We said goodbye to Nelson and Lydia on June 26th and left Michigan the next day, arriving in Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin for four days and nights of just relaxing.
When we got to Burlington Bay RV Park in Two Harbors, Minnesota we were on the far western coast of Lake Superior. Our view from our large front window showed us this magnificent lake with all its eccentricities – bright sun glittering on the placid water; fog and clouds hiding the expanse of the lake; the wind making small white crests of waves; and rain adding even more water to the already high lake. And from early morning to the finale of sundown (at 10 pm!) the little beach was filled with people bathing, rockhounding, fishing, kayaking and canoeing and picnicking.
Minnesota is covered in trees and just imagining it in winter gives me chills. As you drive along the highways you see snow markers on all the fire hydrants and for the first time we saw those long markers on park benches. There are often snowmobile trails marked along the highways. I guess you just forget about your cars since the snow gets so deep the plows make caverns along the roads and snowmobiles get you where you need to go better.
Loons play a big role in these parts of the country – we even saw the biggest Loon on Highway 51 pretty close to the Loony Bean Coffee Shop in Mercer. In Brule we saw a Giant Chair with a fishing pole, axe and arrow. We also learned that Wild Rice is the thing to eat there. One day we asked our waiter about wild rice and he explained that it is a good cash crop. He and his father went out in a canoe once – in a boggy place among the rice plants – and they hit the plants with their oars to gather the grains in their canoe. He said it was a lot of work and there were a lot of spiders but they made good money that day. And I tried the Wild Rice Soup which was delicious.
Minnesotans also love the Voyageurs – the Vikings that explored the oceans. We saw large statues of these ancient explorers everywhere. And along with those large statues we saw a Giant Fisherman, a Giant Oar, a Giant Indian Head, and a large (not giant) Chicken. We did not see any real moose but moose are favorite advertising icons – like at Mooselaneous – a small gift shop.
We did a little sightseeing at the Glensheen Mansion and its gardens. We walked along a break wall on Lake Superior to a lighthouse and ate lunch at the Vanilla Bean.
The next day we traveled north to Gooseberry Falls State Park. This park has a great hike that lets you see all three spectacular falls as the Gooseberry River plummets through a narrow gorge. After the hike, we enjoyed lunch near the visitor center.
After three nights, we said our farewells to Lake Superior and headed to Grand Rapids, Minnesota where we stayed at Pokegama Campground. We hiked around the park and over the dam. Just a two night stay but it was a great campground. While there we took a self-guided tour of the Judy Garland Museum and Home. We read the displays which mainly focused on her young years. The refurbished house had some of her family’s items and gave an authentic flavor to those early years of Judy dancing and singing with her sisters.
Our last stop in Minnesota was the Bemidji Campground, another wonderful place for us to live for a few days. The highlight of our stay was visiting the headwaters of the great Mississippi River. You can walk across it using the (slippery) stones – lots of people were doing it. The river is fed from Lake Itasca. The average flow is 45 gallons per second. At the mouth of the Mississippi it has increased to 5 MILLION gallons per second. We then drove to Lake Bemidji State Park where there is a fantastic bog walk. The nicely maintained trail guides you with interpretive signs that tell you all about the flora and fauna of a bog and how it differs form the surrounding area. Finally, we made a stop at the Bemidji Visitor Center to see the large statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe, The Blue Ox. Bemidji is the (disputed) birthplace of Paul Bunyan. We also saw a bronze statue of Chief Bemidji nearby. We walked through the Veterans Park and ate lunch on a nice bench in this beautiful park.
Now on to a new state for us: North Dakota!
