2 Bikes, 5 States, 10 Trails, 14 Days – Part 3

Minnesota-Root River State Trail & Preston-Harmony Valley Trail

• Day Six-drive from Kansas to Minnesota
• Day Seven-Root River State Trail
• Day Eight-Root River State Trail and Preston-Harmony Valley Trail
• Trail length; Preston-Harmony Valley -18 miles, Root River State Trail-60 miles

It was a beautiful drive from Kansas to Minnesota. The last several miles were especially picturesque as we traveled through beautiful farmland. We were in the middle of nowhere with massive farms and acre upon acre of row crops all around us when we pulled into the little town of Lanesboro, MN. We chose to stay in Lanesboro because the Root River State Trail passes through it. In fact, the trail crosses right through the center of town (diagonally) and right on the corner beside our hotel. So we were in a perfect location to ride the Root River Trail and the Preston-Harmony Valley Trail.

We checked into our hotel, the Hotel Lanesboro. It is an old building, having been constructed in 1872. It served as a furniture store for 100 years. After their first 100 years, they added casket-making to their offerings. About the only historic detail left in the old building is the old wooden floors. Everything else has been updated and remodeled.

With a population of just 776, the little town of Lanesboro has a lot to offer. It is considered the B&B capital of Minnesota. There were many inns, quaint hotels and B&Bs to choose from. Also quite a few restaurants and a theater for live drama.

The next morning, we walked down to one of the two breakfast places in town. Apparently they take turns somewhat in being open on slow days. This was a Tuesday, so only one of them was open but it was delicious. Everything in town is within walking distance, which is great. Once we parked our car upon arrival, we didn’t have to use it again. We were anxious to get out on the trail and experience some of the beauty we’d seen on the drive in. I think this trail was by far one of the prettiest trails we’ve ever ridden. I took so many pictures!

Our route on the first day of riding took us from Lanesboro to almost Houston. Toward Houston, there is a section of steep hills and we turned around when we got to those. We had already decided we wanted to “ride our age” on this day’s ride, and we didn’t want to waste energy on steep hills! 61 miles without hills is quite enough!

I stopped every few yards to snap another photo. The Root River is a shallow swiftly flowing river. We saw trout fishermen, and kids on tubes floating along. It twists and turns its way toward Houston and most of the trail travels along the bank, so we had beautiful views of the river.

Though there’s not much tall grass prairie left, efforts are underway to reestablish it. But along this old rail corridor, the tall grass prarie remains. We saw large sections of prairie, which is not just a field of grass! It’s multiple types of grasses and tall wildflowers all growing up together. Birds are everywhere! It is beautiful and pictures just aren’t able to capture it. Here are a few snapshots.

We stopped for lunch at the Creamery in Peterson and ate cheeseburgers and real hand cut fries out on the patio. Peterson is also the home to an historic depot which serves as a small museum with some historic buildings nearby. I always love looking at the old depots that have been saved and converted to another use. These are treasures of a day gone by.

We arrived back to Lanesboro but still had about 7 miles to ride in order to make our 61 miles for our “ride our age” challenge, so we kept riding past Lanesboro for few miles and turned around so that we hit 61 miles practically on the doorstep to our hotel. No need to ride further than necessary, lol. Mission accomplished!

We ate dinner right down the street at Pedal Pushers cafe. We sat down at a table on the sidewalk, noticed the instructions to scan a QR code to order and had our food in no time! As soon as we’d placed the order on our phone, a server walked out with our drinks. He must have been standing right inside waiting for us to hit submit. We both got the shrimp mango bowls with an appetizer of truffle fries. It was delicious!

We were really tired that night and had lights out early! The next morning, we woke up to a beautiful clear day and were anxious to get back on the trail to explore the other end. But first breakfast!

The place we ate yesterday was closed on Wednesdays, but we were told the bakery (which was closed yesterday) was open for breakfast. Our host at the hotel said they either opened at 7:00 or 7:30, she wasn’t sure which. We had our bikes and gear ready early, so we decided to walk down the street before 7:00 so we could be there when they opened. When we got to the door, we noticed the lights were on and there were several tables of folks already seated. It was about 6:45, so we went on in since the door was unlocked. We found a table for two right inside the door and sat down.

I noticed that the bakery case was completely empty and as we sat there, it dawned on us that they didn’t appear to be open. Apparently they allowed a group of retirees entry before they opened for the day. (We later found out it was a group of older citizens of Norwegian descent that gather before the restaurant is actually open. There’s a very strong Norwegian influence all throughout the town. They even have a Sons of Norway building for meetings.)

A young man from behind the counter came out and said they’d put bakery items out at 7:00 and start breakfast at that time too. We assured him that was fine, and that we thought they were already open when we entered. So we sat there for a few minutes and waited. Promptly at 7:00, the owner came out from the kitchen.

