August 25, 2021
Behind Every Big Man...
Today's ride began in Walker, MN and ended in Crow Wing State Park. I started out on the Shingobee Connector which enabled me to side step a section of the Heartland and Paul Bunyan I rode on Monday. The rolling hills of the connector was certainly a change from the typical rail trail. After 7 miles the connector rejoin the Paul Bunyan and off I went with visions of Crow Wing State Park, the trail end, 70 miles ahead. In another 6 miles down trail I entered Hackensack for a quick break. Ran into 3 guys who had ridden from Walker earlier and were awaiting the opening of the local brewery. I passed on the invitation to join them since I would likely need Uber to transport me to Laura down the trail. I was, however, able to catch a picture of Lucette Diana Kensack, Paul Bunyan's sweetheart.
Laura and I had agreed to meet in Merrifield 52 miles from today's start. Wasn't I pleasantly surprised to see her headed in my direction about 15 miles from Merrifield! Arriving in Merrifield I decided to finish the trail today with 22 miles to Crow Wing. If I had known there would be significant road construction in Brainerd, I might have rethought that plan. Road signage was well done however they failed to provide any signage for the trail that paralleled the road construction. After a couple of false starts, I was back on track. The final 8 miles through Crow Wing were beautiful. I was able to record a brief video but since attaching the video is "intuitive" and I do not have access to an eight year old... UPDATE... Laura announces I have successfully become an 8 year old.
Laura was gracious enough to agree to a visit to Sonic where I could enjoy a favorite recovery meal of a cheeseburger and chocolate shake! Consulting GPS and discovering the closest Sonic was a mere 74 miles away and in the wrong direction, she located a relatively nearby Five Guys. I clearly now have a second option for a recovery meal after a long day in the saddle.
Following our luxurious meal, we headed for Alexandria MN where the next trails await.
Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 889 miles (1,431 km)
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Tell Laura she looks marvelous on her new E- Bike.
Stay safe.
2 years ago