The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Minnesota Northwoods, Lakes & Trails 2017

July 16th to July 30th

Ride Director: Judy De Santis
Ride Co-Director: Marnie Rawles
Report by: Frank Hanson

Tripper Report

Minnesota Northwoods, Lakes & Trails

Ride Leaders - Judy De Santis & Marnie Rawles

7/16/17 - 7/29/17

Twenty six riders participated in this two-week tour through northern Minnesota’s beautiful countryside. We enjoyed 10 days of riding—approximately 650 miles in all—and three rest days. The mileage was almost equally split between roadways and a variety of trails from Minnesota’s amazing bike trail network. Surprisingly, we also enjoyed two weeks of nearly perfect weather. Our group included riders of all experience levels who quickly formed a comfortable and supportive traveling tribe.

We began and ended the tour in the city of Duluth, one of the Great Lakes’ larger shipping ports. On day one we crossed the iconic Lake Street lift-bridge to access the mainland and cycled north along the Lake Superior coast to Silver Bay. Along the way we had opportunities to visit both Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls Sate Park. On our second day we turned away from Lake Superior and headed northwest, climbing several thousand feet over 70 miles through the Superior National Forest to Ely, the gateway to the Boundary Waters. A relaxing rest day at the Grand Ely Resort left time to explore a mining museum, take in a local art show, or visit the nearby North American Bear Center or the International Wolf Center.

Our next three days and 200 miles of riding took us through Minnesota’s Iron Range forests and prairies to the cities of Virginia, Grand Rapids and, finally, Bemidji. Much of this riding was on the Mesabi Trail which traverses 120 miles of beautiful Minnesota countryside. In Grand Rapids we saw our only rain of the tour, but it arrived late in the day after our ride was complete and only posed a threat to dinner plans. After a windy ride into Bemidji we enjoyed a welcome layover day at a beautiful resort on the lake. An rest-day ride to Lake Itasca was an option for some, while others enjoyed a local arts and craft fair on the lakefront or a pleasant 17-mile ride around Lake Bemidji.

Bemidji is one of several towns in the United States that claim to be the home of Paul Bunyan and Babe, his Blue Ox. The lakefront park has large statues of these folklore icons. Riders who kept their eyes open throughout our tour were treated to numerous examples of folk art and trailside curiosities—including multiple Paul Bunyans (with and without Babe), Babe (with and without Paul), Paul’s sweetheart Lucette, their son Paul Jr., many large fish, iron dinosaurs, giant Native Americans, oversized corncobs, and the like.

Leaving Bemidji our route took us through Itasca State Park, the westernmost point of the tour, and the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Many took the opportunity to shed their cycling shoes to walk across the Mighty Mississippi—just 15 feet wide and less than knee-deep at this point! From there we continued southeast, passing lake after lake (after lake) as made our way to Walker. The following day’s ride to Baxter was almost completely on the Paul Bunyan State Trail which runs through—you guessed it, more lakes and forests—and numerous colorful small towns. Our next day was a short ride to the shore of Mille Lacs Lake, the largest lake in Minnesota, where we enjoyed two nights in a large native American casino resort—a new experience for some in our group. Some took took advantage of the rest day in Onamia to ride 60 additional miles around the lake, or enjoy a shorter route through the nearby state park. Our final two days included a stop in Hinckley where we enjoyed our final group dinner together, followed by our last day of riding—an 81-mile trip back to Duluth on the Willard Munger State Trail. I confess to being happy to see the familiar lift bridge in the distance as we approached our destination.

Northern Minnesota is beautiful, the people are friendly, and traffic is light. The road- and trail-side wildflowers were in full bloom and the state’s bike trail system is most impressive. Our routes were well-scouted and prepared and accommodations were all good to excellent. Some found the ride challenging due to some longer daily distances, but climbing was limited and options were provided to make it a great experience for everyone. Many hours cycling on the state bike trail network with no vehicular traffic was both unusual and welcome, as were the interesting local attractions. Our leaders, Judy and Marnie, planned and delivered an excellent ride in an area of the US not frequently visited. If you have a chance to ride northern Minnesota, take it!

PARTICIPANTS:

Vicki LaBella, Jim Kervick, Judi Carpenter, Dave Carpenter, Alma Worthington, Pamela Kane, Jim Taylor, Lori Gard, Lisa Doane, Joseph Yut, Gerald Hefele, David Leblang, Linda Kimball, Frank Hanson, Marion Shaw, Fred Shaw, Dick McDonnell, Beverley Ketel, Tom Blanken, Ron Guidotti, Felix Smith, Janet Probst, Ann Glanton, and Bo Newsom