Celebrating 50 Years of Bike Touring
By Nancy Ziegler — My first self-contained bike tour was in 1974 when I was 24. I travelled through the Canadian Rockies. Here, on this tour, I am 74 and can proudly say I have done 50 years of bicycle touring. I have travelled all of North America including three self-supported trans-cons.
I chose to do a tour from my home in Duluth, Minnesota to Winnipeg, Manitoba to celebrate those 50 years. Again, like most of my tours, this was a solo, self-contained tour.
I hoped to do metric centuries each day until I reached my destination. It seemed only appropriate to do metric centuries since a decent part of my travel was in Canada and my destination was Winnipeg. The total trip ended up being 710 kilometers or 441 miles. I achieved my goal with a daily average of 65 miles or about 105 km. each day. So, here is the story.
Day 1: 64 miles; Duluth to Aurora
It was spitting rain as I left my home and started heading north. The beauty of the light rain meant there was no wind. I did most of the climbing for the entire trip in the first five miles as I left the Lake Superior shoreline. After I did this first climb, I would be riding on the relatively flat glacial plain that extends far into Canada. The beginning of the route was quite familiar due to all of my training rides leading up to the trip.
The need for frequent eating and hydration has become more important as I have aged. I was well stocked with food items that would keep me going. I crossed the bridge at Island Lake where some folks were fishing. I greeted them with a smile and enjoyed the scenery of the Minnesota lakes I passed this day. The mosquitoes are quite bad as I had anticipated especially as I moved further north into bog territory.
This road had no rest stops. I finally reached the point when I had to stop for lunch. I saw a small gravel driveway leading into much harvested woods. I carefully laid my bike on its side and immediately went for the bug dope. I quickly opened the packets and coated myself with DEET before the mosquitoes had me for lunch!
My ride continued to be very easy with friendly winds. There was practically no traffic on these paved county roads. I had decided that this would be a luxury trip because I would be staying in small motels along my route rather than camping. And, I had made tentative reservations.
I got to the first motel in Aurora. There was a note on the door to call the owner. She told me how to open the key box hanging on the door to my room. I never saw her. The room wasn’t fancy but as clean as possible for an old place. I sat at the window watching it hail and rain about an hour after arriving. I was so pleased to be inside. I later walked uptown (two blocks) for a very reasonable meal. I engaged in conversation with the locals and slept well that evening.
Day 2: 67 miles; Aurora to Orr
This day started out wonderfully. I had good weather this morning with practically no traffic. I had to climb to the summit of the Mesabi Range. It was a minimal climb, barely a hill in the grand scheme of things: How many steep and long mountain passes had I climbed in those 50 years of touring? I crossed the beautiful, little Embarrass River. This river was so typical of the small rivers that cross Minnesota.
I was running out of energy by around 10:30 that morning. There was a rest stop and I forced myself to take a half hour break. Of course, my regimen became: put the bike down; cover myself in DEET; then eat. There was a food store/gas station just a short distance from that stop. I walked around the store hunting for some good food, not junk, to eat. Nothing looked good. What was good were the directions the clerk at the counter gave me. It is always good to find locals who are willing to share information about routes.
The winds were picking up and a storm front was approaching. I rode along on a paved road with no traffic. I passed through forested regions and then the typical open, boggy areas that are so common in the northern part of Minnesota. I saw deer staring at me and then quietly running into the forest. And, of course, I had another meal on the side of the road that was shared with the mosquitos. I was getting closer to Rte. 53, a fairly busy highway that I would use to get to Cook. I was tired and needed to rest and refuel. I came to a tavern which is also a café for the locals shortly before I get to Rte. 53. I no more than got my bike next to the building when the skies broke open with a very heavy rainstorm. So, I rested and waited out the heaviest part of the storm. Then I donned my raingear and got to Cook where I could buy groceries for my evening and morning meals.
I pulled my wet bike into the shopping cart area of the grocery where it would be out of the rain. Cook is a pretty small town. I took my time in the store buying some good food to eat. I was suddenly “The Novel Bicyclist” in the store. I shared a brief, low key autobiography with the locals as it continued to rain. Finally, I pressed on down Rte. 53 with the rain eventually ending. Those 19 miles were like riding on the shoulder of a major interstate. The traffic was heavy as I had anticipated. The motel and treatment I received in Orr made up for those moments. The motel clerk even dried my laundry for me. Those little things in life suddenly seem so important.
