Hibbing, Minnesota

Today was a rest day for us, and usually there isn't much to write about on a rest day.  Today was different.  One of our riders set up a tour of the town we are staying in - Hibbing Minnesota.  It was a short ride of 13 miles, but there is surprisingly a lot to see in this small town.  

Hibbing is the home town of Bob Dylan, Kevin McHale (a pro basketball player), and the Greyhound Bus Company.  There is also a huge iron ore mine here.  So - off 3 of us went.  The first thing we came to was the old railroad depot.  It has been turned into an Antique Store, which was closed, but outside we spent some time investigating a drill press that can be operated by a hand crank, or with a flat belt from some other power source.  An engineering marvel from the 1800's 

From there we rode to the Greyhound Bus Museum.  When we got to the door, there was a handwritten note on a piece of accounting paper which said "Volunteer went home sick, Sorry".  So we didn't get to go in, but we did learn about the history of the bus company from exhibits outside.  We also got this picture of an old time bus.

It turns out that the Museum is very close to the huge iron ore mine, so we rode over there.  The machines they use in the mine are unbelievably large as you can see in this picture comparing me and my bike to a dump truck.

The size of the mine itself is also hard to comprehend.

 Climbing on my bike up to the top where the displays were is not something I was able to do, but one of my fellow riders did get this picture of me rolling down the gravel drive from the mountain.

After that adventure, we were back in town, studying the city's displays honoring their favorite son, Bob Dylan.  Right outside his boyhood home, they have an interesting way to paint a crosswalk.

I'm not sure which of his songs the crosswalk displays.

At the high school there is a wall with one side commemorating his Nobel Prize.

And the other side having a permanent chair in front of a mosaic of his lyrics.  I am sitting in front trying to soak in all the wisdom.

By then it was time to get back to the hotel, go to dinner, and catch another sunset.

Not bad for a day off.

13 miles today

Grand Rapids to Hibbing

We had a relatively short ride today, almost all on trails, and there were lots of picture opportunities.  The forecast was for sunshine, but relatively cool weather, so we all put on sunscreen and wore our cool weather clothes.  Turned out the forecast wasn't completely correct, but we were able to adapt without problems.  Here is the start to our "sunny" day.

I suppose the sun was out above the fog, so maybe that counts.  The fog didn't last real long, and soon we were on our trail for the day.

This trail is privately managed, and they have a registration fee of  $10 per rider for a 3 day pass.  Well worth it in my opinion.  It appears to be a combination of old railroad beds & just trails laid down through the landscape.  From a bike riding perspective, the railroad beds are easier riding but typically not as scenic.  It is nice to get a five mile stretch of flat riding after struggling up hills for a while.  I only have two complaints about the trail maintenance considering they have my $10.

In fairness, I guess they can't be everywhere instantly, but we did have to walk around this tree that was obstructing the trail.  The other problem is something that we have experienced on and off the whole trip when we are on trails.  

In some areas, the trails have horizontal cracks that are jarring on the bike, although I have an easier time with my recumbent seat.  Our upright bike riders have a bigger problem.  This picture shows a single crack, but it isn't unusual to have as many as 15 or 20 cracks in a 200' stretch.  The  other problem is identified by the white circles painted on the pavement.  These are sometimes affectionately called "Launchers".  They protrude up through the pavement, and just plain need to be avoided.  The paint serves as a warning, but the preferred solution is to get rid of them.  I'm glad to say that more than 90% of the trails don't have either of these problems.

Now on to some of the more interesting features seen today.  I stopped to take a picture on a bridge and noticed that some ambitious spiders had built webs on the bridge itself.  I found this picture more interesting than the lake.

A little further down the trail, there was some evidence of logging activity.

And then I came around a corner and thought I saw snow on the ground

I knew that couldn't be correct, so I got off the bike and investigated.  The area looked as if it had maybe been logged in the last 10 -15 years.  Some young trees are starting to come back, and this is some kind of moss or something.  Here is a close up.

The next interesting sight was a floating bridge.  I'm sure it is cheaper than something more permanent, and since the transition point to the trail can vary depending on the water level, the sign was appropriate

I did walk my bike across as suggested, but someone not in our group chose to ignore the advice.

When we were obviously back on the rail bed portion of the trail, we also traveled through a few small towns.  The other day, I put up a picture of a colorful tire fence.  Well there must be a lot of extra tires up here, because here is one I found that has a bunch more tires, might actually serve as a fence of some sort, but isn't nearly as colorful.

Another thing I haven't noticed before on the rail bed trails is shown below.

Chin Link fencing on both sides of the trail.  This is an area where the trail was at least 20' above the surrounding landscape, so the only thing I can imagine is that they are trying to keep bicycles, and maybe snowmobiles from falling off and down the embankment.  Seems like an expensive deterrent to me.

I don't have any sunsets or rainbows today, but here is the most picturesque scene available.

41 miles today.

Next up is our final day off before we finish next Saturday.