Hiking into Nisswa

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We've discovered there's quite the Paul Bunyan theme in this part of Minnesota! Earlier today, we decided to hike on the Paul Bunyan trail into town to find some lunch. There was a little drizzle, but not enough to put a damper on the walk. I was a little nervous about ticks, as I'd read that Lyme Disease is a problem in Minnesota. Thankfully, the Paul Bunyan Trail is wide and paved. When there was no one passing us, we stuck to the middle of the trail. With the trail and some bug spray, I felt pretty good about us avoiding ticks.

When we reached the town, we found a little statue of Babe the Blue Ox. I was amused that the Paul Bunyan theme continued! Later, my grandma's cousin Kevin told me that there's supposed to be a big Paul Bunyan statue near Brainerd as well.



We browsed all the little shops and restaurants along main street. Some of our extended family had decided to eat at Ye Old Pickle Factory, which seemed to be like a bar and grill. We chose to eat at Adirondack Coffee, which advertised lunch sandwiches. I'm so glad we did! When we stepped in, we heard live music. There was a trio playing on an accordion and two violins (I think they were violins...). It really made it a fun experience. Andrew and I ordered a roasted vegetable sandwich to split as well as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the kids. Andrew got an iced coffee that was truly the best iced coffee I'd ever had. The food took quite a while, so they brought out a Scandinavian dessert for us to try while we waited. They were so kind. That's when I noticed a big poster advertising a Scandinavian music & dance festival in Nisswa the following day.



Our food was phenomenal. I loved the roasted vegetables on my sandwich, and I kept stealing sips of Andrew's iced coffee. When we were done, we popped into a few souvenir shops and then headed back to the Paul Bunyan Trail to return to our resort. On the way back, we passed some cyclists. When they were a hundred yards away or so, I realized the cyclists were a couple of my aunts, my uncle, and one of my grandma's cousins! They said the bikes were free to check out at our resort. How fun!

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Photos

The Paul Bunyan Trail
The Paul Bunyan Trail runs adjacent to Main Street in Nisswa, Minnesota. We were able to walk into town from our resort on the famous trail.

Views from the Paul Bunyan Trail
I imagine there's poison ivy in there. Also, with so much lyme disease in this part of Minnesota, we stuck to walking in the middle of the trail to avoid ticks.

Trains at the Historical Society
There were train cars you could walk through, and a little toy train to ride on by the Historical Society. The toy train didn't work, but the kids liked checking it out nonetheless.

Babe the Blue Ox
There was a whole Paul Bunyan theme going on in this part of Minnesota.

Bicyclists on the Paul Bunyan Trail
As we hiked back to our resort, we passed my aunts and uncles who had checked out some of the free bikes and went for a ride.

Live Music at Adirondack
I believe they were some of the Scandinavian musicians who were scheduled to play at the Scandinavian festival the following day.