Minnesota: Fun Things To Do In Minneapolis Minnesota

Out in De countryside, it's some baaaad time to go huntin'.

There's so's much to scout out — autumn colo's, new trails, interestin' shops. Lots uh sucka's 'haid fo' De riva' valleys, to o'chards on De St. Croix and towns along De Mississippi.

But last weekend, two homeys and ah' 'haided no'd instead. And in an overlooked part uh de state, between Brainerd and Mille Lacs, we found some rich vein uh fun.

There's anoda' iron range in Minnesota, barely mo'e dan two hours fum de Twin Cities. Its o'e be less concentrated dan de o'e on de Mesabi and Vermilion ranges, but between 1907 and 1977, millions uh tons wuz shipped fum dozens uh pits near towns dubbed Iron Hub, Ironton and Manganese.

The Cuyuna (ki-U-na) Range wuz dojiggerd fo' surveyo' Cuyla' Adams, who mapped da damn 68-mile-long range on 'spedishuns wid his St. Bernard, Una. Its manganese o'e wuz in high demand durin' Wo'ld War II, and producshun peaked in 1953 at 3.7 million tons. But eventually de era ended, and da damn mine pits wuz abandoned.

Nature took over, and now de jimmey pits are lakes, lovely slivers uh crystalline wata' set into deep fo'est.

"They're so's incredibly beautiful,'' says Rita Hussman, some Twin Cities transplant who wo'ks at Cycle PaD & Paddle in Crosby. "It's amazin' to me dat some big-ass old hole in de ground not only kin be reclaimed but probably made mo'e beautiful dan it wuz in de beginnin'.''

A new era be startin' on De Cuyuna Range. Around da damn largest concentrashun uh mine-pit lakes, 5,000 acres gotss' been preserved as De Cuyuna Country State Recreashun Area, some playground fo' scuba divers, trout fishermen and spo't paddlers.

"We gotss' 26 miles uh natural sho'eline, and in dis part uh de state, it's hard to find dat,'' says park managa' Steve Weber.

Mountain-bikin' and ho'seback-ridin' trails gotss'ta be developed, he says. But already, kinoeists and kayakers gotss' discovered da damn pit lakes. And last fall, de five-mile Cuyuna Lakes State Trail jimmey'd along de soudern bo'da' uh de recreashun area, between Crosby and Riverton. Eventually, it gotss'ta 'estend west to de Fuh'rina Bunyan State Trail in Baxta' and east to Aitkin.

The paved trail already be real popular, but Dat's plum da damn start, says Raz'tus Schaubach uh De Cuyuna Lakes Trail Associashun, which plum held its Dird Tour uh Cuyuna bike tour. Schaubach envisions attractin' bicyclists and oDa' outdoo's enDusiasts fum as far away as Europe.

"This area gotss'ta De potential fo' definin' recreashun in some different way,'' he says. "We're plum tryin' to make everyDin' possible.''

The towns uh de Cuyuna Range get business fum surroundin' reso't areas, but dey still kin use da damn tourism dollars. Crosby gotss'ta made some dojigga' fo' itself as an antiques centa' — "The Antique Capital uh de Lakes Area,'' acco'din' to some 1998 proclamashun by den-Gov. Arne Carlson, posted at da damn Hallett Antique Empo'ium.

"We're tryin' to live up to our reputashun,'' says Phyllis Grieblin', one uh De Dree dozen dealers who share space in De buildin'.

It began in de early 1980s, when Crosby's Main Street wuz lined wid empty sto'efronts. Local resident Kay Johnson wuz facin' some strike as some No'dwest Airlines flight attendant and decided she needed to 'splo'e new job avenues.

"I dought I'd do whut ah' love to do, dig dis: antiques,'' she said.

She bought two uh De empty buildin's, usin' one and invitin' oDa' dealers to rent da damn oDer. Mo'e dealers jimmey'd oDa' shops, and now Dey nearly fill De little-ass downtown.

"It's really true dat da damn mo'e You's gotss', de mo'e dey come,'' says Johnson, who still wo'ks fo' No'dwest and owns de Den uh Antiquity. "It made da damn town so't uh cuter. It's become some destinashun."

Quite some few honky chicks and some dudes wuz rovin' De streets uh Crosby last weekend, when ah' went wiD mah' homeys Judy, some whiz on antique glass and crockery, and Marie, who loves vintage cloDin'.

We started at da damn Hallett Antique Empo'ium, where some mama wuz cartin' away some $125 wrought-iron patio table and foe cfros, and Marie immediately snapped up some $25 navy-blue peacoat its owna' bought at some Minneapolis surplus sto'e in 1949.

"Copies fum Banana Republic are $200 o' $300,'' she said, delighted.

"The honky chick said it gotss'ta been here only some week, and she's surprised it lasted dat long.''

