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August 31, 2004
Surmising the level of difficulty
Tuesday, August 31, 2004 PLOG Entry Two
Highlights of the day:
Driving off-road with our Jeep Wrangler.
My daughter driving off-road with our Jeep Wrangler.
My daughter learning to use the clutch on a steep hill.
Molly running through the water at the “Mud Run”
The rain stopping and the sun coming out.
Cycling to Virginia and back to Gilbert. Somehow when I got to Virginia I rode through the city streets and couldn’t find my way back to the mesabi Trail entrance. I found the trail again but it was on the other side of town heading the wrong way. A very nice Jogger stopped to help me find my way back to the correct trail leading to Gilbert.
When I was riding on the trail, there was one spot where rock walls rose above me on both sides. There was graffiti all over them. I laughed a little to find graffiti this far out of the Urban setting.
Foil dinners.
Writing by the fire
Listening to my wife and daughter talk by the fire about things we did together in the past.
Surmising the level of difficulty
In the off-road park by Gilbert there were many occasions where we had to look at the situation and surmise the level of difficulty before proceeding. I got out of the Jeep several times to look over the edge of a cliff or around the corner of a trail to see what was beyond. At one spot I was looking over a hill at the boulders and stumps littering the way. I was trying to decide whether the Jeep could handle it. Then I thought, “The Jeep can handle it, but can I?”
When my daughter was driving there were a couple of very steep hills that she didn’t think she could drive up. I drove to the top first to give her confidence that it could be done safely. Then she got behind the wheel and I gave her a few tips about acceleration and positioning of the tires to keep the Jeep on track. After knowing how difficult it would be and seeing it done, she started up the hill. Afterwards she said, “All I could see was sky! But I knew where the trail went and I just kept it pointed straight until the Jeep went over the top.”
Knowing what is ahead of us and what kind of obstacles there are helps us know how to handle them. In off-road driving, a person has to drive with purpose and intention or risk damaging the tires or underbody, rolling over or getting stuck. In life we have risks also, which are not all physical risks. It helps us to look ahead and survey the level of difficulty and prepare our minds and spirits to handle it.
The mesabi Trail
We were staying in Gilbert, Minnesota at the Sherwood Forest Campgrounds. It was a great blessing to us to be in a spot right on the mesabi Bike Trail. I took advantage of that and rode parts of the trail two days in a row. My conclusion is that this is an awesome trail! It’s paved smooth, about 6 to 10 feet wide and offers some of the most breathtaking scenery in Minnesota. Riding from Gilbert to Virginia I passed high over Crater-like lakes left over from the open-pit mining days, and through tunnel-like paths cut through the iron-rich rock hills.
Unlike most recent bike trails I’ve seen built, this one is only partially built on old railroad beds. It winds back and forth, through woods, up and down hills, past open fields, over bridges and through towns. The trail also splits off in many places to allow cyclists to divert to other nearby towns. The trail is well marked with signs and markings on the trail.
The mesabi Trail runs from Grand Rapids to Ely, Minnesota, making it one of the longest bicycle only trails in the state. But the trail is not complete yet. There are parts of the trail from McKinley to Ely that are scheduled to be completed before the year 2008.
This would be a great cycling trip for all levels of enthusiasts. A person or group could start out at Grand Rapids and ride the entire length, stopping at nights to stay at one of the many campgrounds or motels along the route. The people in the campsite across from us were doing that. They had nothing but good things to say about the 70 some miles of trail they had ridden so far and the experience. I think I’ll try to find someone to share that ride with next summer.
For more information and to see photos of this great resource, visit http://www.mesabitrail.com
Posted by carl1236 at August 31, 2004 09:02 PM | Attitude