Bemidji, MN to Grand Rapids, MN 87.5 miles

I was camping on a cross country ski trail in a Minnesota State Forest just outside of Bemidji. It worked well, no one seemed to know I was there.

In Cass Lake, MN while looking at my phone in a gas station parking lot, trying to figure out where I could pick up some water and food, Dan rode up on his classic Schwinn. He asked where I was headed and from whence I came. Dan told me he had been involved in getting the bike paths established that I had been riding through town. He had also taken a bike tour to Lake Superior and back recently and was finishing up a graduate degree at Leech Lake Tribal College in Biology and Forestry. He was also teaching and had worked in a bike shop and a bike co-op. It was great to hear about all the good things he was doing. It makes me hopeful for the future to meet young folks like Dan.

I had a Warmshowers host that was able to host me in Grand Rapids, MN. I also had a resupply package that my wonderful wife Beth had sent general delivery that I had to pick up. I pushed myself to get to the Grand Rapids post office in time to pick it up before they closed. That would allow me to repack my bags overnight and send some things back that I no longer needed in the morning. The only hitch was the package hadn’t arrived at the post office! It was estimated it was going to arrive three days ago but the post master said it was in Duluth and would be there in the morning first thing.

I headed to the YMCA for a shower before I showed up at my Warmshowers host’s house.

My hosts were Emily and James, they have 3 kids. It was really nice to be welcomed into their home and experience a little of their joyful, creative, loving and very active life. They are providing a wonderful childhood for their children.

In the morning, I went back to the post office to pick up my package only to find out it wasn’t there! The package mainly had food that I had bought, baked and dehydrated back home before my trip to save some money and have in appropriate amounts. But it did have my summer weight, down sleeping bag that was going to replace my cold weather, synthetic sleeping bag that was taking up way too much room in my bags. I made the rash decision to send home my cold weather sleeping bag anyway and I convinced myself that I would be warm enough wearing my cold weather clothes inside my sleeping bag liner that is like a zippered sheet.

Stay tuned in to see how that works out.