Owner: “You want something from the bakery, breakfast, or what?”

Us: “We’d like breakfast please.”

Owner: “What do you want for breakfast?”

This caused us to stumble a bit, because we hadn’t been given a menu and there were no menu boards posted anywhere.

Us: “Well, we don’t know what you have .” (meaning the young man who initially greeted us didn’t give us a menu)

Owner: “We have everything. We don’t have English muffins or pancakes, but we have everything else. So what do you want?”

It was at this point that I realized I usually choose a meal based on what is offered on a menu. I don’t really decide ahead. I wait until I get to the restaurant, look at the menu and decide what looks good to me. So to have to think of something on the spot was trickier than you’d expect! Plus, I didn’t want to make this guy mad, he was already a no frills, straight to the point, no nonsense type. So I did the best I could, quickly trying to think what he’d have on hand

Me: “I’ll have a veggie omelet.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth I regretted saying veggie. I should have just ordered an omelet. But surprisingly, my order must have passed the “have it on hand” test, because he gave me a curt nod and looked to Jimmy.

Jimmy: “I’ll have 2 eggs, scrambled, bacon, and hashbrowns.” And as if that weren’t enough, Jimmy said, “and can I have toast with that?”(I felt like Jimmy was really pressing his luck here…) But his order must have passed the test as well, because the owner simply said “comes with toast” and turned and walked away.

At some point, someone brought us coffee. I think it was the young girl behind the counter. But what I do remember is the refill. One of the older Norwegian gentleman got up, went behind the counter and helped himself to making a pot of coffee on the big Bunn coffee maker. That’s when I knew for sure that these older folks were regulars! Once it brewed, he walked to our table first and gave us each a refill of coffee. We thanked him profusely, and he said it takes a lot of hot coffee when you have a group of Norwegians together. It was a very kind and neighborly thing for him to do for us, two clueless tourists just passing through.

Shortly afterwards, our breakfast arrived. It was delicious. Seriously one of the best veggie omelets I’ve ever eaten and mine came with toast too! (Made from homemade bread!)The veggies included spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers and even broccoli! How in the world did he have all of those veggies on hand without advertising a veggie omelet? Jimmy agreed, his was fantastic as well. We ate every bite!

Then we noticed they began to fill up the bakery case with scones, caramel rolls, cinnamon rolls, all warm from the oven and still steaming. That’s when we decided that we just couldn’t have enough energy to ride the trail without splitting a warm cinnamon roll.

As Jimmy went to the counter to pay, the owner was back in the kitchen with a view of the cash register. Jimmy made eye contact with him, and gave him a big smile and a thumbs up. What we got in return was a nice grin and thumbs up right back. I think he appreciated the fact that we enjoyed our breakfast so much. And we really did! I’m thinking he does not give his smiles freely, so we were glad to get one!

We got on the bikes and started from the center of town again and rode in the opposite direction from yesterday’s ride. It was another gorgeous day and we noticed the river became even more clear, having settled down after all the rain from a couple of nights ago. We rode the entire Root River Trail in the direction of Fountain. About half way to Fountain, the Preston-Harmony Valley Trail takes a shoot off to Harmony. We decided to ride that one out and back and it was just gorgeous!

This section of trail was just as beautiful as the section we rode the previous day. I found wild raspberries and wild blackberries growing trailside, and so many beautiful wildflowers!

We ate lunch on the Preston-Harmony Valley Spur at a little place in Preston called Sweet Stop and Sandwich Shoppe. The name caught our attention and the food was really good. They make subs, wraps, flatbreads,etc. All the sub rolls are made from scratch and they were delicious!

After lunch we made our way back to the Root River Trail and turned toward Fountain to complete the Root River section. It was basically a 6 mile climb from that intersection. I was ready to get to Fountain and turn around and head back to our hotel in Lanesboro, because I knew it would be a 6 mile coast back to the intersection. It was a beautiful ride despite the climb.

We were able to find a little cafe in Fountain to get an ice cream cone, and after finishing that, headed back to the trail for the return trip to Lanesboro.

The beautiful pictures below are of the scene that greets trail users as they arrive in Lanesboro from the direction of Fountain. It is a dam, built in the 1800s and recently restored. It’s beautiful and right beside the trail, along with this old railroad bridge now serving as a bike bridge.

We arrived back in Lanesboro where we’d already checked out of our hotel, loaded the bikes for the 1 1/2 hour drive to our next stop in Wisconsin, and found our car wouldn’t start. I called Trish, the owner of the hotel where we’d stayed, explained the situation, and she came right away to give us a jump start.

Next stop, Wisconsin, just as soon as we leave Napa with a new battey!