Pillsbury State Forest

This weekend I got the opportunity to do some riding in the Pillsbury State Forest northwest of Brainerd/Baxter.  It was nice to get on the bike again.  Other than polo, I haven't been biking much lately.  Between the heat, storms, home projects, family get-togethers, and a short trip up north (without my bike), it's been tough to find the time.  For this trip up north bringing my bike was a priority...

This was the first time running CrossMark tires both front and back on the Fargo, and I'm glad I did.  The trails were rougher than I had remembered.  But the Fargo handled the rocky, rugged trails without any problem... the mud, rocks, logs, steep downhills... everything.

The trails were a lot of fun, especially some of the downhills.  The excitement created by speeding over a rough trail combined with the feeling of being deep in the woods really makes for an awesome experience.

At one point the trail dumps out on a forest road, right in the middle of an area that is currently being harvested.  Giant tire tracks, piles of debris, open areas without trees, and heavy equipment made it hard to follow the trail, but I eventually picked it up again.

I didn't see much wildlife, but it's a pretty area and the route I took passes dozens of small lakes.

I returned to the resort with muddy legs and a multitude of bites and scratches.   A quick jump in the lake made for a refreshing end to a hot ride.  Another great summer day on the Fargo...

I ended up with about 20 miles, but wish I had kept going to 30 or so.  I hope to get up to the area again next summer to do some more exploration.  At a couple points the doubletrack crossed what looked like freshly built singletrack.  Figured I should do a bit more research before I venture on brand new singletrack... next time.