July 13, 2021
Day 43: Fosston to Itasca State Park
Leaving the prairie and further into the Land of Lakes
“We stopped yesterday on the edge of the prairie,” Patrick says about staying in Fosston, then continues, “This is also our last day cycling on Highway 2. We set out early, there’s no wind, and aim to get to Bagley for a second breakfast at D & R café with success.
After breakfast, and shopping for supplies, we turn off Hwy 2 onto Hwy 92 for only a little while and turn onto CR 26. We follow this road to a T junction turning south on County 2. This is a brand new road, so nice to have a smooth surface to ride. The road follows the pipeline that is being built. The landscape has changed a lot from yesterday. Now, the land is hilly with most covered in forests. There are fields in between and we see a lot of deer stands. Just before the park, there is a convenience store where we buy some cold drinks and a bottle of wine for the afternoon.
We first go to the “headwaters” site, at the south end of Lake Itasca where the Mississippi River begins. There is a large parking lot, a visitor center and a trail that leads you to the site. It is a bit of a zoo, people are wading the first hundred yards or so of the river, successfully turning it from a clear beginning to a muddy stream. But then, we've not been around this many people for a long while.
We take some photos at the site, then ride the biketrail along the lake to the Pine Ridge Campground. Since we are on the biketrail we miss the entrance station and end up in the campground. There are plenty of empty sites, but before you occupy one you need to reserve it, either at the station or by phone or internet. The campground host is very helpful and calls the station who tells us which sites are available. We then pick one, and Patrick rides back to pay for it. We are now in dense hardwood forest. Many oaks and maples and a few tall pine trees. Our site is shady and it isn’t too hot, but the humidity is high and the wind is tempered by the trees. We get out the camp chairs we have been carrying and follow the shade around while working on the bottle of wine. We have only limited cell phone access and no internet.
Our housesitter gave not so good news from home: one of our cats has been missing for 36 hours. Yedi is the least likely to roam but has not come home last night. We are concerned.
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3 years ago
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Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 1,763 miles (2,837 km)
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