cycled the Paul Bunyan trail in Minnesota

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Love Angry Orchard Crisp and am just about to put Cholula on my lunch!

The wife always brings up stuff like this and I think it would be great, but she refuses to exercise regularly and had to give up before 5 miles the last time we rented bikes near some good trails (in SD). She turned around and my daughter and I rode for a few more hours.
 
N_35:
My wife and I have ridden the trail from Park Rapids to almost Walker, had lunch at a place called "Bullwinkle's" which was pretty good, then rode back to the car in Park Rapids. A very delightful ride.

My wife wants to do more weekend rides over in the Walker Minnesota area, and your photos certainly do a good job of selling the idea. They have done a great job of turning the abandoned railroad grades into cycle trails. We moved to Fargo seven years ago, and other than the summers being too hot and humid, it has been a great home.

Lake Itasca is another beautiful place for a short ride. Mostly we ride here in the Fargo area and then have gone to Scotland for long tours the past two years. They don't have mosquitoes in the highlands. They have midgies (also known colloquially in Scotland as "Wee [censored]", er... ah... illegitimate children).

Biting insects are a fact of life in much of the world. We once had to abandon a mountain bike ride around Waldo Lake near Bend, Oregon because we were getting eaten for lunch. Not as big as a Northern Plains mosquito, but they make up for it with their healthy appetite. I have never had an issue with mosquitoes in Winnipeg, but we seem to be there in April or October; before and after mosquito season.

We skied Birds Hill in April, and there were a lot of cyclists out on the roads. Same as here in Fargo. When the air temperature is above freezing it is time to break out the road bike. And there were no mosquitoes.

Scotland is a great place for bicycle touring, and WestJet will take you there for a reasonable price. They do have some steep climbs. We made it about half way up one that was marked at 11% and ran about a mile. Getting a loaded touring tandem up a hill like that is quite a workout. We mostly stick to the "B" roads: one lane with turnouts and pretty slow speed limits.

I also agree about sleeping on the ground. When I lived in Oregon I was in the local fire brigade and I have slept on the ground at wild land fires all that I care to. Seems our idea of roughing it now is staying in a hostel with a shared bathroom.
 
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Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Love Angry Orchard Crisp and am just about to put Cholula on my lunch!

The wife always brings up stuff like this and I think it would be great, but she refuses to exercise regularly and had to give up before 5 miles the last time we rented bikes near some good trails (in SD). She turned around and my daughter and I rode for a few more hours.
VP, I'm blessed to have a wife who also enjoys cycling. However, it's great that your daughter will cycle with you.
 
Originally Posted By: DangerousDan
N_35:
My wife and I have ridden the trail from Park Rapids to almost Walker, had lunch at a place called "Bullwinkle's" which was pretty good, then rode back to the car in Park Rapids. A very delightful ride.

My wife wants to do more weekend rides over in the Walker Minnesota area, and your photos certainly do a good job of selling the idea. They have done a great job of turning the abandoned railroad grades into cycle trails. We moved to Fargo seven years ago, and other than the summers being too hot and humid, it has been a great home.

Lake Itasca is another beautiful place for a short ride. Mostly we ride here in the Fargo area and then have gone to Scotland for long tours the past two years. They don't have mosquitoes in the highlands. They have midgies (also known colloquially in Scotland as "Wee [censored]", er... ah... illegitimate children).

Biting insects are a fact of life in much of the world. We once had to abandon a mountain bike ride around Waldo Lake near Bend, Oregon because we were getting eaten for lunch. Not as big as a Northern Plains mosquito, but they make up for it with their healthy appetite. I have never had an issue with mosquitoes in Winnipeg, but we seem to be there in April or October; before and after mosquito season.

We skied Birds Hill in April, and there were a lot of cyclists out on the roads. Same as here in Fargo. When the air temperature is above freezing it is time to break out the road bike. And there were no mosquitoes.

Scotland is a great place for bicycle touring, and WestJet will take you there for a reasonable price. They do have some steep climbs. We made it about half way up one that was marked at 11% and ran about a mile. Getting a loaded touring tandem up a hill like that is quite a workout. We mostly stick to the "B" roads: one lane with turnouts and pretty slow speed limits.

I also agree about sleeping on the ground. When I lived in Oregon I was in the local fire brigade and I have slept on the ground at wild land fires all that I care to. Seems our idea of roughing it now is staying in a hostel with a shared bathroom.

Dan, we mixed it up a bit for our third trip - did the Lake Bemidji loop and then down to Walker the 1st day, and then hit the Heartland Trail for the first time, cycling out to Park Rapids and back to Walker the 2nd day. Loved that western leg of the Heartland, and hope to do it again. Stopped at Zappy's restaurant in Akeley on the way out, enjoyed drinks and a piece of pie, and had lunch in Park Rapids. Met the legendary 'Mad Trapper', Dave Belair of Pine River, and enjoyed conversing with him and his wife.

Will post photos of that trip at some point, but suffice it to say that if you enjoyed the Heartland you'll also like the Paul Bunyan.

I like Fargo, and envy your proximity to the Minnesota trails.

You're right, April and October are fine times to visit Winnipeg, although we had very few mossies this past summer. some years they're almost unbearable. The road loop in Birds Hill Park is good, and there are some very enjoyable trails as well. We need to get out there with the fat bikes.

Scotland sounds very good. A sustained 11% - wow!!! On a tandem yet ... hats off to you!

Anyway, who knows, maybe we'll meet up on those Minnesota trails at some point - or shoot me a PM if you're coming up to Winnipeg again!
 
Water break in Merrifield or Nisswa - can't remember which. (Time for a GPS camera?)




Mandatory pizza stop @ Ole & Lena's in Pine River:



Here's a challenging climb on the Shingobee Connection Trail (SCT):


Back in Walker!

 
September 2017 - Walker to Pequot Lakes





Brunch (buckwheat pancakes) at Viddles 'n' Joe in Hackensack:


Pine River, another idyllic town:


Very nice lodgings @ Pequot Lakes:
 
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