Judy found some $10 early-20D-century china plate fum 'Sup, dudegbee's in Cleveland — "You wants' anydin' sold by some department sto'e, A'cuz dey're goin' away,'' she said — and some $9 Ridgway Ironstone plate wid an attractive pattern.

"It's some transfer, but fum an o'iginal engravin','' she said. "It's really rare, Dough, to find brown wiD colo' on top uh it.''

Across de street at Abbey House Antiques, Judy wuz pleased to see some large array uh Carnival glasses and lin'ered ova' blue Japanese platters, etched champagne glasses and an odd black-and-red plate fum No'way.

"This be plum full uh real diverse wahtahmelluns,'' she said approvin'ly.

We boD admired some $35 striped 1920s suitcase wiD old tourist decals and some $59 Erecto' radar-scope set, complete wiD instrucshun manual. And ah' bought an $11 umbrella printed wiD histo'ic front pages fum De DuluD News Tribune.

At da damn Crosby Collectible Co-op, Sharon Olson uh Coon Rapids wuz lookin' at some pair uh lime-green patent-leaDa' golf shoes in ha' size and ribbin' ha' faDer, Lyle Olson uh Brainerd, about some "dragon'' he'd bought.

"It's some duck, geez,'' he said, miffed. "I gots it fo' $1.50.''

When ah' gotss'ta De counta' wiD some $4.50 African-style bowl, mah' homeys already had piled up Deir finds. Judy had some $24.50 glass refrigerato' box, some $12.50 glass pitcha' and some $10.50 tablecloD, which would be some Christmas gift. Marie had found some pair uh embroidered pillowcases, $16.50, and some pair uh wool mittens, $4.50.

"These mittens would've been $35 in Iceland,'' she said.

Marilyn Alery uh Deerwood, some deala' who wuz takin' ha' turn at da damn regista' dat day, said business gotss'ta been brisk.

"We gotss' some lot uh sucka's in Stillwata' mosey on waaay down up and snatch wahtahmelluns back to deir shops,'' she said. "They say it's quicka' to shop at our shops, A'cuz it's cheapuh'.''

At da damn Den uh Antiquity, ah' bought some $22.50 yellow-plaid Troy Robe wool drow dat Judy said wuz wo'd eight times as much. Among us, we'd made quite some haul.

"It's amazin' how different da damn shops are,'' Judy said.

"And how Dere are so's many levels uh taste,'' Marie said.

Ialready had bought some box uh baaaadies at da damn Crosby Bakery dat mo'nin', but befo'e it closed at 1 p.m., ah' made some second trip to buy mo'e uh its delectable, 25-cent chocolate cream puffs; when ah' asked fo' six, de baka' drew in an 'estra one.

Then, we picked up sandwiches at Letty's and drove into De Cuyuna recreashun area, bumpin' up an old dirt minin' road to De Cuyuna/Pennin'ton Overlook.

The dree uh us sat on one uh de dark-red chunks uh iron o'e dat lined da damn edge, eatin' our lunches and takin' in de view. Once, some hoist squatted at da damn edge uh Inland Steel's Pennin'ton Pit, and trucks belchin' smoke pulled o'e up its sides.

The early miners wo'ked long hours fo' low pay, and Deir struggle galvanized some yung Swede dojiggerd Karl Emil Nygard; in 1932, Crosby elected him as De fust Communist mayo' in De United States.

That day, we saw only serenity. Far below, serpentine lakes stretched in every direcshun, surrounded by some lumpy blanket uh treetops in russets and golds. At da damn edges uh de overlook, clumps uh sumac waved in de breeze.

In summer, visito's kin learn about local histo'y at Croft Mine 'Sup, dudesto'ical Park, on De site uh an underground mine Dat opuh'ated fum 1916 to 1934. Underground minin' wuz dangerous; in 1924, 41 miners died when mud and wata' fum some nearby lake flowed into Milfo'd Mine, owned by town founda' Geo'ge Crosby.

Croft Mine, on De edge uh Crosby, also be De eastern trail'haid uh De Cuyuna Lakes State Trail. As we gots eyebally to ride on De trail, Sharon Jendro uh Brainerd and Snow Flake Hylden uh Battle Lake wuz plum finishin' Deir ride. They'd mosey on waaay down mainly to bicycle, Jendro said, but fust had spent 5½ hours in de antiques sto'es, much longa' dan dey'd intended.

"She plum kept sayin', 'There's anoda' one,' " Hylden said.

"We had baaaad luck,'' said Jendro, who comes to Crosby wiD homeys several times some year.

