My wife & I will be up your way late next month. We've rented an RV (no riding this trip) and plan on driving up the Great River Road all the way to Lake Itasca. My wife actually went to school at Bemidji State and still has relatives in the area there.
Welcome to the MSTA! If your riding season is short, that just means you have to be diligent during whatever constitutes your way-too-short riding season. If you haven't visited one of our regional events, that'll be a good place to start. They start early in the spring and go late into the autumn.