It's been over a year since I got the old bicycle out of the garage for a ride. Yesterday I aired up the tires and lubed the chain in preparation for today's ride, a 20 mile out and back on the Mesabi Trail. I awoke and hit the road early. I bought my wheel pass at Natural Harvest Food Coop and headed a short distance to the trailhead in Virginia.
The trail starts out with a trip into Olcott Park past some interesting flower beds and greenhouse. The trail then heads near Silver Lake through town,
past a sculpture of a sawmill worker
and over to the Mine Overlook (which Noelle, Sierra and I had visited a few weeks ago)
and then to the brand new bridge
that carries US Highway 53 across port of a water-filled mine.
After crossing the Highway 53 bridge (reputed to be the highest in Minnesota) the trail heads towards Gilbert and Eveleth.
The trail here follows an old rail line through 2 impressive rock cuts.
Once at Gilbert, the trail passes near to Lake Ore Be Gone.
I elected to ride a spur into Eveleth. Once in town I rode along roadsides to the Largest Freestanding Hockey Stick in the World.
I rested at a nearby park that had some interesting paintings on a concrete slab.
Then I started to retrace my route back to the car in Virginia. I stopped at the Mesabi Trail offices for another break,
but there's not much there. I saw a painted turtle along the way,
but not much else in the way of wildlife.
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