We leave the “tornado zone” without experiencing any dangerous weather. We are lucky and although we had a good time in the very center of the USA, we may never pass this way again. On to Bemidji, Minnesota – one of the places that claims Paul Bunyan (along with Bangor, Maine and a few others) as their own native son.
In this part of the country their trail system is like their native son: BIG! We enjoyed the Paul Bunyan Trail in two different directions and around Lake Bemidji. We are very close to the headwaters of the great Mississippi River, and here the lake and river are mixed.
We visited the local Irish Pub for dinner. When in this area, Walleye is the fish to eat. It’s a very mild white fish and best served fried (isn’t everything better when it’s fried?). Only an ice cream chaser can make the fried food better!
We moved on to Eau Claire, Wisconsin via Duluth, MN. I bring this up because Duluth is on the southwestern “corner” of the greatest (in size) of the Great Lakes. It was a cloudy, gray day but seeing majestic Lake Superior for the first time was impressive. I’m not sure my picture does it justice, but we descended to the lake and had a terrific view from the car.
Full disclosure – we went to Wisconsin on this trip to buy New Glarus Beer and because neighbors Jeff and Phyllis gave us some assignments. Check and check!
We also made some time for a ride on the Chippewa River Trail which connected to the Old Abe trail. Parts of the former were in disrepair, perhaps the five dollar trail riding permit (the first EVER for us) proceeds will be used for resurfacing sometime soon 🤞🤞!
Wisconsin is about (way) more than beer and cheese. Our next door neighbors (mentioned above) are originally from the Badger State and have educated us about some of the local specialties. One is the Brandy Old fashioned.
In Wisconsin, the Bloody Mary is an art form. They are commonly served with shrimp, chicken and even with an entire Cornish Hen sitting on the side of the glass. My Bloody Mary was the special for the month of August. The Olympic Bloody turned all the heads at The Northern Tap House, it was strong and it was spicy…and it ended up with this blog’s the ‘Meal of the Week’ designation!
The small glass of New Glarus spotted cow was my beer chaser. We were basically full after the we ate the international delights, but had already ordered a pizza (took home half for breakfast the next day).
We are on the move again, heading south back into Minnesota and on to Iowa and the Midwest Tandem Rally. I’ll save that for my next post. In the interim there will be a very special post from Roger about some sight-seeing we did on the way to Ankeny, IA.
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Eve and Roger's Cycling Adventures 
The day we stopped to look at Lake Superior it was stormy with huge waves! We had just stopped at the shipwreck museum nearby and saw the tribute to the wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald. The view of the lake made it seem very real! Subsequently learned to play the great Gordon Lightfoot song on the guitar.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. We’re not terribly far behind you. After our two week Habitat for Humanity build in Kalispel, MT we’ll be heading up through MN and WI on our way to Manistique, MI for another Habitat project after a week of riding the Mickelson trail in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Wow! The Olympic Bloody is quite an unusual statement! No wonder heads turned as it went by. 😳 Thanks for your travelogue of places we haven’t been yet. Love the preview of coming attractions.