Root River Trail Revisited

In July of 2007 John and I spent a couple of days near Lanesboro, Minniesota riding part of the Root River Trail. Our campsite was close to Whalan, so on our 'long' day we rode from Whalan to Preston, then up to Fountain and back to Whalan. A few extra blocks in Whalan got our mileage to 50 for the day!

This year we spent two nights camping near Houston, Minnesota to ride the eastern end of the trail. We rode from Cushon Peak Campground to the pie shop in Whalan and back for a total of 47 miles. The next morning we rode from the campground to the small but excellent nature center in Houston and back for nine more miles. We have now cycled the entire Root River Trail, but need to do the Preston to Harmony link at the southern end. That will be sometime in the future!

We were almostthe only people in the campground. The bluff views were great, deer came to nibble in the soybean field, water and electricity were available at the site, bathrooms and showers were almost private! Not bad for less than $20

Like most of the bike trails in Minnesota, the Root River Trail is paved. However, there were a number of small 'potholes' that kept our eyes more on the trail than on the scenery. Much of the trail is canopied which certainly makes for pleasant riding, but makes those 'potholes' more difficult to see! We rode with small two-way radios and John could warn me whenever he noticed one. I did hit a couple that made me wonder if a flat tire could be in the making. Thank goodness, that didn't happen!

Here I am - just a typical view on the trail.