There were many stormfronts passing through Minnesota during June of 2024. A week after I was in Cook, the Littlefork River flooded that entire area. I was so fortunate to have been ahead of the flooding.
Day 3: 57 miles; Orr to Littlefork
This day was the most exceptional of the entire trip. I had two possible routes to take to get to Littlefork. One meant more time on Rte. 53. The other was on a county road route that was not preferred by the locals. I chose “the road less travelled…and it made all the difference in the world.” There was practically no one using this newly paved, less popular route that led me into forested regions. I entered the Nett Lake Reservation and the forest became even more pristine and natural. It was so quiet. The feeling that came over me was like the peace I find when canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness, but I was on my bicycle. It was incredible. At one point I saw a young moose staring at me before clumsily walking off the road into the woods. What a gift!
Then, like always I needed my morning food break. Voila! There was a picnic table under some trees outside the reservation’s community building. It was perfect! A woman came out and we conversed. One of the joys of cycling like this has always been the value of getting little snippets of the lives of individuals along the way.
When I went inside the building to use the restroom, I was greeted by the surprised expression of the young clerk behind the counter. She treated me as a heroine because she had heard that brief autobiography in the grocery store the day before. She allowed me to take her photo and she helped make my day.
I rode on through the woods until I knew I had to stop for a food break. No, the logging camp didn’t seem good. There was too much loose dirt there. I rode a bit further and stopped when I saw a large boulder where I could sit. No! That didn’t work! I kept sliding off into the brush and bugs. I threw some plastic bags on the ground, covered myself with more DEET and plopped down on the ground and ate.
When I got to Littlefork, I had to call the owner of the motel to get into my room. When I stepped inside, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was a large room with spacious facilities: a table, a couch, a fancy bathroom with special oils and soaps. The owner did my laundry for me.
I actually had some walleye, Minnesota’s favorite fish, and conversed with a local logging family. I learned more about logging. These folks have been in the logging industry for generations. I learned the Littlefork River was the last river to be used for “log-running” that ended in 1937. And, they insisted on giving me the best route to Baudette where I would go the next day.
Day 4: 74 miles; Littlefork to Baudette
Unfortunately, I had a bad night of sleeping which made the beginning of my day difficult. But the winds were with me. There was no traffic on the route I was given. I had one of my breaks in front of the Linden Cemetery. There was nothing else in Linden. I was tired and sore. I folded my body over itself and just held the position trying to rest. I finally mustered up some energy, ate, and left the mosquitoes. Rte. 11 would take me into Baudette. It was fairly straight and flat as it ran along the Rainy River. Across the river is Canada. Today I saw an eagle carrying a critter in its talons. I was now in farm country. I had red-winged blackbirds dive bombing me at times when I was in their nesting territory. I saw pelicans feeding in the river outside of Baudette. When I was still 40 miles from Baudette, I came to the school in Indus. That is all there is in Indus. I pulled off and found the shaded entry way to the school. No one was there. I ate and then lay flat on my back and slept. I promised myself a day off in Baudette.
I travelled another 20 miles before I found any kind of store and human contact. It was too hot for me; around 78 degrees. When I arrived at the motel in Baudette, I again had to call the owner and wait for his arrival to get into my room. He is a farmer who is running the motel with his wife in order to make ends meet financially. He loved farming and I heard stories. The room had old furniture, but it was clean. His wife gave me a great smile as I complimented her on the upkeep of their motel.
Day 5: Day off; Baudette
I needed to let my body rest. Baudette’s population is about 950. Littlefork’s was 550. Baudette had a little more to offer for a rest day. I walked the entire town. I rested and probably could have done a half day of riding. Yet, it was wise to just relax. I had been in a quandary of where I would spend my next night. Oddly enough I learned a gas station/ Co-op in South Junction, Manitoba had motel rooms. It would be 64 miles for me.
