Sunday morning we once again enthusiastically ate our breakfast left by the cottage lady (who, by the way, was an excellent hostess, making sure we had everything we needed). Packed up and checked out around noon and drove a few towns to Backus. The shuttle guy had recommended the trail between Backus and Hackensack if we were interested in another scenic skate.

It was 9 miles from Backus to Hackensack, and took us about 1 hour, 20 minutes. Hackensack's claim to fame(?) is apparently that of being the birthplace of Paul Bunyan's girlfriend, and there is a large statue in town of Lucette Diana Kensack. Mildly disturbing is the unnatural bulge on the left side of her dress. There was some kind of party going on in the city park, and we learned that some congressman was present. They were grilling and you could buy lunch for $5. We opted to try one of the local establishments instead, though, and had some pasta at Lucette's. It was OK.

Upon putting my skates back on to head back to Backus I felt the beginnings of a blister on my left instep. I hadn't thought to pack any moleskin, so I just laced my skates as tight as they would go and hoped for the best. It took slightly longer on the return trip, but I was more concerned with taking it easy than making good time. The very last mile seemed to go on and on and on.

With the exception of a brief but delicious stop at Dairy Queen for blizzards, our drive back to the Cities from Backus was relatively uneventful. There wasn't even a significant number of returning vacationers that I could tell. Maybe they all stayed up there.

Once home I was completely and utterly EXHAUSTED. My right knee turned out to be somewhat displeased with all the activity. Nevertheless, it was an amazing weekend. I would highly recommend the Paul Bunyan State Trail to anyone biking, skating, or even walking or hiking.