MN Heartland Day 4

 Life In Motion 

The line kept growing longer as more and more folks of Holdingford came to the BoHo Cafe to test their knowledge of local history. Thursday night was the first ever Holdingford Trivia night. Greg, founder of Arts in Motion and BoHo cafe, had designed two rounds of 24 questions each to test his community’s memory. Former pro wrestler “Sod Buster” and MLB umpire Joe Brinkman were natives of Holdingford, named after Randolf Holding. And of course the museum was formally the city maintenance shed. There is a Yellow house that acts as a point of reference for all directions to all places in town. 

Everyone was having a grand ole time sharing food and drink and of course their guesses to the questions. BoHo closes at 8, but folks hung around to visit as staff cleaned up. 

Oh the staff: the nicest and most polite. A reminder of what customer service was like pre Covid. 

We pulled out our bed rolls and slept under the veranda as the night air finally cooled. We slept comfortably and again awakened early to the birds singing as the sun rose. 

Greg’s wife Cindy showed up early to bake muffins and scones for the breakfast crowd and made me an early cup of coffee. Alyssa, their cafe manager arrived and we visited well into her prep shift. She was wearing a BoHo Coffee Club t shirt. Every Friday morning  from 9-11 the locals gather to share life. The cafe was originally planned to be closed for the winter months. Where was the Coffee Club to meet? Cindy and Greg winter south, so Alyssa arranges to open the cafe on Friday mornings just so the coffee club and others can keep up with each other. 9 am came as did the town. It was a hopping place. 

I’m reminded of what Steve “Last Name Unknown” told us last summer on a deck in Vermont: this is “rubbing shoulders with reality. You don’t get this driving 80 down the interstate”. 

It was hard to leave. Greg and Cindy have done so much with “Art in Motion” to give back to the community that raised him. 

In addition to great food and trivia games, there is an art curator who arranges gallery showings for local artists, of which she is one, and also prepares projects for youngsters of all ages to develop their creativity. During the weekend, area singer/songwriters have a stage to perform. 

It was time to say good bye. Our bikes loaded we pedaled away. Our goal was Alexandria, 55 miles away. We crossed the covered bridge(built by the Lions Club and Army Corps of Engineers-I was paying attention) and passed the lush green fields of growing corn and oats and soybeans.

We rounded the corner at Albany and headed north back to lake country. 

Post Script

Our tour was cut short. My dad has taken a turn and is entering hospice. I have a great and wonderful family. My cousin Scott left work early and drove to Alexandria, picked us up and drove us and our bikes to retrieve our van in Bemidji. 

We are now back in Cavalier, ND with dad, Rhonda and my sisters. 

Life Remains in Motion 

MN Heartland Day 3

 A Blend of the Best, Visiting Favorite Haunts From Our Cross Country Trip

Today was a perfect blend! Much less mileage and a change of format. We had a leisurely breakfast in camp and talked to some fellow campers. A gal in the bathroom asked me if I was the biker in the tent next to them. I said, “yes”. She said, “she was worried about me last night when she heard the bear”! She asked if I heard it, to which I answered “no”. She told me it was making a lot of noise, but I guess we slept through it because of that 80 miles yesterday. That’s the benefit of all of Jon’s skilled preparation. Our food and anything that has an odor is always hung in a bag up in the tree branches, so we can sleep sound.

Anyway, we traveled on the highway and back roads today for about 2/3 off the way. It was a nice break because everything opened up and we could see homes, farming, golf courses, the Mississippi and wildlife. Then as it got hot and humid we rode on the Soo Line rail path, which was such a welcome reprieve from the heat. I told Jon yesterday, the reason I never ran a marathon was because I seemed to get too bored after about 20 miles. Well, today was a break from my marathon… we had ridden two days of nice, traffic free, tree lined trails that went fairly straight for about 110 miles. The morning started with me getting a flat. It wouldn’t seal, so we used a tired plug and were on our way. So that’s the bummer about the highway, the junk on the shoulder. The shoulder felt really safe as it was a full car lane wide and had a rumble strip between us and the trucks.

Lunch, or second breakfast as we call it, was in Little Falls at a tiny corner cafe called Big John’s. The food was good and so was our chatty, kind owner/waitress/cook. She needed to discuss things important like CPAP machines, masks ruining her lungs causing her to not be able to wear her aforementioned device more than two hours now! Always a treat to eat local and chat with people. She said she rode her bike six blocks and then pushed it home and put a For Sale sign on it. Next was Jordy’s Cafe in Bowlus for ice cream. We stayed there last year and met our fellow bike travelers Mark and Steve there. 

Excited for our final destination, we headed back down the path to Holdingford for Art in Motion. One of our favorite  stops from last year. When we walked in, the owner said welcome back! He even remembered that we were from Idaho. We are staying here tonight. We HIGHLY recommend this place for anyone in the area or touring! We are going to have a great dinner and breakfast tomorrow morning before hitting the trail to Alexandria.  They are having trivia night here tonight; I told him we could give him some Idaho trivia to stump all the locals!

