Paul Bunyan Trail – Brainerd/Baxter, Minnesota. August 2004. We hadn’t planned on riding this trail on this trip but our ride on the Gandy Dancer was cut short and we were reminded of this trail in a book at a giftshop. The first 50 miles of the Paul Bunyan trail runs from Brainerd/Baxter to Hackensack. We stayed at the Super 8 in Baxter. We caught the trail on Excelsior street just a mile or so from the hotel. My parents shuttled the truck to Hackensac. This was a 50 mile ride on paved surface. No more than 10 miles between towns with food and shopping. After the ride we were told there is another 50 miles that is mostly paved. The book had said it was not maintained. It was unusually cold for August. At the start of the ride the temp was in the lower 40s. On this trip we also rode the Gandy Dancer in Minnesota.
