Grand Rapids to Hibbing

May 16, 2019

We started the day with breakfast at Dottie’s Hometown Café, a family run restaurant a short walk from our hotel. As is common in small town cafes, the staff were friendly and many of the customers were regulars. I had the oatmeal, but without yogurt or fruit as these items had been taken off the menu because no one ordered them. What did seem to be popular were caramel rolls – the size of an iPad Mini and covered with a ladle of caramel. Not for me, thanks. By the time we left the restaurant, the sky had clouded over and the wind had picked up. It was to be a chilly ride for most of the day, but a warming sun was forecast for late afternoon.

The Mesabi Trail links the towns along the Iron Range and is made up not only of old rail beds but also the foot trails and cart paths that have been traveled for more than a century. The trail curves and undulates through woodlands, across marshes, and over lakes, taking us through small towns that once prospered from robust timber and mining industries. Today, piles of rusted machinery and closed storefronts are evidence of less prosperous times. Yet, there was a smile and helpful spirit in everyone we encountered along our way – personifications of “Minnesota Nice.”

Heading off on the Mesabi Trail from Grand Rapids trailhead

Greg obediently walks his bike across the floating bridge and over the marsh

Ferrous mounds of tailings, or dumps as the locals refer to them, are common sites along the Mesabi Trail

The temperature was dropping all morning, and I was chilled and hungry as we pulled into Nashwauk a little before noon. We were hoping to find a place to eat, not always a given in these small, rural towns. Our hopes rose as we passed the high school and Catholic Church, and we soon came to an intersection with the main street. Pausing to scout up and down the street, we were waved across by a woman in an old and battered van. As she drove by, I stopped her and asked where we might get a bite to eat – it was the kind of town where stopping in the middle of main street for a conversation with a pair cyclists would be quite okay. In a husky and toothless voice, she told us that there was nothing in town. Thanking her, we spotted a café across the street but alas it was closed and for sale. As we stood there, we heard some commotion in the street – the woman in the van had returned and was delighted to inform us that there were indeed two eating establishments up the street. We settled for the bar on the corner, and enjoyed a great burger, so-so fries and an affable server. Sated, we headed out for the last 15 miles to Hibbing.

A warming sun and patches of blue sky began to appear after lunch. The trail took a circuitous route through Kelly Lake, a town of small tattered houses and yards strewn with items ranging from baby strollers to a collection of old gas station pumps. At the edge of town, we came across one house with an emerging garden guarded by a tin-man. As we stood taking photos, a woman and her dachshund stopped their car to share our admiration of the handiwork. She informed us that Rose, the owner, did something different every year, bringing a bit of joy and whimsy to this otherwise depressing town.

Close-up view of the tin man shows the whimsy in the design. I especially like his knee kick - a little dance move?

We soon came to the viewpoint of the Hull-Rust Mahoning Mine, the largest operating open-pit mine in Minnesota. The viewpoint is located near a spot where, in 1891, a German prospector named Frank Hibbing declared “I believe there is iron under me, my bones feel rusty and chilly.”

The town of Hibbing was founded a couple of years later and, as the mining activities grew, was soon surround by the open pit mine. In 1918, the town government decided to relocate the town 3 miles south, which required moving 188 buildings. A new business formed to transport mine workers up from the town to the mine grew into what became Greyhound Bus Line.

The Hull-Rust Mahoning Mine viewpoint on the Mesabi Trail. The town of Hibbing has a much larger viewing platform for tourists, but it has been closed for renovation.

Water colored by sediment from the mines

In addition to its significant role in the mining and transportation industry, Hibbing is also know for its contribution to music and poetry: it was the boyhood home of Bob Zimmerman, now known as Bob Dylan. The town and its Nobel Laureate have a complicated relationship. There is not much in town celebrating Dylan, despite the fact that visitors from all over the world trek to Hibbing to see where he grew up, went to high school, and glean his influences. His childhood home is privately owned, though the street has been renamed Bob Dylan Drive. A one-room "exhibit" in the basement of the public library contains pictures and album covers, but little of his life in Hibbing and nothing that appears to have been donated by Dylan or his family. However, according Minnesota Public Radio, the fact that he skipped his Nobel Prize ceremony showed locals that Dylan has a bit Hibbing in him.

Hibbing High School, built in 1920. Now home to about 700 students and, in the past, Bob Dylan

The Bob Dylan Exhibit is located in a basement room of the public library, at the end of a narrow hallway that also serves as a coat closet

A piece from the Bob Dylan Exhibit in Hibbing

Our walking Dylan tour took us through the neighborhoods of Hibbing, past the high school and his old house and to the library. With a population of about 20,000, Hibbing is the largest of the Iron Range towns. It has a variety of architecturally interesting residences and buildings and a pretty thriving main street. The new ice arena is home to World Champion Hibbing Curling Club and we ate dinner at a local brewery/restaurant. All in all a nice place to visit.

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Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 43 miles (69 km)

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