The Luce Line State Trail is a 63 mile long former railroad grade which is developed for biking, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, snowmobiling, and skiing. The limestone surfaced trail runs from Plymouth 30 miles west to Winsted, with a parallel treadway for horseback riding. From Winsted to Hutchinson, the trail is gravel, from Hutchinson to Cedar Mills it is crushed granite and Cedar Mills to Cosmos it is Natural (mowed grass). Snowmobiles are allowed on the trail west of Stubb's Bay Road.
Stretching across the varied landscapes of metropolitan and rural Minnesota, the Luce Line is a preserved strip of countryside alive with many varieties of plants and animals. In the east the influence is woodland, a carry-over from the Big Woods that once occupied the area. Rolling stands of sugar maple and basswood, along with many colorful forest floor ground-cover plants can be found here. From Hutchinson westward, the Big Woods give way to remnants of the tall-grass prairie, with some prairie plants still visible.
Wildlife inhabitants range from deer, fox and mink to owls and pheasant. Many adjacent lakes also support ducks and geese. The Luce Line is truly like a jaunt down a quiet country road.
To see a map of the whole trail, check out Luce Line Trail.
I spotted this beacon along the trail and thought it was pretty cool, so I hid a cache in it. Here are a couple videos of how "hot" rivets are installed.
Hot Rivet Placement Video.
Boiler Rivet Installation Video. I sure would not want to be the guy on the inside.
Flying Scotsman: hot riveting the boiler.
Caching sounds like a lot more fun than messing around with hot rivets, so get out and find that Cache.