In the of Tracing the Route of Paul Bunyan in Minnesota's Northwoods
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in the of tracing the route of Paul Bunyan in Minnesota’s Northwoods story and photos by Cindy Ross 26 ADVENTURE CYCLIST JUNE 2021 strange-sounding animal forced my eyelids open one August evening in the Minnesota Northwoods. A dark, hulking form sat on a branch, making a clattering soundA in the tree above our tent. We were camped in the shadow of ancient white pines along the Pine River on the Paul Bunyan State Trail. We had cruised a half-mile of fun singletrack on our loaded Surly mountain bikes to this remote biker/paddler campsite — the first night in a weeklong ride. The owl called another owl in, and soon there were two clattering above us. One dove down to our tent, its silent wings almost touching us. They were young barred owls, anxious about many things at this stage of their lives and perhaps curious about our tent. Come morning, a feather was left by our site — a welcome as we began our approximately 250-mile ride through Minnesota’s Paul Bunyan land, a larger- than-life folklore character that has captured the enduring hearts of this part of America. Our route traced three rail trails, beginning with the south-north 121-mile paved Paul Bunyan Trail (PBT), which travels from Crow Wing State Park on up to Bemidji. It’s one of the longest rail trails in the U.S. and was inducted in the Trail Conservancy’s Hall of Fame as a “Signature Minnesota Destination.” Next, we rode the nearly 50-mile paved Heartland Trail, which intersects the PBT at Walker, followed by the gravel and dirt 96-mile Blue Ox-Voyageur Trail, an ATV-snowmobile converted rail trail that runs from Bemidji to International Falls at the Canadian border. In the city of Bemidji, a car rental business made shuttling logistics with our own vehicle a breeze. After nearly half a year of living in isolation, fear, and the sadness created by COVID-19, my husband Todd and I, along with our friend DJ Duncan, needed to get away, forget the world, and feel like carefree kids again. On this trip, we wanted ease — smooth going, daily ice cream, evening swims, and stunning sunsets, so we headed to northern Minnesota, the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” where the trails are flat and nearly every rail trail is paved. Here is a land of swamps and beavers, silent owls, moose, bear, whitetail deer, old-growth trees, and villages full of history and culture, with rail trails snaking through it all. We were also intrigued with the gargantuan logger, Paul Bunyan. Just who was he? ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 27 The author (middle) and her companions at the start of their trip at Crow Wing State Park. The timber in America’s Northwoods Most of America’s rail trails run and Canada was being ferociously cut alongside rivers, and this is true for PAUL BUNYAN TRAIL at this time, especially the magnificent the Paul Bunyan Trail for the first six The original legend of Paul Bunyan white pine. The peak era of lumbering in miles through the state park as it curves dates back to 1837 and the Papineau Minnesota lasted from 1890 to 1910. Some along the river like a racetrack. Then Rebellion. During a particularly 20,000 to 30,000 lumberjacks worked in the trail becomes so straight that the bloody fight between the British the forests. A similar number of workers trail builders installed big metal signs colonials in Lower Canada and local toiled in the sawmills, and another 20,000 with a curve symbol to alert cyclists French Canadians, loggers armed worked in wood production factories. whenever the arrow-straight route is with mattocks, axes, and wooden Each year, the state produced some 2.3 deviating, lest you grow complacent in forks stormed into battle to help fight billion board feet of lumber, enough to your concentration. This complacency against the English troops. Among build 600,000 homes. The Paul Bunyan is less from boredom and more from them was a mighty-muscled, bearded, Trail was initially a logging railroad distraction — the trail passes swamps seven-foot-tall (as legend has it) giant during the late 1800s. It later became a full of cattails, large sunny meadows, named Paul Bunyan, who fought branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad, shimmering aspen forests, bald eagles legendarily. This forest warrior earned moving large amounts of forest products. perched on dead trees, duck blinds great fame and went on to become The trees that we camped under at the and duck boxes in the