MN Heartland Day 2

The Road Goes On Forever and the Party Never Ends (Robert Earl Keen, Jr)

They say Minnesota goodbyes take some time. This morning was no exception.

 Our guest room faced east over Leech Lake and our windows were left open and uncovered to allow the night coolness to enter in. Marty says he has never known when or if the sun actually rises. Rhonda insured him that on July 6, it rises as a spectacular orange globe precisely at 4:48AM. 

We lay in the bed wishing for another hour or two of sleep. The coffee pot timer was set for 7. Why else would I get up any earlier? But we could not sleep. So I did my morning reading and quiet time till I heard the burping of Mr Coffee. 

We were soon joined by Jennifer and the two goldens, Archer and Finley. Rhonda has changed her mind and thinks just maybe we could get another puppy. 

We ate a light breakfast of yogurt and Grapenuts (I haven’t had these for ages, except at my sister’s two days ago). And soon the rest of the family was awake. Marty strolled out, then Jennifer’s sister Melissa and her husband Tom. 

Nearly two hours later we were packed and headed down the trail. 

The Paul Bunyan Trail provides solace and safety from car traffic, but possibly lacks much of any imagination. Stretches of long, straight and flat sections are only broken up by highway crossings and towns like Hackensack where we met Lucette, Paul Bunyan’s gal. 

A few miles down the trail we found second breakfast in Backus. Unlike like last year’s trek, I’m gaining weight! I couldn’t finish it. 

Then we found Pine River followed by Jenkins. Well placed breaks to stop, stretch the back and get hydrated. Just past Pequot Lake we found some trail magic. Just when we needed a cold drink, a boy and girl had set up a lemonade stand. A buck each and an extra for a tip. These guys were fun to talk to. Very respectful and attentive. Entrepreneurs. 

By now I just got in a steady grind and hammered out the miles. 35 turned into 50 and before you knew it we had a metric century (62 miles). Somewhere in there we passed through Nisswa which had some shenanigans going on. Lots of people and activities but I was in a trance. 

Then we finally made it to Branerd, 70 miles. It was time to refuel at El Tequila with some street tacos, chips, water, and a Pacifico. It hit the spot. Tasty and just the right portions.

 We were warned the trail through Brainerd may be difficult to navigate but it was well marked. Yep you’re reading this because I wrote it and not still on the bike lost in the land of 10,000 lakes. 

The remaining 10 miles ( yes your addition is correct. 70 + 10 = 80 miles for the day!) weaved and curved and rolled along the Mississippi River. Felt like we were getting somewhere finally. 

The road/trail finally has ended for the day. We set the tent in Crow Wing State Park. There used to be a village here but the railroad took care of that when they routed the line through a place called Brainerd. I’m really too pooped to explore the park and learn more about it. I need to crawl into the tent, sans mosquitos and rest my rubber legs. 

MN Heartland Day 1

61 years ago. Then and Now 

Two days ago, in his Wedgewood manor room I showed my dad the picture of him lifting me up to pet Babe. “Do you remember when this picture was taken?”  His memory now slightly better than mine, he says He and mom, along with my aunt and uncle David and Sylvia, took a day trip to Bemidji. “It was a fun day” he recalls. My memory lies only with the picture. 

Today, Paul and Babe have a new coat of paint and there are some trees, no older than 61 years, between them and the lake. They remain quite the tourist attraction. 

This morning we left my sister’s house in Cavalier, ND and drove the van 3 1/2 hours to Bemidji. We arranged with the State Park staff to park there for 6 days.  Maybe 7. “Is it six or seven?” asks the Ranger. Rhonda says we are not sure if we take an extra day along the way. She doesn’t want the van towed. “Oh no, he won’t tow it. If we don’t show he’s coming looking for us” I assure her.

And so the adventure begins. We rode 37 miles on the Paul Bunyan State Trail. A multi use non motorized path between Bemidji and Brainerd, MN. 

61 years ago it was operated by the Burlington Northern Pacific Railroad or it’s predecessors servicing these two communities and places in between like Laporte and Guthrie. Transporting their agriculture produce to market eventually landing in the Twin Cities’  behemoths  Kraft and Pillsbury. I’m sure the occasional tourist was also transported to their summer getaways. In 1983 the railway was abandoned and today the state of MN manages the rail bed as a paved state recreational trail. 

The trail took us within 500 feet of our warm showers host’s lake side home near Walker. Marty and Jennifer are such fun hosts. The best. They are engaging, entertaining and treated us like royalty. Refreshments and   hors d’oeuvres with conversation and life with their family. Jennifer’s sister and husband, Tom and Melissa  are visiting. They just happen to know my sister Robin well. And they will be joining my sister in Norway on a choir tour later this month. 

Dinner was served and a feast was had. It’s 10:30 and late now. Our bellies are full but not near as full as our hearts. As it was 61 years ago, “it was a fun day”.