Uphill with a headwind aka Downstream without a paddle in front of a waterfall

A jogger and a group of bikers use the metro trail Tuesday near 17th Street and 35th Avenue South in Fargo. Darren Gibbins / The Forum


For the second time this week news has crossed our desk indicating that bike trails are where it is at these days. Today the Fargo Forum headlines an article with the words Happy Trails.

Earlier this week this news:

LEGISLATURE SAYS YES TO MINNESOTA VALUES: APPROPRIATES NEARLY $25 MILLION FOR STATE’S PARKS AND TRAILS

from Parks and Trails Council newsletter

State lawmakers showed they understand that Minnesotans value our interconnected system of parks and trails by appropriating nearly $25 million over the next two years for state park and trail acquisition, development and rehabilitation. The funding was included in the nearly $1 billion bonding bill passed by the Legislature early Sunday morning.

This shows a great commitment to Minnesota’s parks and trails and a growing understanding of Parks & Trails' vision of connecting our state parks together with our communities and regions with trails. Senator Langseth said to me on Saturday night, “pretty soon there will trails all over the state, connecting everything!”

The list of funded trails is $13.95 million long. It includes significant investments in the Gitchi Gami Trail ($1.185 million), the Paul Bunyan State Trail ($1.5 million), the Glacial Lakes State Trail ($1 million), the Mill Towns State Trail ($1 million), the Shooting Star State Trail ($750,000), the Gateway State Trail ($750,000) the Casey Jones State Trail ($500,000), the Goodhue Pioneer State Trail ($500,000) and the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail ($400,000). The package also included $2 million for rehabilitation of existing state trails and provided continued investments in the Blufflands-Chesterwoods trail ($350,000), the Root River State Trail ($100,000) and the Minnesota River State Trail ($226,000). The Great River Ridge trail was the only trail on our list that did not receive funding; instead the Legislature authorized it as a state trail.

The bonding bill also includes $11 million in funding for state parks, including $3 million to help acquire critical land that is now for sale within existing state park boundaries and $6 million for park building and other park infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance.

The Legislature also appropriated $2 million out of General Obligation (GO) bonds for the important new state park Camper Cabin Initiative.

The good news for 56572 is the funding for state parks and for camper cabins at Maplewood State Park.

The really sad news is that "everything will be connected" except 56572. When the day comes, the first bike trail to reach Maplewood State Park will be from Glendalough State Park from the southeast. When 56572 said "No, thank you!" a few years back to several hundred thousand dollars in bike trail money, we thought some day we would come to regret our timid decision. It didn't take long for some day to get here, did it?

These days, the best way to get to Maplewood State Park is to use County Road 3 and Cross Point Road. State Highway 108 remains as dangerous as ever, not only to bikers, but in its current state of neglect and dilapidation even to motor vehicles. Senator Langseth -one of the most powerful people in Minnesota- would be wise to take notice of the condition of the road leading to Maplewood State Park and the even worse conditions inside the Park. There used to be State money allocated for roads leading to state parks. Is there still? No wonder we cannot compete with Itasca. Check out US Hwy 71 north of Park Rapids vs. Minnesota State Highway 108 east (and west) of Pelican Rapids!

Will we in 56572 learn from our mistakes? Will we let Vergas, Cormorant and Rollag beat us to the punch when it comes to connecting Maplewood State Park to Senator Langseth's neighboring Buffalo State Park? The Senator will be in 56572 on June 8th. Hmmmm. The Keith Langseth Memorial Bike Trail connecting Glendalough-Maplewood and Buffalo State Parks, via Phelps Mill-Pelican Rapids-Dunvilla-Cormorant-Rollag through some of the best scenery in the state.

Will a new 56572 Bike Trail Commitee rise from ashes of the last one? Is the 56572 Park Board energetic?

Sometimes it feels like 56572 only wants to be connected with one thing, the past.
The future is trails and recreational opportunities.
Somebody local needs to get a paddle in the water soon.
Vergas has a motor on their canoe.
Perham has a speedboat.

PS I can foresee the first comment to this posting. Let me be the first to say:
(Maybe we should start a fundraiser to buy the 56572 editor a paddle?)