wetlands, and a logging camp chief. Logging was Pine River are the same giants that once lake after lake after lake. The “Land of dangerous and heroic work, and drew the loggers and then the railroads to 10,000 Lakes” is Minnesota’s slogan, Paul Bunyan became the hero of this swampy, lake-studded land. and along these rail trails, you will take campfire lore. As loggers relaxed after Our ride began at Crow Wing State in an eyeful. work entertaining themselves, each Park and for a small fee, we were able to Every eight to 10 miles are camp’s storyteller injected humor park in their secure lot. We camped the little towns. Some, like Nisswa, are and exaggeration into the key stories, night before departure and explored destinations for locals who cycle but with the illusion of truth. For the park’s hiking trails along the mighty down for a great pizza or a bag of generations, he has grown in stature, Mississippi and Crow Wing rivers, with hot, homemade mini donuts that you strength, and popularity as the subject their active beaver slides and chewed- can watch being made, then return of books, songs, and films. down aspens. to camp with a cardboard pizza box 28 ADVENTURE CYCLIST JUNE 2021 of leftovers. Nisswa is a town that harvest the wild hay. The C ANADA holds weekly turtle races (if you’ve shoes helped the horses USA INTERNATIONAL FALLS been wondering where the Turtle stay on top of the spongy MANITOBA ONTARIO Race Capital of the World sits, look bogs. There are also Paul NORTH il DAKOTA a r T no further) and has a permanent Bunyan’s wooden baby Fargo Duluth “racetrack” painted on the street. shoes to step inside of to DE TAIL There are fascinating museums get an idea of just how big SOUTH r Minneapolis WISCONSIN u BIG FALLS DAKOTA e g to visit, like the Pioneer Village in this legendary man was. UpperMINNESOTA Red Lake a y o Nisswa, with its village of nine historic Land O’Lakes Butter got V hand-hewn log homes an excellent its start in Pine River back I OWA x NORTHOME display about the Ojibwe people. in 1913 at the Pine River O We rode through towns with Creamery. They also hold e fruit stands hawking giant cherries weekly duck races. Unlike lu and peaches, and nearly every town the Turtle race, they don’t B showcases a statue of Paul Bunyan use real animals — instead, BEMIDJI CASS Lake and Babe the Blue Ox, or Paul’s they dump a trash can full LAKE Winnibigoshish P l girlfriend, Lucette, who worked of numbered orange decoy a i GUTHRIE u a l r in the logging camp mess hall. We ducks into the river. T LAPORTE Leech Lake GRAND y Tra sometimes paralleled “Paul Bunyan Hackensack might WALKER tr il RAPIDS n u h o d ort C Highway,” where flags of the Woolrich have been our favorite an N ea r tl H B red and black check pattern fly with town stop with their food u PARK HACKENSACK n the motto, “Plaid on Purpose,” and truck offering mouth- RAPIDS y a n colorful, fully furnished campers sit watering beef brisket er C iv r PINE RIVER R o i w pp for sale, meant for ice fishing on the and homemade coleslaw, i s s i W s is i n many lakes. It is a unique culture up which you can enjoy by M g T R ra i in these Northwoods, and nearby Red the beautiful dock and North v NISSWA il e Country r Lake sees over 10,000 fishing huts in sand beach at Birch Lake Trail a busy winter. The ice gets so thick Park. In the park sits a Adventure Cycling’s BRAINERD 0 5 10 Northern Mille CROW WING that you can drive a logging truck on small lending library in Tier Route Lacs STATE PARK miles Lake it. There are towns that hold church a restored 1937 Works Author’s Route and community suppers featuring Progress Administration WALLY AMY MAP: rutabagas, breaded lefse (mashed log cabin. “Take a book potato flatbread), rule posse (a rolled or two,” the volunteer also a hand-dipped ice cream shop that meat), and lutefisk (jellied fish) — all encouraged me. “If folks remember offers free ice water. Norwegian specialties. No boring to return it, great. If not, great too. We rode past lakes with brilliant spaghetti suppers here. People from all over use this library. white swans gliding across the The information center in Pine They check out 30 books for the winter surface among lily pads and blooming River has a tiny but fascinating (winter is long in northern Minnesota) white flowers. We took a break at a museum showcasing the lake culture and return them come spring.” I snowmobile shelter, a three-sided and history of the area. There are grabbed two paperbacks for my bike wooden structure that’s situated right on wooden shoes on display that slipped pannier.