Mesabi Weekend–August 8 to 11

Day 1 Mesabi Bike Trail—Virginia to Gilbert: 18.80 miles TANDEM Pedal Time: 1 hour 43 minutes, average speed 10.9

Our Mesabi Weekend began with a drive to Babbitt, MN for a stay with my brother, Paul. He made us some awesome blueberry pancakes Friday morning and then we were off to Soudan to tour the Underground Mine.

We put on a hard hat and ventured a half-mile into the earth at the Soudan Underground Mine. The $12 ticket was well-worth the cost. Our tour guide, Karl, did an awesome job helping us see, feel, hear and understand the impact of mining on the lives of these northeastern Minnesota settlers. His introduction to the mine got our attention as he began speaking to us in Dutch. He explained later that most miners here would have also been frustrated trying to understand a co-worker. As an ex-miner, Karl was able to help us understand the sacrifices this line of work requires—not only medical but emotional as well.

Our 90-minute tour started 689 feet below sea level and 2,341 feet below the surface at Level No. 27. The cage ride down held 10 adults closely together but the miners would have been packed tighter and the door to the cage would have taken up precious space so was not installed in the days of operation of this “Cadillac of Mines.”

The Soudan Mine opened in 1882 and was Minnesota’s first iron ore mine. Operations went underground by 1892 after numerous accidents. When technology changed, the ore from the mine was no longer needed. Low-cost ores of the Mesabi Range took over. The Soudan Mine stopped mining ore in 1962.

Our two-night stay at the AmericInn in Virginia put us close to the 115-mile, paved Mesabi Bike Trail. We checked in at 3:00pm, paid $10 for our 3-day Wheel Passes and suited up to ride. We pedaled from Virginia to Gilbert, stopping to see the Rouchleau Mine and outdoor equipment display at the Mineview in the Sky.

As we pedaled away from the Mineview, the sky began to darken. We reached Gilbert but did not feel we could make it to Eveleth without getting wet so we turned back towards Virginia and celebrated rolling over 20,000 miles and our 33^rd anniversary with a wonderful meal at Adventures. We started out on our ride with temperatures in the 70’s which dropped into the 60’s by ride’s end. The few raindrops we did get did not hinder our enjoyment of this day’s riding.

Day 2 Mesabi Bike Trail—Virginia to Hibbing: 63.27 miles
(mile markers 71-40) TANDEM Pedal Time: 5 hours 24 minutes, average speed 11.6

What a beautiful day for this planned bike ride. Paul joined us at 10:00am and we pedaled out of Virginia towards Hibbing. We quickly passed through the small town of Mountain Iron and then through the town of Kinney without even realizing it. At Buhl we stopped to view an abandoned open mine pit—a fabulous view.

Our next stop was in Hibbing for a patio lunch at Zimmy’s. It was getting late and we were hungry. The food was worth waiting for and the rest was needed. We were now as far west as we would go on the Mesabi today.

Our next stop was at the World’s largest operating open pit mine—the Hull-Rust-Mahoning—known as the “Grand Canyon of the North”. The area’s first mining lease was awarded to Frank Hibbing in 1891. The village of Hibbing grew up near the mine pit and in 1918 the heart of the community was mounted on steel wheels and moved two miles to the south to make room for the mine's expansion. The combined Hull-Rust- Mahoning Mine and Hibbing Taconite open pit covers 5,000 acres. The view here was breathtaking!

Heading back towards Virginia, we came upon Chisholm. We stopped to walk across the Bridge of Peace which was proudly flying the flags of countries world-round, representing the cultural diversity of the area’s residents. We did not have time to tour the Minnesota Museum of Mining this day so will have to return north another time to bike more of the Mesabi.

Supper was at Grandma’s back in Virginia followed by a few card games with Paul before we collapsed for the night. We truly enjoyed touring along the Mesabi Bike Trail on this beautiful day. The trip was made even more special with the company of my brother, Paul.

Day 3 Mesabi Bike Trail—Hibbing to Nashwauk: 32.52 miles
(mile markers 40-25) TANDEM Pedal Time: 2 hours 29 minutes, average speed 13.0

Today started with a drive to view the Laurentian Divide just outside Virginia. The Divide runs along the crest of a ridge of low rocky hills known as the Giant’s Range. These hills separate the headwaters of streams that flow north and south. Streams on the North Slope flow through Canada to Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean. On the south slope streams flow into Lake Superior and the Atlantic Ocean or to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The rocks of the Laurentian Divide are more than 2 billion years old.

