Day trip: Ride along the Cambridge-Isanti Bike Trail

Take a day-trip up to Isanti County, Minn. and check out the Cambridge-Isanti Bike Trail. It runs from the soccer fields on the north side of Isanti to the southern edge of Cambridge. With the toddler in a bike seat and the 5-year-old in a carrier on a super windy summer day, it took us about 1/2 hour to traverse the trail one-way.

Tailgating at the soccer fields

We made sure to stop at the Congressman Oberstar overlook midway to appreciate the bogwalk.

You'll go through corn fields, wooded areas and swamp. Enjoy the wildflowers, butterflies and songbirds.

First we enjoyed nature's sweet treat: raspberries along the path!

DQ is at 8th and Main Street in Cambridge

At the edge of town, we kinda lost the trail, but proceeded on roads until we wound up at Dairy Queen at 8th and Main Street. It was a great treat midway. If we would have had more time, we would have headed over to the Rum River Park to run around on the playground.

After working for the newspaper in Isanti County for 10 years, I'd followed the drive to install the bike trail between these sister towns, and it was very exciting for me to finally see the finished product and bicycle along it. It was bittersweet to realize that one of the main supporters, Congressman Oberstar, had died a few months earlier. I wonder if they'll change the plaque to honor him in a larger way on the bogwalk. His support was instrumental in getting federal money to help build the trail, which had been a dream of the Cambridge and Isanti school children for 25 years. (Read story in Isanti County News about the opening.)

In Isanti, maybe you'll be able to catch a soccer game. The BMX track and new cablewakeboarding are also pretty close, as is the playground at Bluebird Park. If you find you need another sweet treat, they make great pies at the Creamery in downtown Isanti (104 W Main St.)!

Weird sightings in Minnesota...

 Giant walleye sighting in Garrison, Minn. on Mille Lacs

 Giant deer in Deerwood, Minn.

Steel Moose off the dirt road, Outing Minn.

Painted horse off the dirt road, Outing Minn. 

Inspired by the book, "Weird Minnesota."

#5 - Northwest Company Fur Post in Pine City, Minn.

We visited the Northwest Company Fur Post in Pine City on a surprisingly chilly summer day, and it started to rain when we arrived. The place was pretty dead. I'm not sure if we would have had a better time had the situation been different or whether it just wasn't the place for a 4-year-old and a 14-month-old...

I heard the time to visit is on Family Fun Day in September. Then there are over 200 re-enactors spread out over the grounds.

On a normal weekend, there are just a few that rotate giving 40-minute tours. There was very little that was hands-on. If you have a kid that enjoys listening to stories, they'll like the site. Otherwise, wait a few years.

We started the 40-minute tour inside the museum, talking about beavers. The high value places on beaver hats in Europe drove the fur trade here in America and Canada.

One of the first "building" to view is an Ojibwe tepee.

The fort sits on the Snake River.

I thought it was interesting that unlike the Hudson Bay Company, the Northwest Company encouraged its employees to have families. They saw value in marrying with the folks they traded with, recognizing that it created stronger bonds.

The highest point in the post. These posts were built only to last a few years.

After the tour, we finally did something hands-on. They had materials for kids to sew together small birchbark canoes.

Inside the small museum, folks could "try-on" hats from the time period.