Northern Minnesota Vacation

Paul Bunyan Trail North to Walker and South to Nisswa: 102.73 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 7 hours 11 minutes, average speed: 14.2

Dennis and I discussed the possibility of doing a century ride on the Paul Bunyan/Heartland trails. The night before our planned ride, I began having back pain and questioned whether a century ride would be possible. The next morning we set out early after a full breakfast at the AmericInn with plans to ride unless my pain got worse. Ibuprofen is wonderful stuff and it wasn’t long before I felt I could turn cartwheels again.

We biked north on the trail stopping in each town along the way to take pictures or just to get off the bike and stretch. Outside Hackensack, the home of Paul Bunyan’s girlfriend Lucette, we came upon a section of the trail known as the “Pyrenees” because of its steep slopes and numerous curves. This portion was also the most enjoyable segment of today’s ride and its beauty would be hard to beat. We made it to Walker around lunch time and I had read in Beth Gauper’s Midwest Weekends newsletter that Matty’s was ranked high on the list for best bets in Northern Minnesota. The sunfish plate I had here was mouth watering! This bar & grill was a great place to rest a bit before we journeyed back south towards Pequot Lakes. We decided to bypass the “Pyrenees” on the way back and bike a portion of Hwy 371 before joining back up with the Paul Bunyan trail going south. When we neared our hotel, we were just short of a century so we continued on to Nisswa and the Pickle Factory for another short visit and then pedaled back to the Pequot Lakes where a whirlpool visit would be the first order of business.



Today’s temperature ranged from 65-75° and winds never seem to be a problem when riding the trails. We had plenty of shade to protect us from the heat of the sun. We admit we were struggling at about the 80-mile mark and passing our hotel to continue on was difficult but knowing that the Pickle Factory would soon provide comfort helped to keep our legs spinning. Life is good!