The typical day trip

The other day my sister told us about Bonneyville Mill, that it was neat and a good place to hike.  So we packed up our gear (A pepsi and a dew) and away we went.

Actually, that was from last night.  I had another bird in mind, but forgot to turn the camera off of record from the deer movie.  A half second of bird and a second and a half of vertigo was all you missed.


So away we go and a typical trip unfolded.  First of all, the one place on the trip I wasn't sure where to turn- Bristol Street in Middlebury- was the only place WITH NO STREET SIGN.  I don't know why, but this happens on each and every trip we take.  Luckily, I comb google maps the night before a trip, and remembered it connectted to the street we were on at an angle, or we'd have never found the place.  Middlebury- FAIL.

Then we get to the Mill, which is a county park.

The first thing we saw was a neat little herb garden.

The grasshopper was a common theme.

They also had a Dahlia display garden.

So then we amble up to the mill, "a real, working grist mill," the sign said.  Of course the sign also said that interseting things in the mill were numbered (they were) and explanations could be found on the information sheet (which we never found).  There was also a counter where you could buy milled grain (supposedly), if you could find a counter person (which we did not).  We did find one guy working in the mill, but other than a grunt of hello, he offered no wisdom.  Kinda made us scratch our heads about all the signs that read "Open Wednesday-Sunday".  It WAS Wednesday, wasn't it?

We went over to the gift shop next.  Of course, it too was closed- I guess Elkhart County was having a "make the tourists think it's Tuesday" day, which didn't really strike me as a real profitable idea.

So, we grabbed a handy-dandy trail map, and off we went.

Damn anti-social cardinals- always with the back to you!

The bridge to BFE.

To make the experience truly OUR experience, the map was missing trails we found, included one huge trail loop that was in a campground and no longer part of the park, and another trail that was no longer in use (and I'm guessing hadn't been in a while ) because of a bridge out.  If I was running a park I'd put up a sign that said "maps somewhat outdated"... or a few more signs on the trails... or, in the case of the bridge out, put the sign on the side YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET DOWN, instead of all the way of the end of the part of the trail that has been ABANDONED.  But, that's just me.

All in all, that's a resounding pass for Mother Nature, a big bad Fail for the gift shop, map maker (or updater), and mill.  But it was nice in the respect we came for- a nice walk.