Seg #31 Paul Bunyan Trail; S of Brainerd-Bemidji, MN 10/11-12/13

 

Start	S of Brainerd, MN			46.32485,-94.20749		NS miles 79.6
End	Bemidji, MN			47.48771,-94.87906		Trl lgth 112 Ride 109 miles
Ride 10:16 hr		AVS 10.4	MXS 18.5 mph		DST 109		T 68/46	Kcal 8087

 After driving to Brainerd the previous night and crashing at the American Best Value Inn, I got up, ate a hearty breakfast and then rode three miles north from the motel north to assure I would have overlapping latitude with the Willard Munger Trail at Willow River. In the process, I located Micki’s Pizza and Subs where the Jefferson Bus Line unloaded. Lucky me the Brainerd Public Library was directly across the street.  I locked the Trek to the rack at the library and used a smaller chain lock to fix my seat and rear luggage rack. Both of these items have quick release devices that can tempt someone to heist them. Locking the seat gave me solace that I would have something to sit on while pumping up the 100+ mile Paul Bunyan Trail.

By 8:30 a.m. I was on the road to Bemidji to leave my car and take the bus back to Brainerd. I had purchased my ticket online so all I had to do was locate the John Glass Fieldhouse at Bemidji State University for an 11:15 a.m. bus pick-up. The bus ride was straight forward other than a major traffic jam due to road construction.  As I looked out the window, I could see darkening of the western skies. “Hurry up bus---I don’t want to ride in the rain”, I said to myself. 

The bus got into Brainerd forty-five minutes behind schedule. I went straight to the library and asked a likely looking bicycle rider how I could find the Paul Bunyan Trailhead,. It is worthy of note that I purposely avoided asking the grey haired seventy something librarian that question. After stammering around a bit, the guy I thought would know was beginning to worry me. “Another Cush’s Theorem causality in the making “, I thought.  He finally said, “Maybe you ought to ask that lady”.

PBT trailhead that the librarian lady directed me
to find with precisions. It started raining shortly
after departing from Brainerd. Note raingear :-)

Again I thought, Not the seventy something lady surely?”  The seventy something lady overheard us and started drawing me a map. She put an “X” on the map and drew in streets and paths as accurately as a National Geographic cartographer. She was “spot on”. Now I need to retract my bias toward old ladies as a source of directions. Cush’s Theorem run amuck.

I got on the trail about three o’clock and was into the ride about forty-five minutes when the dreariness’ set in.

At Misswa the rain stopped for a few minutes
so I just had to take this picture that reminded
me of Shamus (see previous post)

It was drizzling and getting colder. It was sixty eight degrees at noon but that changed. From my back pack, I dug out my rain suit and wore it the rest of the way to Pine River. I had reserved a motel in Pine River so I had a warm place to unload my soggy clothes. The rain wasn’t as big a deal as it was sweat---non-breathing raingear is not the best option.  GoreTex is the material of choice to keep dry. I turned up the head and laid everything out to dry. By the time I got back from a steak at nearby restaurant, the wet stuff was dry. I love the way bike clothes dry.

I was up with the birds and ready to hit the trail by 7 a.m. It was a bit dark when I took off on the trail and the same drizzle that prevailed the day before was hanging around. So it rained the whole day---seventy miles of Yuk. Thank goodness the wind was out of the southeast and it pushed me northward toward Bemidji. Many areas I passed would have been absolutely stunning with the sun’s help, but I pretty much passed through the surroundings with limited gratification. There were some hilly, walked my bike, terrain around Walker, Minnesota; otherwise it was a flat former railroad right away trail.

The Paul Bunyan Trail region is rich in history, having been inhabited for centuries before French explorers came to the area. The Ojibwe and Dakota were present in the area until explorers entered the region and the logging and railroad industry took over. The Paul Bunyan State Trail follows an abandoned railroad corridor built in 1893 and last owned by Burlington Northern. The corridor passes through Boreal forests, along with more than twenty lakes and ten rivers/streams.

After lunch at the Happy Moose Bar and Grill in Walker, I headed out toward Bemidji. The wind then changed to northwest to test my stamina. Because of the rain, I didn’t bring my Ipod so the last thirty miles were a long thirty miles. The signage in Bemidji could have been better in that I went right through downtown Bemidji and past Bemidji State University without realizing it. To add insult to injury, when the paved trail ended, it joined a primitive trail that did not look bicycle friendly. And it wasn’t, After fighting a rugged soft trail for two or three miles, I decided I must be on the wrong trail and it was time to turn around. Luckily I stopped a car and asked, “which way to Bemidji?”. Although the guy looked like a Harley Biker, obese, long scraggly hair, tons of tattoos and generally curmudgeon like fellow, he did give me the correct directions. The second case of Cush’s Theorem run amuck. I got to the car by six o’clock and headed out of town shortly thereafter. The goal was to complete one more trail, the Gandy Dancer in St. Croix Falls Wisconsin,  I figured I could drive another three hours before  before heading back to Iowa. I gave GPS Trixie full control and followed her savvy directions toward St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin.   One hundred sixty miles later, Trixie had me in Milaca, Minnesota, sixty-five miles from St. Croix Falls.