A drive to Hibbing put us back on the Mesabi Trail. With our bike trip of 32 miles today, we were able to bike through the small villages of Kelly Lake, Keewatin and Nashwauk giving us a weekend total of 47.5 miles one way on this well-designed bike trail in the north.

We will return to bike the remaining miles someday soon and look forward to spending more time on the Range.

Touring Nashville Before Heading Home

Belle Mead Plantation

No biking planned today, just the long drive towards home. Before leaving Tennessee, we decided to tour a few sites around the Nashville area. Our first stop was at the Belle Meade Plantation. We arrived before the visitor’s center opened to take pictures of the property.

Hermitage House

Our next destination was The Hermitage—Home and plantation of President Andrew Jackson. We spent 3 hours touring this unbelievable property. The fall colors were a beautiful backdrop for photos of the property.

Andrew Jackson was the ideal embodiment of the unruly, contentious era that followed the young nation’s birth. On his journey from a Revolutionary battlefield at age 13 to two terms in the White House, his unconventional, often controversial principles and vision shook things up politically, culturally and on the field of battle. He played a pivotal role in America’s westward expansion, yet his legacy is also marked by slavery and Indian removal issues that still echo today.

Andrew and Rachel’s tomb is located in the gardens near the Hermitage mansion. Members of Jackson’s family and friends rest nearby.

We had lunch in the Museum Café and then slipped back into our van for the 12-hour trip home to Minnesota. It was 12:30 a.m. when we finally drove down our driveway. Our expectations of this trip were fully exceeded. The memories, friendships and times of laughter will continue to be with us as we now enter the non-biking season in the months to come. We bid farewell to the South and hope to return again someday soon.

The pictures on the map above indicate states we have currently biked in. The midwest states are quickly filling in but we will need to work on going farther east and west in the years to come. The Southern Tandem Rally will be held in North Carolina next year with the Northwest Rally advertised for Wasington State. We hope to bike in each state before retiring our wheels so we must keep on biking!

Natchez Trace-STR Post Ride Day #2

Natchez Trace Parkway (Mile post 444 to 430 and back): 29.57 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 2 hours 29 minutes, average speed: 11.8

Today we drove to the Northern Terminus of the Trace and parked at the Loveless Café where we planned to have lunch after our ride. I would recommend today’s ride to anyone who owns a bike—it was just fabulous! The fall colors were everywhere we looked and the road was smooth as glass. Traffic is minimal on the Trace and held to a speed of 40 mph along this stretch of the Parkway.

Our little group headed south towards mile post 430 with plans to go into the historic district of Leipers Fork. Once at the Fork, we realized the town closed down on Monday and Tuesday so we choose to rest at the market and then turn back towards our start where lunch was awaiting at the Loveless Café.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the famed Loveless Café—a Nashville tradition since 1951. The Café started serving its famous fried chicken and biscuits in 1951 when Lon and Annie Loveless served it right out their front door to travelers on Highway 100.

An Evening in Franklin, Tennessee
We decided to drive into the historic town of Franklin for our evening meal. We noticed an Irish Pub listed in the Franklin ads and wanted to walk in the footsteps of the Civil War soldiers as they fought the battle of Franklin in this Tennessee town.

The historic Lotz House was at the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin, a pivotal battle in the Civil War on November 30, 1864—the five bloodiest hours of the American Civil War.

The Carter House, built in 1830, was caught in the midst of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. The home was used as a command post for Union General Jacob D. Cox during the Battle of Franklin. The Carter family sought refuge in the cellar as horrific fighting raged all around the house. Franklin was a turning point in the Tennessee Campaign of 1864 and helped spell the end for the Confederacy. Casualties were extremely heavy—nearly 7,500 Southern troops and approximately 2,500 Federal troops were killed, wounded or captured.

We completed our visit of Franklin with dinner at McCreary’s Irish Pub and Eatery. The guys ordered beer which came with a shamrock indentation in the foam. I was not able to order my usual evening drink as the pub only served beer and wine—I debated the right this bar had to be called a “traditional Irish Pub”. We each split a delicious shepherd’s pie and then drove back to the hotel. I was still looking for a nightcap so Bill and Marsha joined Dennis and I at Jonathans before retiring for the evening. We had a wonderful conversation and enjoyed getting to know Bill and Marsha better. We said our good-byes in the hotel lobby closing this chapter of our Post tour ride south of Nashville, TN.