I heart the Heartland

We spent the weekend with Dan's family north of Park Rapids, Minnesota. On Saturday morning, I got up early and rode through the fog on a nicely shouldered state highway to the Heartland Trail. After the fog burned off, the skies remained hazy due to forest fires in Canada. 

This was my longest bike ride since the MS150. Although my back bothered me at the end, it felt really great to just move on an open trail. 

Proof that the trail was pretty empty.

The trail was pretty empty when I first got on it, which was good since the biffies at the Park Rapids trailhead were padlocked shut. The trail got more crowded later in the morning, especially when returning to Park Rapids in the midst of a 5k fun run. I got to use my keen sense of direction to bypass the people and find the right state highway back to Dan's family.

A view of a field that I think, like the land near it, was formerly a landfill.

 I saw taller-than-knee-high corn, pretty farms with cows and horses, open fields, ugly highway parts, and some pretty ponds and lakes.

This would have been amazing if the sky had been blue.

I would love to do a big ride around Minnesota going on the trails from St. Cloud up to Fergus Falls, over to the Heartland and Paul Bunyan trails, and then from Grand Rapids up to Biwabik. I can't help but think (dream?) that some day they all will be connected.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieTRAM2015