A warm, but windy day was forecast for today. I decided to take advantage of the warm September day by going for another bicycle ride on the Mesabi Trail. This would be my 3rd ride on the Mesabi Trail. Previously I had ridden from Virginia to Eveleth and then Virginia to Kinney. Today I would start at Kinney and head west to the town of Chisholm.
The trail started out a bit bumpy and led past several bodies of water.
Unlike the mine pits I had seen on previous rides, a few of the reservoirs seemed natural. I made my way through beautiful aspen forest
and past my first mine pit
into the small town of Buhl.
The next section of trail was quite hilly. I enjoyed the break the downhills afforded. At a junction, I opted to ride a spur trail into Downtown Chisholm.
A sign on a building downtown proclaimed Chisholm as the home of "Moonlight" Graham.
I continued through town and soon enough found my way to my lunch spot for the day: The Stand Drive-In.
I had a delicious cheeseburger and root beer float.
After lunch was done I continued on towards the Minnesota Discovery Center, stopping for a look at the "Iron Man" sculpture.
The sculpture is huge and commemorates the men who have labored in the open pit iron mines of Minnesota's Iron Range.
From the Iron Man I crossed US 169 to the Discovery Center and past the Veteran's Memorial
into the St. Louis County Fairgrounds. I was now on another spur of the Mesabi Trail and soon enough would rejoin the main trail. Every now and then I would pass an old relic of the bygone mining days,
including the Bruce Mine Head frame,
supposedly the only head frame remaining in the Iron Range. Soon enough I was back where I had started: the trailhead at Kinney.
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