Bike Trails – Page 4 – Valerie's Voice

The Sawbill Trail

The Sawbill Trail road is a beautiful drive from Highway 61 to Sawbill Lake, an entry point to the BWCA. We have traveled it many times over the years, since coming up to this part of the north shore.

We drive it for fall colors, looking for wild life, to access certain trails, to see a sunset, and it also holds memories of us running on the road when our sons ran cross-country in high school. At one time all four of us ran (I ran in two 5K’s but that was enough for me). The guys needed to practice so we took them to this beautiful road.

Only the first three miles have been paved for years…the remaining was dirt road so we were pleasantly surprised to see it had been paved this summer, and that the new section was paved with wide shoulders so now it can accommodate cycling.

There are several finished sections of the Gitcha-Gami (Great Sea) bike trail which is why we bring our bicycles along to the cabin. It’s a beautiful trail close to “The Lake” with the plans being one continuous trail from Two Harbors to Grand Marais. For us, coming as far north as Tofte, the Sawbill Trail offers another great biking option.

We were excited as we drove to the top of a three mile hill and parked our car. We unloaded our bikes and put on our helmets and started to pedal. The road was so smooth yet it was a difficult ride because we were biking into the wind. After we turned around (eight miles out) we had the wind at our backs, pushing us along we clipped back at a steady pace.

Back at the car Gary asked me if I wanted to ride down the three mile hill to Hwy 61 (he knows the thrill of going down a big hill.) This hill is the old section of the Sawbill Trail that winds around and takes you down as though you were driving into Lake Superior. This section is without a wide shoulder but has little traffic. He’d drive our car down to meet me at the bottom. I decided to go for it.

I was going fast and it was quite the ride. This summer I considered riding a zip line over waterfalls in Quebec but didn’t. I think the ride down the Sawbill Trail was the thrill for me!

Sawbill Trail leading into Lake Superior

Big Ole

Big Ole stands 28 feet tall on the north end of Alexandria, MN near a trail head for the Central Lakes State Trail, a Minnesota scenic recreational rail trail, where we biked this past weekend. Big Ole’s shield states “Alexandria – Birthplace of America”. Having grown up in Minnesota, with a strong Norwegian heritage, I have not heard, and was surprised, to learn about a Rune Stone that was found near Kensington, Minnesota in 1898. Some authorities believe the Vikings etched runes (characters of ancient alphabets) into the stone and the stone is dated 1362. The Rune Stone is in a museum in Alexandria – there is some controversy over its authenticity but it is an interesting story.

A New Sculpture in Town

bicycle schulpture

There is a new sculpture near the bike trail in our town. I really like it…it’s colorful, it uses flowers and bicycles and it’s along the Cannon River in front of the Peggy Prowe Pedestrian Bridge that crosses over the river. The bridge was named for a town advocate for the Mill Towns Trail, which will run from Faribault to Cannon Falls, and continues on to Red Wing. My husband and I like to bike…he’s an eager biker in the Faribault Flyer’s Bike Club and I’m a casual rider.

I wrote this poem earlier this spring.

The First Ride of the Season

The tires pumped up

Hop onto the seat

The helmet on snug

“Start pedaling, feet!”

It feels good to be back

In the saddle once more

Though the going is slow

we will work up to soar.

Cannon Valley Trail

CVT

The other day we went for a bike ride on one of my favorite bike trails. The trail follows an abandoned Chicago Great Western Railway corridor for 20 miles between Cannon Falls and Red Wing, Minnesota. It’s a beautiful tree-canopied trail and on this particularly fine morning with the sun was shining through the trees on the beautiful purple rockets and yellow wild flowers…it was stunning and the temperature was just right for cycling. This trail is a sanctuary for me. I get on my bike, ready to roll, and a sense of peace starts to wash over me. The trail has a slight downward grade which makes the first half of the ride easier.

As we travel along the Cannon River on the paved trail we go through woods and fields, and open spaces with views of the river, cliffs, and a cave. It runs by a rifle range too, which is an odd thing. Another odd, but fun, point is a space someone created along the trail…they installed a Little Free Library and a bench for anyone who wants to stop and read awhile if so inspired. So whimsical and fun. library

We often see wild life on the trail: lots of birds including my favorite, the cardinal, squirrels, bunnies, deer and snakes.

We usually stop at the 10-mile mark rest stop and turn around. It’s a slight upward grade back to town and I need to work a little harder and am tired by the end of the ride. However the reward is seeing the falls and it was flowing strong after the recent rains.

As we were getting off the trail many people were just starting their ride on this beautiful afternoon. We headed to the local Dairy Inn for an ice cream cone and it tasted delicious.