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This year has been extremely frustrating. With most international travel all but canceled, due to COVID-19 quarantines and a high infection rate, I needed to come up with something that seemed reasonable responsible, while giving me a sense of accomplishment.

I've lived in Minnesota for 20 years now and have never left the cities. So I decided that this would be the year to do so, except not by car but by bike. It may seem quite a bit ambitious but if successful, it will give me a great sense of not only seeing the state I call home, but also a great accomplishment of having done it by bicycle.

The plan is to spend the first 3 weeks of September (well, almost 3 weeks) to journey through the heart of North/Central Minnesota.

Proposed Route:

My proposed route will take me 700 miles through the heart of the state.

St Paul - Minneapolis - St Cloud - Rice - Little Falls - Brainerd - Nisswa - Pequot Lakes - Backus - Hackensack - Walker - Laporte - Itasca State Park & Headwaters of the Mississippi River - Bemidji - Chippewa National Forrest - Leech Lake - Grand Rapids - Hibbing - Eveleth - Beaver Bay - Split Rock - Gooseberry Falls - Duluth - Sturgeon Lake - Hinkley - Minneapolis - St Paul

This is only a tentative plan, as I needed to ensure I would have enough time to not only bike the entire distance but also give me time to explore. I have mapped it out but have 4 additional days that could be used as "free" days, adjusting to the will of my body. There are a couple of long days, at > 80 mile days, so having the extra days built in will be good. Plus, I've already built in rest days to the trip. The additional days will likely be used along the coast of Lake Superior.