Last month, Russ and I continued our quest to cycle different sections of the Mesabi Trail, which crosses northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. Amid the crunch of fallen leaves and the brilliant red of sumac, we biked from Nashwuak to Calumet with a side trip to Pengilly.
A warm breeze offered one of those final temperate days between summer and fall. The trail began in Nashwauk at a nondescript parking lot near a closed restaurant with the suggestive name of Big O’s Chef House. (Maybe that’s why it went out of business?) Except for a few frost heaves, the mostly flat trail was in good condition. It parallels the highway ,so the distant noise of cars is ever-present.
Much of the land surrounding the trail is owned by Mesabi Metallics Co., an iron ore and taconite mining company. We passed huge piles of mine tailing waste and overgrown past mining roads as a few vultures circled overhead.
In the sleepy Sunday town of Calumet, we rested at a public picnic shelter. The only evidence of life was a man throwing a ball for his black lab. Then we turned around and made our way back to Nashwauk. Along the way, we took a short spur trail to the town of Pengilly just for a change of scenery.
Once, a pair of teenagers on an ATV surprised us (they’re not supposed to go on the trail). Several times, we had to dodge Halloween-colored (black and orange) woolly bear caterpillars inching their way across the trail. Folklore says they can predict how harsh the winter will be by the width of the colored bands on their bodies: more black equals a harsher winter. We were trying too hard not to squish these fuzzy forecasters, so we didn’t notice their band patterns.
Apparently, science has not confirmed the caterpillars’ weather-forecasting abilities. Even so, the woolly bear remains a symbol of autumn. Its presence offered us a gentle reminder that the season is turning, and nature is preparing for the quiet, cold months ahead. This will probably be our last long ride of the season.
Total distance: 14 miles. For more information about other sections of the trail, please see these previous posts:
Bicycling from Keewatin to Nashwauk
Biking the Mesabi Trail from Ely West
The Mesabi Bike Trail from Mt. Iron to Kinney, MN
Biking the Mesabi Trail from Hibbing to Chisholm
Marie's Meanderings 
Hi, Marie. Have you been a bicyclist all of your life?
Yes, I began biking at age six or 7 and have never stopped!
This sounds like a lovely day trip.
It was! We only have a couple more short stretches of the trail left and we’ve done the whole thing.
Sounds like a wonderful ride, Marie, wonderfully described!
Thanks! If it is the end of the season, it was a good ride to go out on.
If it is the last ride of the season, an excellent finale. 🙂
Gotta love those big, crisp Autumn skies!
You said it, Liz!
It sounds like the two of you had an enjoyable autumn bike ride. The photos are beautiful, and I am so happy you didn’t squish the caterpillars! 😊
Thank you! There were only a couple of caterpillars, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for any sort of caterpillar, so make a special effort to avoid them. Army worms, on the other hand, not so much! Thankfully, there’s not an invasion of them this year.
Lovely scenes. I do love a fall bike ride, too. I missed the peak due to heavy rains this year, but got to enjoy the colors from the car.
Hi Eilene. I’m glad you were able to enjoy the fall colors, albeit using a different set of wheels. Hope your season is going well.
As a fellow bike rider, I really enjoyed this post. Pictures are beautiful, too.
Thank you, Jack! Good to be connected to a fellow cyclist and writer.
Agree! 🙂
Love this, Marie! Over here it’s Cayuga’s Black Diamond Trail—grapes instead of tailings, salt mine under the lake instead of iron above. Our woolly bears moonlight as “spoke models” too. Next stop: Watkins Glen switchbacks, then hot cider by Seneca. Keep the pedals singing!
Thanks for reading, Michael. I got confused about your location when I first read your note because over here, we have the Cuyuna trail system on the Iron Range. But then I figured it out. 🙂 Your cycling plans sound seasonal and fun!
Such a beautiful, relaxing trail to bike. Love these photos.
If it was our last long ride together of the season, it was a good one to end on.
How beautiful!