Itasca State Park, MinnesotaSep 10, 2009
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Head Waters of the Mississippi River
Fox Walking across the Mississippi
| day Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Got a great night sleep last night! Quiet at last! And what a wonderful, fun day we had today! We took off down winding, tree-lined country roads, past fields of corn, and marvelous mid-western homes and farm land, heading to Itasca State Park, and the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. We ate lunch in the lodge, and then took a short, two mile hike through the woods and around the lake (one of the ten thousand, and that is no lie. There are lakes behind every piece of property it seems, every where you look). We sprayed with mosquito stuff, and thank goodness we did, because we got attacked as we walked through the woods. I came away with only a few bites, thank goodness. After our hike, we visited the gift shop where I bought our magnet – as is our custom – and then we drove to the headwaters and both walked upon a large fallen tree that served as a bridge across the Mississippi River. Just 2,552 miles from where we stood, the Mississippi River dumps into the Gulf of Mexico. I took off my shoes, and then walked across in the river as well, just to say I did it. The water was not cold, and the rocks not to tough on the bottom of my feet. Hey, you only live once, and how many people can say they actually WALKED across the Mississippi? After that we took a 17 mile drive on the wilderness trail, a one-way road surrounded by trees and forest, and naturally, lakes and bogs. We came across twin does, just born this spring I guess. They just stared at us for a while, and then hopped into the woods and out of sight. They were white tail deer. We were told that the park is overpopulated with the deer, and they have to build fences to keep them away because they eat all of the young trees. The park service has put little wire fences around all of the baby trees near the lodges and out buildings, to protect the trees from the deer. Finally, we headed back toward Detroit Lakes, stopping in Park Rapids, where we took our evening walk through the neighborhoods. The mid-west is really a special place. No fences, either around the houses in the cities and towns, or in the country. The trees are turning gold and orange, and soon they will be celebrating the harvest. It is a little humid, but compared to Texas, just dandy! If you don’t walk in the woods, or go out after dark in the summer, you can avoid the mosquitoes most days, and the people seem pretty friendly. Lots of Gundersons and Lindstorms, etc., and they actually do say “YAH”. In the front window of a real estate office, we got a look at the cost of houses in the area, and they are still really affordable, compared to the west. If it weren’t for those darn winters…but if you can travel south when the snow starts to fly…. life looks pretty darn good for these folks from where we stand. Tomorrow we pack up and head to Duluth, Minnesota for a couple of days. Hate to leave this beautiful place, but I am sure that another incredible piece of America is just down the road from here! Take care. Barb and Dick, and Lucy too. |
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