Northern Minnesota Biking Vacation

Friday June 3 to Monday June 6

We began our 4-day bicycle trip on Friday with 29 miles on our single recumbents. We biked the Paul Bunyan Bike Trail from Jenkins to Merrifield, MN. Another bike was added to our collection this past week with the purchase of a Rans Recumbent V-Rex for Dennis. It sure was fun riding side-by-side along this well-kept trail as the V-Rex made its maiden voyage. We had shelter waiting for us at the AmericInn of Pequot Lakes following our ride and we planned to make good use of the hot tub throughout this trip.


On Saturday, we were registered for the Tour of Lakes bicycle ride. The tour was gathering at the Pequot Lakes High School when we biked up at 6:30 a.m. We collected our route map and began pedaling the 68-mile route that would take us on quiet back roads around Pequot Lakes and Nisswa reaching Cross Lake to the north before turning back south towards our finish at the high school where root beer floats were awaiting our return. The tour was well worth the $50 we paid and very well organized with rest stops planned every 10 miles and stocked with fruit, snacks, cookies, roast beef sandwiches, hot dogs, beverages…we had no worries about going hungry or thirsty—a definite repeater.


Because the weather was so beautiful today, we decided to continue biking on the Paul Bunyan Trail towards Brainerd. The trail is very well kept and because of its length, congestion is never a problem. We enjoyed our visit at the Pickle Factory in Nisswa and at the Last Turn Saloon in Brainerd which gave us time to rest and visit with the locals. We made it back to the AmericInn by 6:30 p.m. 12 hours after our early morning start. We were tired but proud to say we set a new record for our books—really, who bikes 119 miles in one day? Gotta love this sport!


Sunday was to be a day of “leisure” biking. After our 119-mile ride yesterday, we decided to drive to Walker, MN with the tandem and bike the Paul Bunyan trail north to Bemidji. It was another great weather day making it easy to put on the 74 trail miles and reach our goal of 15,000 on the bike since its purchase in August of 2005. We were also thrilled with our speed of 14 mph as we set out with plans to just take it easy today. We made it to Bemidji at lunch time so stopped at Applebee's for some nutrition and a much needed rest after pedaling 37 miles without a break.


As we neared the end our our ride for the day, a bald eagle swooped over our heads to land in a pine tree along the trail. The sights and sounds along our rides always seem to amaze us. It’s hard to describe the feeling of being surrounded by the beauty of nature as we quietly travel on and become part of these natural
surroundings.


Monday is day 4 and the last day of this mini vacation in northern Minnesota. We had 3 wonderful days of biking and were now planning on driving to St. Paul, MN to visit daughter Amy and our new grandbaby, Kennedy. We then planned to get out our single recumbents and ride the beautiful trails this big city has to offer. We didn’t, however, plan on the 100° temperature so opted to head for home after our visit with plans to bike in the evening once the temperature cooled some. That never happened so we decided to set off south on CR 35 at 6:00 p.m. to finish our 4-day bike ride with some miles on our single bikes. The temperature was still quite hot, registering 101 at peak and didn’t begin to drop until after 7:00 p.m. We were exhausted after this short 18-mile ride but biking a total of 240 miles during this 4-day mini vacation was still more than we expected. We had a great time again on our 2-wheeled vehicles and anxiously look forward to our next bike event in Lanesboro, MN.

Northern Minnesota Vacation

Paul Bunyan Trail-Walker to LaPorte: 25.11 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 1 hour 45 minutes, average speed: 13.9

Today we checked out of the fabulous AmericInn to venture further north. We drove to Walker to bike the newest section of the Paul Bunyan trail completed in July 2010. Because of our century ride the day before, we weren’t looking to put on too many miles which was a wise choice as Dennis noticed a pedal needing repair. We decided to bike north to LaPorte and have lunch and then head back to Walker.

When we completed our ride, we drove to Park Rapids to find the only cycle shop in the area. We did find replacement pedals in this very friendly bike shop and after chatting a bit with the owner, continued north to Itasca State Park where we had a sleeping room reserved at the Historic Douglas Lodge.

The lodge was built in 1905 and is the oldest surviving building in the state park system and the first to be constructed in the Rustic Style. We hauled our luggage up the stairs and opened the door to an 8 x 12 foot room with a double bed and 2 chairs. The bathroom was down the hall and would be shared with other guests staying in the lodge. No space for a whirlpool in this room. It was quaint and nostalgic but we will stay with the comforts of AmericInn on any future visits to northern Minnesota.

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!

Northern Minnesota Vacation

Paul Bunyan Trail South to Nisswa: 17.12 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 1 hour 7 minutes, average speed: 15.2

We arrived in the Pequot Lakes area by noon and checked into the AmericInn by 12:30. After ogling over our room—A 2-room suite with whirlpool, fireplace and deck to the gardens out back, we readied ourselves for a ride south on the Paul Bunyan trail. Rain began to annoy us 8 miles into our ride. We saw the Pickle Factory in Nisswa and decided to stop at this friendly bar to wait out the storm. When the rain slowed to a mist, we headed back towards our room awaiting us north of Pequot Lakes. We had a very enjoyable ride despite the intrusion of the rain.