Minnesota State Photograph

*View of a mine pit lake off the Mesabi Trail*

We unwittingly saved the best for almost last in our quest to bicycle the entire Mesabi Trail in northern Minnesota. After completing this latest section, Russ and I have biked all but two parts of this 165-mile paved trail. By “best,” I mean it was the smoothest, most scenic section with some fun rolling hills.

We departed Grand Rapids from the trailhead, which is off a parking lot at the Itasca County Fairgrounds. On this unseasonably warm fall day, golden leaves crunched under our tires and fell from the trees in slanting sunlight as we passed. The only downside were a few mildly painful run-ins with Asian ladybeetles that had the misfortune to meet their doom as we whizzed into them.

Round trip, this section is between 14.5-16 miles, depending on your mapping ap. We passed iron ore mine tailings ponds and crossed the Prairie River on a wooden bridge. We only ran into one patch of bumps and that was in the town of Coleraine. Most of the trail is in the woods, but it does parallel a highway for a bit.

Lots of other people were also enjoying the trail on what could be the last warm day of the year. The trailhead where we turned around in Bovey features a bench that has a design cut into the back that pays homage to Minnesota’s state photo, which was taken in 1918 or 1920 by photographer Eric Enstrom, who had a studio in that city. It shows an elderly man bowing his head in thanks over a meager meal of bread and soup.

Enstrom titled the image “Grace” and intended it to represent survival, thankfulness, and faith in the face of hardship. The photo graced the home of my grandparents and many other places. One interesting fact is that the model for the photo was a salesman who just happened to be passing through when Enstrom asked him to pose. The rest is history!

The two sections of the trail we have left run from Bovey to Calumet and one new stretch near Ely. Temps have dipped into the 40s and 50s, which is too cold for me to bike, so those will have to wait until spring.