River

Minnesota is lucky to have so many natural resources. I use to think it was just a huge park system. I think I've been to every one at some point in my life. I use to think I got out but the more I ride off trail the more I realize how much we really have. The cities have huge tracks of land along the rivers but you wouldn't know it if you just followed the tar.

Steve was handing out exclusiveness tickets to bushwhack some private land and I was lucky to get one of 4. We muster up at a public venue and then drive down the road to the private entrance, gear up, and get riding.

We ride along lakes, rivers, creeks and tributaries for something like 5 hours and 20+ miles and never see any tar, road or shack. That's a lot of land. The river really makes it possible but the river also makes it difficult land to use. It's soft ground that floods and is broken to bits with creeks and drain ditches. That's not a problem in winter on bikes but you have to be willing to cross huge log jams, get trapped on an island and know when to retreat. Bravery is a mixed blessing on thin ice. I have above average ice skills from years of scuba diving ice and enough grit to test bad ice from years of hanging out on desperate rock climbs so I would spearhead a few thin ice crossings. One made Mark and I turn back after the ice started to explode around us in the middle of a large lake when we tried to cross a wet pressure ridge.

Josh can't pass up a good tree. He ran up that thing like a squirrel.

Thin ice, that's water on the right.

Most complete hobo camp I've seen. I think it's river boaters.

Playground. This is one of the ride overs.

Log jam. Maybe 200 feet wide

It's a get well card for bikers!

This is why we go.

Space and more space. See what I mean about the resources.

Thanks Steve. You are number one.