Garrison, MN
Above: The lake in Hackensack, MN., in the morning.
Above: My good friend and college roommate, Roger Obando, hails from Hackensack. Of course, he’s from the other Hackensack. I have compiled a comprehensive list of the similarities between Hackensack, Minnesota and Hackensack, New Jersey:
1) They are both named Hackensack.
2) It snows in both towns.
3) They both contain a combination of humans, other life forms, and inorganic matter.
Other than that, they’re quite different.
Above: The Paul Bunyan hike/bike trail.
Above: The mighty Mississippi meanders through Minnesota, man.
Above: Look what I caught!
Friday, 7/28 9am
Location: Garrison, MN
Coordinates:
46.2960 N
93.8247 W
Yesterday’s mileage: about 75
Today’s destination: Somewhere near Hinckley
After my tumultuous night, it did not surprise me that I woke up later than I intended. On top of that, I wasn’t very fast getting packed up in the morning, so I didn’t get on the road until about 11am. One reason why I was slower than normal was because I ate two breakfasts. The night before, I noticed a bakery in town, so it was inevitable that I stop in. However, after two doughnuts and a ham, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich, I was still hungry. As a result, I stopped into another breakfast place on the way back to the park and ate a sausage, egg and toast breakfast plate.
After my extended double-breakfast, I finally got back on the bike trail. Like the previous day, the bike trail was a welcome change of pace. After a few miles, though, I stopped seeing people on the path. The main reason for that, I believe, was because at that point I was too far away from the common tourist towns to see any recreational bikers. Aside from the occasional triathlete (who can easily be spotted due to their aero bars) or competitive cyclist (who give themselves away simply by the speed at which they pedal), most of the time people on bikes don’t venture more than about 10 miles from the tourist towns. I can’t say I blame them much either; in this heat, I’d stay close to the ice cream shop too, if I had a choice.
After about 40 miles on the bike path, I began to realize that even bike paths can get monotonous. The biggest advantage of the bike path (being away from other streets and traffic) can also be a downside, because miles and miles of trees start to look the same quickly. Nonetheless, I’m very glad that I took the bike path route.
The endpoint of Paul Bunyan Trail is a town called Brainerd. The difference between the start of the trail, in Park Rapids, and the end of the trail, in Brainerd, was remarkable. In Park Rapids, the town clearly considered the bike trail as a way of attracting tourists and increasing business. The town publishes maps of the trails, and there is a park at the start of the trail. The nearby stores seem to benefit handily, because not only do they rent out bicycles to the tourists, but they also sell them drinks and treats when the tourists return.
On the other end of the spectrum (and trail), is Brainerd. Brainerd seems to treat the bike trail as a pesky back alley. The trail literally ends behind a car dealership, with no sign or indication whatsoever. From the way it just dumps you off in Brainerd, you would expect to see a “Stay Out” sign at the trailhead as much as anything else. I’m not saying that a sign would single-handedly turn Brainerd into a tourist magnet, but it might be a good place to start. Like I said, it seems to be working pretty well for Park Rapids.
After Brainerd, I headed towards Garrison, which is on the banks of Mille Lacs Lake, a lake large enough that you can just barely see the other shore. Besides the fishy smell, it’s a nice lake, with plenty of sandy beaches and fishing opportunities.
Tags: Travel
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