2025 International Rally Reveal

[Highway Rider]

2025_internal_rally_reveal.mp4

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[SgtSlag]

Seeing as I am familiar with most of the beautiful State of Minnesota, I thought I'd post some insights for the Rally attendess to consider as they plan to attend.

Wisconsin State Highway 35, from Superior, WI, to Bluff Siding, WI (Winona, MN):

• Runs along the Mississippi River, defining the border between Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

• Lots of small towns to drive through, most have a cafe in them.

• One of the most beautiful rides you will find anywhere, with the Mississippi River running next to the road, albeit 100+ feet away, you will still get beautiful views as you ride.

• Doesn't matter whether you ride North, or South, but if you ride on the weekend, expect the highway to turn into a parking lot -- it is THAT popular of a ride!

Northern Minnesota Areas of Interest:

• MN-65 State Highway -- Runs North, out of Duluth, after Interstate Highway 35 ends. It hugs the Northern Shoreline of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes; red sandy beaches, rocks, and cold water all year-round! There are multiple State Trails, waterfalls, and Split Rock Lighthouse Museum, are just a few of the sites to see along this majestic highway. Easy riding as the curves are large and sweeping, on well-maintained blacktop roads. If you have the time, take as much of it in, as you can. You can spend a couple of days riding this all the way to Grand Portage, on the Canadian Border. You will not regret riding this road -- words just cannot do it justice. If you want a ride you will remember for the rest of your life, plan to circle Superior, starting at Duluth, going through Canada on Trans-Canadian Highway 17, all the way to Sault Ste. Marie, where you will cross back into the USA; from there, travel westward, back towards Duluth, traveling through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, across northern Wisconsin -- the South Shore of Lake Superior is very different from the Northern Shore: the South has sandy beaches which will make you think you are in California -- watch out for the sand drifts which may partially block the two-lane highway! You might even see surfboarders, wearing wet suits, of course, due to the cold water temperatures!

• Gunflint Trail, driveway into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area -- this is a day-long ride, in and out, starting from Grand Marias! The easy blacktop roadway will wind through forests showing the scars from the 1918 fire, standing amidst the new growth of trees afterwards; the road ends at a building where you can get a meal, but be prepared for the burgers to be twice what you expect -- they had to be trucked in, a very long ways! Pristine wilderness, you may not see much traffic along the way, and your cell phone may not get a signal, so plan accordingly...

• International Falls -- coldest city in the Continental USA, every Winter... It is home to a gigantic paper mill, mostly automated, which makes paper from thousands of pine trees, harvested locally -- and they offer free tours to the public!

• Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park -- Tour an iron mine, and learn about Minnesota's incredible Iron Range.

• Chisolm, MN's Discovery Center -- Tour an Iron Mine Museum, and learn about how Minnesota's iron supplied 70% of all of the iron used to make steel for the USA, during World War II!

Miesville, MN to La Crescent, MN, via US Hwy 61:

US Hwy 61 ride through the bluffs, along the Mississippi River. The bluff country is amazing, and one of the best rides in the State of Minnesota. US 61 is just one road you can take, but it winds along the River, taking you through some of Minnesota's finest small towns:

• Miesville -- King's Bar & Grill features 100+ styles of hamburgers to try out; people drive from all over the region for a meal here, so go for lunch, if you can, to avoid the crowds. Parking is limited at the bar & grill, but there is ample parking across the highway, in the Catholic church's lot. Excellent food and service!

• Red Wing has the World's Largest Boot on display in their store in the old part of town, world famous boot maker, and a beautiful, older town which is fun to tour, with good eateries, like Liberty's Restaurant and Lounge, as well as the Red Wing Brewery.

• Lake City, where the sport of water skiing was invented; the highway takes you alongside beautiful Lake Pepin (actually a named, wide spot in the Mississippi)!

• Wabasha -- National Eagle Center, for Bald Eagles, our national bird, they nest along the Mississippi!

• Winona -- Home of Winona State University, a full, four-year college, located in a smaller town -- check it out for your children/grandchildren!

• Elba Fire Tower, West of Winona -- it's away from the Mississippi River, but the bluffs, and the views, are amazing. The Fire Tower can be climbed, and the view is spectacular -- if you can make it to the top (I have not...)!

• La Crescent Home of some of the most incredible Apple orchards, only available in the Fall Season, so come back around late September! In June, ride through the bluff country, enjoying the sweet smells of nature, along with the majestic views!

Southwestern Minnesota:

Pipestone National Monument, Pipestone, Minnesota, the only quarry from which Native Americans carved stone, Peace Pipes from! If you see a Peace Pipe in a museum, anywhere in the World, it likely came from this area. Some museum Peace Pipes are thought to be more than 400 years old... You can climb around and through the quarry, but remember that this is sacred ground to Native American tribes, so be on your best behavior, please.

I could go on, from here, with even more sites to see in Minnesota, but it would take you an entire Summer season just to see everything I've listed thus far. I hope you will avail yourself of a couple of the things I've listed here, as long as you made the trip all the way to Duluth! Hoping to see everyone there -- Wife and I are planning to attend, if we can get time off from work. Cheers!