Reflecting on the Root: Lanesboro and the trail

In a lot of ways, Lanesboro is kind of in it's own little world.

Tucked deep in the valley of the Root River, the self-proclaimed "bed and breakfast capital of the world" has a natural feel of seclusion to it. It's a hefty driving distance from most metropolitan areas and high river valley bluffs rise up on each side of the town to separate it from the outside world (and create terrible cell phone reception).

Major highways are nowhere to be found in the downtown area of Lanesboro. As a matter of fact, the busiest roadway through town is probably that of the Root River Trail, the premier bike trail in the area and a big part of the reason I decided to do a three-day, 290-mile bike ride out to southeastern Minnesota last week.

Admittedly, my expectations for Lanesboro were pretty high going into the trip. The community has long been described to me as being something of a Utopian community, where all the citizens are friendly, the pastries are tasty and the industry remains untouched by the Wal-Marts and McDonalds of the world. It's as if the town was straight out of "Prairie Home Companion" or something.

Add in a 60-mile bike trail, a vibrant arts culture and an Amish presence in the area, and my intrigue for Lanesboro was through the roof. My affinity for bike trails is pretty obvious, but my appreciation for Amish culture is a little more subtle. I think their sense of community and ability to get by without modern conveniences are both traits to admire (albeit admire from afar, as I am currently writing this on a laptop while listening to music on my mp3 player).

So did Lanesboro meet my expectations? Was it worth biking 140 miles through wind and rain?

Well, yes and no.

From what I saw of the Root River Trail (I only biked on about 15 miles of it due to a bridge being closed outside of Lanesboro), the lofty descriptions I head about it were absolutely true. It is a wonderfully-maintained trail with picturesque river valley bluffs seemingly around every corner. Some bike trails were built for speed; this one was built to enjoy the scenery.

I also can't complain much about Lanesboro. The local shops and boutiques are fun to browse through even if you're not planning on buying anything and there is also a wealth of great eating options (I ate at Riverside on the Root and Rhino's Pizza & Sub Shoppe, both delicious choices) to enjoy. For the outdoors enthusiast, there's kayaking, golf, fishing, hiking and, of course, biking all readily available near downtown. The town also has a thriving arts culture, with a local theater company, a history museum and an art gallery to indulge in.

Bear in mind, all of these attractions are located in a town that's smaller than Nicollet population-wise.

So how did Lanesboro not live up to hype? What blemishes could I possibly have for this Utopian town of cycling goodness?

Call it a variety of small factors and an unforeseen aspect of biking there instead of driving there.

Timing was definitely a factor. The local theater company didn't have a show playing the night I was in Lanesboro and the art gallery or history museum were both closed while I was in town (their hours are more afternoon-oriented). Due to the relatively tight schedule, I also didn't have time for an Amish tour or any kayaking.

Some of Lanesboro's "attractions" didn't really appeal to me either. The town's well-known bed & breakfast culture means little to a lone tent camper and it's lack of a grocery store proved frustrating when it came time to buy provisions for the long ride home.

Beyond all that, my initial predictions of the trip proved incorrect. I thought biking out to Lanesboro instead of driving there would make me appreciate the destination that much more, kind of like how food tastes better after a hard day of work.

However, to some extent, biking out to Lanesboro actually made me appreciate the journey more than the destination.

Had I simply driven to Lanesboro, I undoubtedly would've spent more time there and less time in the towns along the way. There wouldn't have been the memories of eating at Marv's Bar & Grill in Hayfield, tent camping at a park in Grand Meadow or sleeping on some random person's porch in Ellendale (still can't believe that happened). Instead, I would've concentrated the three days on taking in all the sights, sounds and activities of Lanesboro.

Does that mean I would have rather driven to Lanesboro instead of biking there? Heck no! It was great exercise and I had a blast experiencing all those small towns along the way.

All it means is that Lanesboro wasn't the only lasting memory of my trip. And that next time, maybe I'll take a full week off.

Riding to the Root: Time to head home

Sometimes, a morning of unexpected leisure can be a good thing.

My ambitions to explore the Root River Trail were stunted today, as a trail bridge between Lanesboro and Rushford is currently closed for repairs. One of the guys on the construction crew pointed me in the direction of back roads detour, but it would have added about 6 miles to my ride and involved going up some BRUTAL river valley hills (think Main Street in Mankato).

Consequently, I instead spent the morning walking around Lanesboro, checking out all the shops, conversing with some of the locals and buying a giant caramel roll at the local pastry shop (delicious!). I also rented out a fishing pole to get a few casts in at a popular pond in town (no luck).

I was going to partake in their famed "Amish tour," but the tour would've taken more than three hours to complete and likely would've kept me in Lanesboro longer than I planned for. The kayak rental service in town was also tempting, but according to locals, the river is still very chilly from the late start to summer, and after spending the last couple days feeling soaked from the rain, I'll gladly stay dry.

Can't say that I mind taking a more leisurely morning than planned. I did my fair share of biking to get here and still have a heck of ride to get home. A little relaxation was definitely welcome, and in a town like Lanesboro, leisure is at a premium.

I'll touch more on the Lanesboro experience in a later post, but for the time being, I need to hit the road. On the advice of some of the locals, I'm adjusting my return route to Mankato in lieu of dirt roads that I was unaware of. I'd map the route out for my readers, but the internet here is frustratingly slow.

My goal is to make it to the Stewartville/Blooming Prairie area in time for dinner. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my bike can hold together for the rest of the trip. It's been good so far...