Dave rides his bike to school

Above: This picture could be called “Why I like Minnesota”.

Above: Same lake, a few moments later.

Above: The view down the Heartland Trail.

Above: Riding along one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes.

Above: Another reason why I like the lake country….

Wednesday, 7/26 9pm
Location: Hackensack, MN

Coordinates:
46.9303 N
94.5233 W

Today’s mileage: about 88
Tomorrow’s destination: Somewhere near Brainerd

I have discovered the best thing to happen to bicycle touring since the deraileur: Rails-to-Trails. Due to my involuntary detour yesterday, I had to ride about 40 miles on a 4-lane divided road between Detroit Lakes and Park Rapids today. I must have been in a zombie-like trance for those 40 miles, because now as I think back, I can’t remember any of it. No matter, because the highlights of the day all came in the second half.

Park Rapids is a nice little town. It has a bustling main strip, flanked on both sides by an array of shops and stores. I had lunch at an unusual place: an appliance store with a café inside. I’m not sure which business came first, but they share the same space. The café was noisy with people, while the refridgerators, washers and dryers, and stoves sat by idly and ignored.

The best part about Park Rapids, from my perspective, is that it marks the beginning of the Heartland Trail, which is a hiking/biking trail built on top of old railroad tracks. The trail is cycling bliss: no cars, smooth pavement, shade from the sun, flat terrain, and few stops. As importantly, the trail cuts through a pretty landscape comprised of unsullied lakes and thick forests.

I rode from about 10am until around 6pm, including my leisurely lunch. When I reached Hackensack in the evening, I was delighted to discover a quaint town situated along the shores of a picturesque Northwoods lake. The first thing that went through my mind is how vastly different small towns in Minnesota are from small towns in North Dakota and Montana. In Minnesota, a town of 300 people is likely to be located alongside a lake, with a town beach, swimming area, and dock. Even though there may only be 300 permanent residents in the town, it feels much bigger, because people from all over come to fish or to relax in their vacation homes. So, in the summer, a town of 300 people supports far more than that. Consequently, the town has more businesses and things to do than you might expect.

In Montana and North Dakota, on the other hand, if a town of 300 has more than one restaurant, it stands out. Instead of a lake, the town has a grain mill, which doesn’t afford quite as many recreational activities.

After getting permission from the sheriff, I set up my tent in the town park. The park has a restroom, but no shower. As a result, I took off my shoes and went for a dip in the lake. It felt incredible! Just the right temperature.

Addendum:
Every night, as I set up my tent, I have to make an important decision: rain tarp or no rain tarp. On one hand, the rain tarp will keep you dry in a storm. On the other hand, the rain tarp blocks your view outside the tent, as well as any breezes. As a result, when the weather is nice, I greatly prefer to sleep without the tarp. Therefore, as I began setting up my tent last night, I surveyed the sky for any signs of impending rains. The sky was mostly clearly; the only clouds were white and puffy. I decided that it was safe to go without the rain tarp.

Alas, I overlooked one critical factor: lawn sprinklers.

At 2:45am, I was jolted awake by what sounded like a ferocious torrent of rain. I bolted out of the tent, not even consciously aware yet of what was happening. I jumped to my feet and grabbed the rain tarp, which I had placed just outside of the tent. As I started to unroll the tarp, and I finally glanced up to take a look at the storm. Sure enough, the night was still, except for an automatic sprinkler system which apparently activates in the evenings. The circling wall of water was again fast closing upon me. I dropped the rain tarp, grabbed my tent and began dragging it away from the sprinklers. In addition, I snatched my trailer (which I had left opened) and scurried over to a covered area, out of reach of the menacing sprinklers.

For a moment, it seemed as if I had avoided a soggy disaster, save for a few sprinkles in my tent and on my clothes. However, a new worry confronted me: if these are timed sprinklers, when are the next set going to spring to life, and where are they in the lawn? In the darkness of the night, I couldn’t exactly scour the lawn to figure out where the other sprinkler heads were.

I slid the tent closer to the lake and then put on the rain tarp. I got back into the tent and tried to fall asleep again. However, a thought kept me awake, worrying: what if I moved my tent ON TOP of a sprinkler? That would definitely and completely ruin my day.

Moments later (in actuality, about 3 hours), I woke up again to the sound of rain. Sh*t! Not again! I peeked outside my tent to see where the rain was coming from this time. Ironically, this time the rain was coming from where it’s supposed to, the sky. REAL rain. Phew. I climbed into my tent and quickly fell back to sleep, listening as the rain fell on my rain tarp.

As I said, I greatly prefer having the rain tarp on my tent. Who needs to look at that ugly lake anyway?

Tags: Travel

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 26th, 2006 at 9:48 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.