We left Itaska AYH Mississippi Headwaters hostel a little after 7 despite getting locked out for a few minutes. We made a first stop at a little convenience store 3 miles out of town for coffee and food. The weather was excellent for cycling. 60s and light winds. Our ultimate destination is Walker, MN but the real objective is Bemidji.
To refresh your memory, last year I biked form Bar Harbor, ME to Bemidji. This year I'm cycling from Anacortes, WA back to Bemidji. There's nothing special about Bemidji for me it was just a place I could stop and get transportation home last year. So by reaching Bemidji this year I have connected the two halves to equal riding across the USA. Never had the time to do it all in one stretch, so I'm doing it in approximate halves. The Paul Bunyon statue is the touchpoint.
Now where was I. Actually it's only about 30 miles to Bemidji from Itaska park. The road was fairly hilly with varying shoulder widths. The roads were rough and cracked too. Sigh. Can't have everything. We finally pulled into the town of Bemidji, but that's not good enough. We had to find the city center where I ended up last year. For the last few miles we were on the Paul Bunyon Trail which is in great condition pavement wise. We got some local directions and found it.
Ok. This is cool.
No banner to cross. No bands playing a victory song. No cheering crowds. Just Paul Bunyon and the Blue Babe waiting to pose for a picture with me. Doesn't get any better than that. Really. I'm thrilled. Thrilled. 4,250 miles coast to coast. I just checked that off my bucket list. Done. Sure feels good, I'll say that much. More on this in a future post. A lot more.
Let me make a little nod of tribute before I return to the ride. I absolutely could not have done it without the love and support of my family and friends. My loving wife, Pam, most of all for the support and inspiration. My children, Kirsten and Logan for their love and caring. Gay Rehnback for being with me the first half last year and up to Whitefish this year. Bill and Sandy Doyle for putting this whole plan into action and keeping me on track since Whitefish. No small task mind you. And I would be remiss if I failed to thank my dear mother and mother in law for following me every pedal stroke of the way. And to the rest of my family and friends for being there for me. But now, back to the ride. I ain't done yet!
We said adieu to Paul. Headed towards a mythical campground this side of Walker. We take the Paul Bunyon Trail. (PBT). It's closed to motor vehicles and VERY gentle grades as it's an old railroad to trails track. It's over 100 miles long! We motor along enjoying ourselves. We notice that there are a lot of branches and trees down across the way. We have to pay attention or pay the price. Stuff like that can take a bike down.
We passed through Nary, Guthrie and stopped for lunch in the shade. The only biker we saw stopped to chat. He warned us about blockages past Laporte and Benedict. Yikes! That's a long trail of storm damage.
Sure enough. We avoided Laporte all together and tried to get back on the PBT at Benedict. Blocked. No way to get loaded bikes through! Rats. We detour to the road. We are still hunting for the campground. Just outside Walker we come to the realization it's truly mythical. We look for a motel. Since we had purchased groceries in Bemidji we needed a place to cook. We spotted a motel with a picnic table outside. Perfect.
We went inside and got a bargain room. I was a bit concerned because the front office reeked of something. Went in the room and ... bonus! It has a kitchenette! It was clean and odor free! Living large! Bill prepared a scrumptious meal and successfully setting off the fire alarm. I disarmed it for the duration.
Tomorrow our destination in Brainerd, some 60 miles away. The condition of the PBT is now suspect. It's more direct than the road. It could get interesting.
Today
5 hours and 27 minutes of cycling
68 miles
12.4 mph avg
27.5 mph max
Thank you so much for reading about this little life adventure.
It's been a challenge for certain.
It's been a joy to know some of you care enough to read this piece of work. This has been a driving force behind the scenes for me to stay committed to keep up with my day to day activities and thoughts. I'm no writer but I enjoy writing.
Thanks again.
Cheers!
Kim
By the way, tomorrow will NOT be my last entry. I expect to do at least 3 more after tomorrow's entry. So, stay tuned. KPW
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