Taste of the Root River Bike Trail

Meandering through the river-carved blufflands of southeastern Minnesota, the Root River Bike Trail connects many picturesque small towns along the way. Located about 40 miles south of Rochester, this area has always been a favorite biking destination for us. It is where we first fell in love with biking as Doug pulled our young sons along in a Burley trailer.

It is where we enjoyed weekend "getaways" at a few of the quaint B&Bs found in the trailside towns of Lanesboro and Whalen, Minnesota.

It is where ... fueled by a gourmet B&B breakfasts as well as ice cream and pie along the way, we completed one of our longest bike rides along the picturesque paved trails a number of years ago.

It is where we returned last weekend to enjoy one more Minnesota bike ride with friends before starting our journey south.

As one of our favorite biking destinations, we would like to give you a ...

Taste of the Root River Bike Trail

The Root River and Harmony-Preston Valley State Trails boasts of over 60 miles of paved trails that pass alongside scenic forests, farm lands, bluffs and river banks. Constructed on an abandoned railroad bed, the trail has become a popular tourist destination. B&Bs, restaurants, and recreational services have sprung up in the rural communities along the trail bringing new life to the small towns.

On this particular Saturday, the towns of Lanesboro, Whalen, and Peterson were hosting the Taste of the Trail event.

An Amish "road block" marked our first tasty detour as we began our ride in Lanesboro. Free samples of Amish baked goods and candies tempted us to "fuel up" even before our ride began. Rhubarb ice cream samples were also handed out to further confirm Lanesboro as the "rhubarb capital of Minnesota".

Four and a half miles down the trail, music from the town park in Whalen welcomed us. With a population of 63, I suspect most of the town showed up to offer a taste of their town. Freshly made crepes, lefsa, pie, and cookies made me start to think that this was going to be a "negative calories burned" bike ride!

After enjoying the music and treats, we needed to get a little more "serious" about the biking mileage, so we resumed our ride east along the banks of the Root River.

Nine miles later, Peterson, Minnesota's troll coaxed us off the trail and onto Main Street to enjoy live music, a giant zucchini carving competition, and of course, more food.

We found the perfect parking spot as we set out to eat our way through another town.

The enthusiastic promoters of Burdey's Pies handed out free samples. Definitely need to stop back for a full piece of their heavenly pies next time through.

The reason we could not stop today is because we got filled up with the "best bargain lunch of all time!"

For a measly $2, we dined on a grilled brat with all the fixings and finished it off with a huge root beer float. Our tummies were very happy, but our calories consumed definitely surpassed our calories expended ... time for more biking!

Heading back toward Whalen, the conversation turned back towards "pie". Whoever said that men have only one thing on their minds is right ... and that one thing is "pie"!

The Aroma Pie Shoppe has been tempting bicyclists along the trail for many years. I suspect the presence of this tasty "destination" is the reason why the 4.5 mile stretch of trail between Whalen and Lanesboro is always busy!

Back in Lanesboro, we could have been proud of our 28 mile ride, but Doug had other ideas. He lead the way west as the trail became a slight upward climb ... and then a slightly more uphill climb ... and then ... how did trains manage to climb an incline this steep in the past??? Eleven miles later, we reached our "prize" in the town of Fountain.

Our "taste of the trail" was not over ... not when there is a new craft beer to try and coaster to collect. Karst Brewing delivered good beer and a new coaster, as well as a topography lesson. Why, do you ask, did they name it Karst Brewing??? Glad you asked ...

Here is your dose of nerdliness for the day:

Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. 

For those of you who are familiar with southeastern Minnesota, that is how some of the unique natural caves and sinkholes that are common in the area were formed. Who knew that you could actually get smarter by visiting a brewery ... or by reading my blog???

I was a much happier biker coasting downhill to Lanesboro as we ended our day with about 50 miles. While the mileage of this ride was not close to our century rides of the past, sometimes you have to slow down in order to TASTE the beauty that surrounds you.

Until next time ... savor the taste of all the goodness around you ... and enjoy the adventures in your life!

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