Seg #30 Willard Munger Trail; Hinckley-N of Willow River, MN 10/10/13

Start	S of Hinckely, MN			46.00384,-92.9506		NS miles 21.4
End	N of Willow RiverMN			46.32555,-92.82343		Trl lgth 22.7 Ride 22.5 miles
Ride 1:54 hr		AVS 11.8	MXS 21.5 mph		DST 22.5		Temp 73	Kcal 1744

 The Willard Munger Trail is one of the top ten paved bicycle trails in the country. The trail is named after a Minnesota state legislator who devoted his legislative career of 43 years to trail development and environmental protection.  It came to fruition in the 1980’s when the state of Minnesota was deeded the St. Paul-Duluth Railroad right- of- way. In 1989 the Willard Munger Trail opened as the longest paved recreational trail in America. 

Self portrait with aspen and birch contrasting
beautifully with the ruby red maples and sumac

Straight away I drove  to the Munger trailhead in Hinckley from Rochester in two and a half hours, keeping me on schedule to start riding north by 3 p.m. The fall colors were splendid all over Minnesota but absolutely spectacular on the trail. Hitting the peak of fall foliage is a rare experience for me, so one might guess how trilled I was to have a sunny seventy-three degree, wind at my back ride. I was able to make good time despite several picture stops. In planning this ride, I was able to arrange a cab from Willow River back to Hinckley. 


I rode a mile further north of this trail sign to overlap latitude
with the Paul Bunyon Trail in Brainerd

My Attaboy driver was quite a character.

The cab service was uniquely named Attaboys’ as in “That a Boy”.  The owner Patty Atterbury made certain the driver was on time; meeting me at Willow River at 5:30 p.m. Driver Dan was an interesting fellow, communicating with a Norwegian flare to his enunciation. We both agreed flying is for the birds. Dan said he had been involved in two plane crashes and will never fly again. I don’t blame him for his aerophobia. He drove like a bat out of hell and he got me back to my car before dark. He was adament about the fastest route to Brainerd, my next stop. "Go up I-35 and turn left on MN 210", he confidently told me.  That meant I would be to heading northeast to catch highway 210 to go back southeast. Granted Interstate 35 is the fastest way to travel north and Minnesota 210 has stretches of four lane road similar to an interstate, but goodness Dan, I went sixty miles farther and took another more than an hour longer compared to a southern route GPS Trixie drew up for me. I should have checked the map but I trusted Dan's information. Oh well, another example of Cush’s Theorem: No matter whom you ask, the information gathered will be generally misleading with significant details excluded. How nice it would have been to get another hour of sleep. So I just counted my blessings of having spent most of the day in heaven’s peak color environment, my spirits were lifted. Boom! I was asleep.

Is this heaven? No its Iowa! Just kidding it's Minnesota on the Munger trail at fall's peak!

 

Seg #26 make up: Douglas State Trail & city streets/trails south of Rochester 10/10/13

In August, when Chris and I rode the Douglas Trail south from Pine Island to Rochester, I thought pedaling to Mayo Clinic was the end of the ride. I was off by a mere 8.5 miles. Only after writing a post (Segment #26) for my Blog, did I realize I needed to correct my mistake.  Since I planned to make a four day solo expedition this round of rides, I deliberated on making up the 8.5 mile ride while conquering the remaining three Minnesota and Wisconsin trails I needed for latitude.  My body is good for riding roughly fifty to sixty miles per day (wind and trail surface depending). Since this trip would require me riding over three hundred sixty miles, assuming I used previous solo ride logistics pumping to and from the car. This would be my first attempt at hiring taxi or taking a bus to haul me to one end of the trail, thus conserving time, energy and a whole series of musculoskeletal  maladies.  

By leaving Coralville at 6:00 a.m., I was able to get on the bike trail south of Rochester by 10 a.m. I had arranged for a cab to pick me up at the north end of the trail near Mayo Clinic at 11:15. This plan would give me a little flex time. But I didn’t imagine I would need to push my little red Trek Fuel 80 up a steep slope. The second mile of the juant had me attacking a long eight to 12 per cent trail with 250 feet elevation change. I try as I may, riding up this slope was a bit more than I was ready to handle. It was clear I would not be able make it to the top. Off I jumped. Huffing and puffing, wheeling the Trek up 40^th Street hill. Thus I was a tad late meeting the taxi cab and just about lost out on keeping on schedule. The cab driver was a nice fellow and helped me load my bike in the back of his van. He got back to the car ahead of schedule so I had time for a bite to eat at Subway. 

After downing a chicken sandwich, I was off on a two hour drive to the William Munger Trail at Hinckley, Minnesota.



Orange lines are trails I have completed as of October 13, 2013. Green lines
are planned rides yet to be conquered mostly in the southern half of the USA
(Many trails in Arizona and California need to be planned)