A walk in the woods

On By John Bender

Post 19/2025 River Preserve County Park, Elkhart County: We walked in the part of this park that starts in the village of Benton. The linear park of 358 acres follows the Elkhart River, adjacent canal and spillways. I wore my new pair of boots. Did my feet proud.

The park includes historic canals, dams and foundations of a once thriving commercial area, that, as the Parks administration notes, “blend seamlessly with wild beauty in this vast linear park that runs along the Elkhart River.”

The unsettling fate of the original inhabitants, the Potawatomi, is noted in an article by the Elkhart County Historical Museum in Discover Indiana. The article title is “Potawatomi Leader Onaxa and the Removal of Native Peoples from Elkhart County.” Not only unsettling and disquieting, its grist for righting the wrongs of the past that still persist today.

Path starts from a parking lot at the edge of Benton. Glad we prepared with a bit of bug spray.
Marty and me at the end of a three-mile hike.
New boots. Old paths. Cares thrown to the wind.
A lad, bike nearby, stands in the river, fishing below the Benton dam.
Bridge across the canal.
A snake went slithering through the grass, reminding me of the idiom, “Snake in the grass.” Like someone who pretends to be a friend while harboring hidden malice. I’m fine with real snakes, they have a good contribution to make.
This weed in a bean field is either mustard or yellow rocket. I helped prevent its spread by pulling it out–like my dad did.
We’ll do further sections of this and other county parks. Glad for the connections with culture and nature.

Boots on. We’re off to the library, with a food stop at Martin’s Grocery for their 10 year anniversary celebration at 1401 College Ave.

-John

3 thoughts on “A walk in the woods”

  1. kayemeadows's avatar kayemeadows

    Lovely scenery in the Elkhart parks. I just came from the library and now I have to get my boots on for a walk. Cool day today but great for walking. Everything looks fresh and new. It’s a bit cool but later in the week, very warm. Not so sure I like the drastic contrast. I find it hard to walk when it’s too hot. Like you say, “boots on”
    Kaye
    Sent from my iPad

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  2. Marlene Kropf's avatar Marlene Kropf

    It’s good to see that you’re out and about again in Elkhart County. I always enjoy seeing the angles from which you view the countryside. We’re home again from our “over the pond” adventures and looking forward to planting our vegetable garden in one of the community plots here at MV.

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    1. John Bender's avatar John Bender

      Thank you, Marlene. Seems we’ve been out and about so much that I’ve neglected to respond to greetings of the day. I can picture your garden plot: beans, tomatoes, radishes, peas, peppers and more. Enjoy!

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