BWBA- Boundary Waters Bike Area

     Folks visiting the Gunflint Trail next Tuesday and Wednesday will need to keep an eye out for some unusual critters on the roadside.  These critters will most likely have hard shells, rubbery leg coverings and maybe even spikes on their feet.  They will travel swiftly with their two round leg extensions beneath them, sometimes called wheels or tires.  These contraptions are not often seen on the Gunflint Trail due to the lack of suitable riding surface that is most often consumed by vehicle traffic consisting of logging trucks, boats with trailers, speeding locals and SMMSV(slow moving moose seeking vehicles).  However, we welcome the bicycle riders on Jim Kobuchar’s 35th adventure to Cook County and the Gunflint Trail. 

     Jim Kobuchar is a former columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune where he entertained readers for 45 years.   Originally from Ely, Minnesota he’s an adventure seeker who has climbed mountains, parachuted from planes and visited the far corners of our big earth.  He even invites others along on his adventures through his Adventure Club.

     His next adventure will find him in Cook County, Minnesota where his group will bike along the North Shore of Lake Superior and camp at the famed Cook County High School for a couple of nights.  They will no doubt enjoy the many wonders of the North Shore and especially of Grand Marais.  I hope his group has donuts from the World’s Best Donut Shop and enjoys some other fine dining while here. 

     The best part of their adventure will begin on Tuesday when they visit the Gunflint Trail.  We’re hoping some of the riders will visit us at Voyageur while they are here.  No plans have been arranged with us during their stay but everyone knows a trip to the Trail isn’t complete without visiting Voyageur.   We’ll be ready for riders and will attempt to keep Malachai the Moose out of the middle of Sag Lake Trail for their safety.

     We hope the Adventure Group has a wonderful visit to our neck of the woods.  I hope there are plans in place to ensure the safety of the riders as the Trail doesn’t have a shoulder along much of the 56 mile roadway.  Our new County Engineer is already working on that but since she’s one step down from a miracle worker she’s not quite finished with that project.  We’ll all just have to use care and caution and remember to slow down next week when we see the new form of wildlife on the Gunflint Trail.