Illinois Trail
As promised, I had an easy day today and stayed in and chatted with Carol's day aide Jennifer, a rather loquacious brunette with large glasses. I was going to walk Zeke later in the day when it cooled down. Another aide, Adrene, talked about how nice the new city park in Munster is, the new Centennial Park off Calumet Avenue. City parks tend to have short trails so I figured this would be something short and new to explore.
Munster is a 30-minute drive via US30 and then Calumet Avenue from Crown Point. I discovered that the new park is across the street from the industrial park in which Three Floyds Brewing is located. (The brewery's taproom and restaurant are closed indefinitely during this covid pandemic and employees have been furloughed). The Munster watertower is behind the brewery, another good landmark. Next to the distillery is a covid testing site. People needing tests must have ID and confirmation email handy. There were no cars as testing had concluded for the day.
It was 83F at 3:20pm when we started the walk around Centennial Park. The Grape Escape, a wine festival, was taking place in the park with minimal audience, but I didn't go to the crowd to explore more. I just wanted to walk and measure the distance of the loop around the artificial lake. The loop is a mile long but I tracked 1.3 because I explored some areas away from the loop, including a short climb up a hill with views of Munster and a golf course. This park reminds me so much of Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach, minus the golf course, as it, too, has an artificial lake, playground, walking path, statues, and stage area.
It was walking around this lake that I discovered signs for "The Pennsy Greenway" that borders Centennial Park on its eastern flank. "What is that," I thought, "that must be a new trail." I stopped by the 313 Taproom in Munster to cool off for an hour, if cooling off outside is even possible since dogs can't enter the building. I researched this greenway while sampling local beers and found out that the northern trailhead is only a half-mile from the 313 Taproom; I could go there and check it out, perhaps get another three miles of walking in if I had enough daylight.
The Pennsy Greenway, named after the Pennsylvania Central Railway, is still incomplete and paved only in three sections totaling 7.9 miles in Lansing, IL; Munster and Sherrerville, IN. It will eventually reach Crown Point, IN. The most southern section is completed for 2.1 miles in Sherrerville. I ended walking 3.6 miles r/t on the northern section, a straight-away that travels northwest-southeast for 1.6 miles and currently ends in downtown Lansing, IL. A directional sign states that Chicago is only 25.1 miles away.
The stateline is only 0.4 miles into the trail, marked by a large metal arch over the trail. The trail then turns east, follows Fisher Avenue under high powerlines, and currently ends at a Firefighter Memorial on the north end of Community Hospital. I won't have time to walk the completed sections in the time I have left in Indiana, and hopefully the next time I am in the area, more of the proposed 15 miles will be completed. I like walking greenways as they help me get a feel for the neighborhood.
I got started at 6:48pm, giving me a good hour of daylight left. I walked fast along this shaded part. Zeke had some water, we rested ten minutes at the Firefighter Memorial in Community Park across from the hospital, and we walked back, now in the waning minutes of daylight as the sun set over the urban landscape. The east-west section under the powerlines is exposed and not very scenic, but it's a short section. This short walk was a nice introduction to the Pennsy Trail. There are a lot of nice eateries in the area off Ridge Road one can visit after walking or riding the trail. I'm looking forward to walking more of this greenway on future visits.
Kevin called while I was on my way to the trailhead. He wanted me to know that the pups are destroying a lot of things back home and that he's leaving it all for me to clean up. He sounded frustrated. I was afraid the pups would go crazy without me supervising them. I hope I can instill some manners in them when I get back. Hansel, Kevin noted, has become a champion counter surfer and Gretel a bonafide whiner. Well well, both are traits of the GSD, but it's clear the pups need some Tough Love when I get back.
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