Day 6: 64 miles; Baudette to South Junction, Canada
I rode to Warroad where I took a lunch break. I sat at the tables outside a bistro in this town of 2000. The folks in the bistro treated me like I was someone special. There was quite a bit of traffic for such a small place, but it was not too bothersome. As I sat and ate, a guy pulled up and asked if he had passed me that morning. He took my photograph. I proceeded past the Marvin Window factory and went through customs as I entered Canada. The customs guy was equally nice to me and wished me well. I was now on Rt. 12 with literally no traffic. The highway was straight and flat.
My body was feeling good. That meant the rest day was good for me. The food I was eating was working to give me the energy I needed. I moved through a forested region and quickly moved into farmland which I would experience for the rest of the trip. South Junction was literally a gas station at an intersection. I was shocked it had motel rooms. I was told that the rooms were usually used by truckers, hunters or people who would go fishing. And, then there were other folks like me who stayed at the motel. The folks were very friendly and I felt safe.
Day 7: 66 miles; South Junction to Steinbach
I had a good conversation about weather and roads with the clerk at the Co-op before I jumped on my bike for the day. Rain was imminent. She told me to stay on route 12 rather than taking any other route. This is because I would have had to travel about 6 to 8 miles of gravel to get to asphalt if I chose my original route for the day. The pending rain would make that a very tough challenge. I trusted her and was glad I did even though I knew the traffic would get heavier as I approached Steinbach, a town with a population of 16,000.
Oddly enough, about the time I needed a refueling break, a rest area appeared. It had a covered shelter which ended up being a good place to don raingear since the rain had staRted. I checked all of my lights for visibility. The headwinds were increasing along with the traffic as the day drew long. The rain did help with bug control!
The only place I could find for a lunch stop was in a lot that was full of farm implements. It had stopped raining by now. I walked around the lot holding my delicious ham and cheese sandwich in hands again covered in DEET. I imagine that was the cause of bad diarrhea later that and on other DEET days.
The traffic staRted coming in waves. This ebb and flow of traffic made the approach to Steinbach quite stressful. It included many semis filled with livestock. Anyone who has toured on highways has experienced the behavior of the winds that suck one in after a semi passes. It is a serious experience.
Today, I must say I had the best semi experience of 50 years of touring! There were many livestock trucks on Rte. 12. I heard this one approaching. It was full of hogs. The driver saw me and started slowing down. I imagine he slowed to about 30 mph. That way he would not create a sweeping wind current as he would go by me. He pulled his truck over to the middle of the road so that there was about 3 feet between his truck and me. He went SLOW. It was like a truck passing in slow-motion. The traffic slowed behind him. And, then he ever so slowly passed me. And, the cars behind him were forced to go slow. I was amazed and ever so thankful. He made that part of the day pretty darn special.
After getting into Steinbach, I dealt with a fair amount of heavy traffic. I found my motel which was part of a disco/bar kind of place. I was a bit nervous staying there. It was a weekday so there was practically no partying. I slept well.
Day 8: 50 miles; Steinbach to Winnipeg
I relied on the advice of some locals to get me safely out of town that morning. I love talking to kind, helpful people. I ended up travelling on a road that started as asphalt and soon turned into soft gravel due to the rain. At one point, I was on a bike path some local hog farm had built for their workers. Then, I ended up walking my bike for another mile because I was sinking about 6 inches into soft, muddy gravel. And, as my good fortune goes, I came upon a retired farmer who could give me directions to most easily get back onto asphalt. I got close to the Pembina Highway which would take me into Winnipeg. And, as good fortune has it, the gravel shoulder on this highway was well packed and I cruised towards Winnipeg. As I got close to the cities belt-way, I found a bike path. This took me through the city to my destination. I arrived at my friends’ home with only a few blocks of road traffic. Amazing.
This trip was quite monumental for me and a great celebration of having had 50 years of bike touring. My trips are all about living in the moment and being present to the folks along the way. I never felt afraid. There is a level of trust and belief in oneself and humanity. And, I treasure the smiles I receive and the beauty of nature. There is so much to see and experience here in America away from our large urban centers. My route was carefully chosen to avoid areas with much traffic. I recommend checking out the hidden gems in the United States and Canada off the beaten path.