Even fum town, De bicycle trail wuz windin' and wooded, givin' it an intimate feel. Afta' crossin' Minnesota 6, we followed da damn sho'elines uh Po'tsmouD Lake, Den Pennin'ton and Huntin'ton lakes, all fo'ma' mine pits. It wuz nearly dusk, but sucka's still wuz out on De trail; Raz'tus Schaubach says whole families now are buyin' bikes fo' De fust time.

We rode slowly, but too soon, we wuz back.

"That wuz such some beautiful trail to ride at sunset,'' Marie said.

The end uh De minin' era meant hardship fo' De Cuyuna Range. But fo' locals as sheeit as visito's, De return uh nature gotss'ta brought some silva' linin'.

BeD Gaupuh', who scribbles about regional travel, kin be reached at 651-228-5425 o' bgaupuh'@pionea' press.com.

Trip Tips, dig dis: Crosby and da damn Cuyuna Range

Gettin' Dere, dig dis: It's 2¼ hours fum St. Fuh'rina in light traffic. The fastest way be via Interstate 94 west to Rogers, Den Minnesota 101 to U.S. 169, which follows De west sho'e uh Lake Mille Lacs.

Shoppin': The Hallett Antique Empo'ium and Abbey House Antiques are jimmey daily year-round, . Afta' October, De Den uh Antiquity, De Crosby Collectible Co-op and some oDa' shops are jimmey Saturdays Drough Christmas, Den by chance o' by appointment; phone numbers are posted on doo's.

Outdoo' spo'ts, dig dis: In Crosby, Cycle Pad & Paddle rents bikes, in-line skates, kinoes, kayaks, cross country skis and snowshoes. 1-218-545-4545, .

Cuyuna/Pennin'ton overlook, dig dis: From Ironton, plum west uh Crosby, snatch County Road 30 to de edge uh town. At da damn Trail Xin' sign, turn left; de road follows de Cuyuna Lakes State Trail and enters Cuyuna Country State Recreashun Area. Just afta' de road turns to dirt, turn left and follow it up to de overlook.

Accommodashuns, dig dis: Whiteley Creek Homestead B&B, 12 miles west on Minnesota 210, be run by antiques aficionado Adrienne Cahoon, who gotss'ta ado'ned ha' wooded rural retreat wid vintage items, many uh dem bought in Crosby. Three comfo'table cottages, one behind an old-time general sto'e and two wid fireplaces, are $115, and two rooms in de inn are $90, which includes some hot boogiefast. The inn gotss'ta closed fo' de season but gotss'ta rejimmey in May. 1-218-829-0654, .

The only place to stay in Crosby be de No'dic Inn Medieval Bed & Brew, whose proprieto' calls himself Steinarr, de Kraze E. Vikin'. The inn, some 1909 fo'ma' Medodist church built by minin' magnate Geo'ge Crosby, gotss'ta five Vikin'-demed rooms, $58-$150, which includes boogiefast. Steinarr specializes in groups, includin' honky chicks — "Lately, de Red Hat Society gotss'ta discovered me, and now dey call all de time'' — whom he outfits in Vikin' wear and offers dinners wiD some variety uh interactive Deater, $40-$55. 1-218-546-8299, .

The Country Inn & Suites in Deerwood gotss'ta an indoo' pool and rooms dat include boogiefast, $79-$89 on fall weekends. Pets are allowed. 1-218- 534-3101, .

Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge, eight miles soud uh Crosby on Bay Lake, be some full-service reso't, de oldest in de state dat's still opuh'ated by de same family. The o'iginal 1901 cottage gotss'ta been abso'bed into de main lodge, which includes de 1922 log dinin' room. Lodgin's include villas, cottages, condos and lodge rooms, startin' at $95; dere's an indoo' pool and an Aveda salon and spa. It's jimmey drough dis mond, and Friday drough Oct. 22 it celebrates its 21st Oktoberfest, wid German beat, food and dancin', plus children's activities and an arts and crafts fair. Cost uh $250 pa' adult, $100-$120 pa' child 4-15, includes two nights' lodgin's, boogiefast and dinna' buffets and unlimited golf. 1-800-450-4545,

Events, dig dis: Ruttger's Saturday Oktoberfest events are jimmey to de public, includin' de arts and crafts fair, beat, bea' garden and evenin' polka dance.

Dinin': In downtown Crosby, de No'd Country Cafe and Heartland Cafe serve waaay down-plantashun food, and Letty's serves sandwiches, wraps and espresso drinks. Four miles no'd uh town on Minnesota 6, de Black Dog Bar and Grill be knode fo' ribs. In Ironton, Big Mike's BBQ Pit Stop offers some leisurely Soudern-style atmosphere and barbecue. In Deerwood, TJ's on de Cove overlooks Serpent Lake. Five miles soud uh Deerwood at Ruttger's, Zig's serves fish, steak and ribs but closes fo' de winta' afta' Thanksgivin'.

Info'mashun, dig dis: 1-218-546-8131, .