Today, we moved our hub from Nevis less than 20 miles to a bed and breakfast just north of Walker, MN named Embracing Pines. We decided to stay in the area because of the designated trail system. In this area of Minnesota, there are hundreds of miles of railroad tracks that have been converted to dedicated bike trails. It allowed us to ride together for the first time in a quite a while. We rode along the heartland and the Paul Bunyan trail to the headwaters of the Mississippi River inside Itasca State Park. This is where the mighty river starts its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. It is so narrow as it comes out of the lake, it is possible to walk from one side to the other in just a few feet. It seemed like a must-do at the time! One thing we noticed on the ride is the aggressiveness of the these large horse flies that just hang with you no matter how fast you go. They bite like hell and don’t seem to be affected in the least by bug spray. Our host, Dennis, calls the them tiny trainers… as they motivate you not to stop.
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Our first Paul Bunyan sighting. He really is this tall.
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Minnesota has hundreds of bike trails created out of old rail lines. there smooth, quiet, safe, and beautiful.
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Although tough to see, this is one of the many turtles we’ve seen along the trip (although most were dead).
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So this is where the Mississippi River starts. The cool thing is that it travels 2552 miles and only descends 1475 feet. why cant i get my toilets to drain like that?
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The only place you can walk across the Mississippi River (and the cleanest too).
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No TipToeing here!
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Map of the Headwaters that come from Itasca Lake.
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This is an accidental shot taken by Diane that illustrates what we would see if we never looked up.
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On our way to Embracing Pines B&B from the Bunyan Trail