mnadventure.com

As indecisive planning would have it, we, in the final hours, changed course.  Weeks prior would have led us into Canada to playboat at Sturgeon Falls with a large MN crew.   Due to newly promising wind forecasts, a notorious promoter of Peter Lynn kites receiving fresh packages of ripstop and dyneema, and despite government shutdown of guaranteed play areas: four Saint Cloud stationed enthusiasts set our tack for Bigfork, Minnesota.  This was a perfect destination for three reasons:  one, we could hit up Cuyuna State Park in its new attire, the recently opened MTB trails; two, we could nail every Dairy Queen we might come across (due to Bigfork being geographically closer than Whiteshell Provincial park -hard to believe- we had added time for such peripherals as DQ); and, three, it is close to a great kite venue with shallows and clean wind.  This was the perfect 4th of July weekend plan.

Cuyuna was the first destination for kicks and the one highlighted in this article(Aaron covered the kiting at Red Lake).  We parked in the shade next to the Park’s key flora, Poison Ivy, and hit up the most bountiful section of trail.  Overall there is roughly 23 miles of trail split up into four sections with liaison trails for connection; the trail we devoured, Mahnomon, has the most variety and length.  This section seems to be referred to as Huntington by some, but the free and detailed park map nails it down as the Mahnomen Unit.  The oral nomenclature for this area is not limited to its birth name and what some riders may call it, but boasts terminology from a historical standpoint as well.  The locals refer to one of the large hills that you can ascend and expediently descend as “Busch Mt”.  Not because of the elevation, nor the weeds like hedges overgrowing the trail, but honoring its previous purpose in life as a graveyard of cheep and empty beer cans. Much has changed from these days, which is obvious if you ride here, as the park and the trails are without litter.  In general bikers seem to not only shave their legs with care, but groom their playgrounds as well.  Mahnomon, like much of the park, has easy to expert riding with seemingly 95% of the trail accessible for all levels.  The key ingredient on upping the grade of difficulty is speed.  The faster you go the more challenging/dangerous the track, which can be a questionable debate as the formula speed=endorphins is ubiquitously present.  A smaller portion of the park is made up of sections that are specifically technical and out of range for the novice; a little trials type riding is in order in these areas and a fall would shake up the beginner’s confidence and reveal the quality of metal beneath the colored epidermis of bike they were mounted on.  Ability aside, this place is a superlative and must be hit up.  If you find yourself in the Crosby/Ironton area and at the Mahnomen trailhead hit up Sand Hog Mountain, Screamer, and anything else you can get your pedals on. 

 Invariably, the DQ and Kite objectives were adequately met.  Once in Bigfork we were greeted and seemingly, enjoyed by the Saude family.  There is never a moment of sigh in there presence.  With a beverage of choice (with Aaron around there is no such thing as choice, you must have a can or bottle at all times) in hand we toured the homestead, 4x4ed the shredded Highway 7, discussed things in general, kited dual 19 meter chargers (one of the sexier sights I have gleaned from the world), watched one year worth of pent up kite aggression explode from Aaron (he was in the air double overhead more than on the water), and laid out copious arc kites on the lawn to marvel their magnificence (photo available in Aaron’s post).

Independence Day and MN is shut down because a bunch of politician suits can't get along.  Let's have ourselves a revolution and set this government right like our founding fathers!  Brody, Angie, Evan and Natalie said "To Hell with the shut down!" and took to arms and came up to Bigfork to visit the Saude Clan.  We drove up to Red Lake, hopped the fence and drug all of our gear to the lake to ride the excellent winds and open uncrowded space the great north provides.  We had dual 19 meter Peter Lynn Chargers that had just arrived in the mail and needed to be "tested" to make sure they were operational, and they passed the seal of approval.  It was a great weekend of talking kites, hanging out with good friends, and it was nice to have 4 other people to help us wear out Brock and Cora.  We were unsuccessful.  We didn't get much governmental over throw work done, but we did consume a lot of alcohol, eat tasty food, and kite till we were sore.  Hope your holiday was just as enjoyable!

Click on the photo to check out the pics Evan took in the water. 

I wanted to post a note apologizing for 6 months of me doing nothing with the site.  6 months with no internet will tell a person alot about them self, basically how much you don't really need it!  Regardless, the Saude Clan is all together again in our new basecamp of Bigfork, MN and even have a slow DSL connection!  Back to work I guess.  If I can find time in all of the new exploring I have to do.  Bigfork is in the Chippewa National Forest and there is recreation galore!  I hear tales of rapids on the Bigfork river and nice whitewater in Big Falls, great biking trails, and sweet canoe trip destinations.  Tons of trails and tucked away lakes.  I think the Chippewa Forest said they have 3 of the 5 largest lakes in MN?  Time to dust off the kites too.  

If you find yourself north of HWY 2, stop by and say hi... if you don't get distracted by all the fun stuff to do before you get here.  I'll do my best between my job and family and new location to do more with the site, but I won't make any promises!  Have fun in the MN summer.. it'll be snowing again before we know it!

I haven't been to a Winter Challenge yet, but looking forward to it.  The folks at Bigfork Valley are pretty active and this is their event to encourage people to get outside this winter and have fun.  Snow Sculptures, Winter Survival, Dog sledding, curling, nordic skiing, skate skiing, ice water diving..  How could you not find something fun to do there.  Come on up to Bigfork, MN and hang out outside.  Check out the website for more info:

http://www.bigforkvalley.org/Challenge/winter.html

 I'm in charge of the relay race I guess, so if you want to come and volunteer, I'll put you to work as well.