Exploring the North Woods of Minnesota

     “Minnesota's North Woods—part of the larger Laurentian Mixed Forest biome—cover roughly 23 million acres of the state's northern tier. This scenic region features thousands of glacial lakes, dense pine and spruce forests, rocky terrain, and abundant wildlife like moose, wolves, and black bears.” (Information obtained from the internet.)

   We arrived in Bemidji, Minnesota, on Sunday, August 2nd, and set up our homestead at a small, locally owned campground where we had previously reserved a site for a week.  It is a more cost-efficient way to stay at a park; by staying for a week, you get a much better daily rate.  We wanted to give ourselves seven days in one spot so we could take a few day trips to explore what's around us and have some days just to relax.

Known as the "First City
on the Mississippi River"

    On Monday, we drove over to Itasca State Park, America's second-oldest state park, where the Mississippi River Headwaters are located.  Since we've cruised down the river from New Orleans to where it ends at the Gulf of America, we just had to see where it actually begins.

    We began our park exploration by stopping in the Visitor Center, which also houses a very informative museum.  We read from several reviews that this was a must-see while touring the park, and we certainly agree with that recommendation. 

Itasca State Park Visitor Center.

     After leaving the visitor center, we then drove straight to the spot where the Mississippi River begins.  As do most who visit this site, we walked across the river, waded in it, and had our photograph taken by its iconic landmark. We even bought matching t-shirts stating that we’ve been there and done that! Now, we’re looking like real tourists!

This is where the mighty Mississippi River begins.

Proof that we were there!

We were wading in the river.

Another view of the river.

       After enjoying a brief time of sitting outside the park's cafe drinking coffee and eating a blueberry muffin, we drove around the entire loop that surrounds the 1,600-acre wilderness sanctuary.  We stopped at one point along the drive where you take a 1/2 mile hike up to the Aiton Heights Fire Tower. The last part of the hike was pretty steep, but we made it to the tower and were thankful to find some picnic tables where we could stop and rest for a few minutes. 

That's a long way up!

Entrance to our tower of terror!

    Here are some photos taken from the top of the 100-foot-tall fire tower...did we take them?  Well, our hearts were willing, and we probably would've pushed ourselves to make the climb; however, just as we sat down to take a breather, a group of young people showed up right behind us.  Six teenagers from the group bolted to the tower.  As they passed through the gate, they shouted that the sign said only 6 people could go at a time...awwww, shucks, we were so disappointed that we couldn't join them!!! 

    After the energetic teenagers descended the tower, we asked one of the girls if she would share her photos with us.  She graciously obliged, and with just a matter of touching our iPhones together, we got to see what she saw, so we figured that was good enough for us, and we didn't need to make the climb!

A view from the top.

Another top-of-the-tower view.

Our view from the top via air drop!

    We concluded our stay at the park by renting two e-bikes for an hour, another activity we highly recommend if you ever go to Itasca State Park.  We got to ride along scenic trails which at times crossed over the (not so) mighty Mississippi River.  It was a very enjoyable ride; the temperature was perfect, and we were thankful for the assist that the e-bikes provided these Aging Cajuns!

Following the leader and
carefully taking a photo while pedaling.

Our family will not be surprised to learn
that their mother/grandmother detoured
from the perfectly smooth paved path,
tried to turn herself around in the
not-so-smooth ground in a
picnic area, got the giggles because
she couldn't find a good place to
turn around and kept getting
further away from the path,
lost control after finally
making a turn, and ended up
getting sandwiched between
the bike and the picnic table.
The photo of the bike is
in the exact position where
it landed.  The rider got a few
bruises and scrapes, but
she is perfectly fine...well,
physically speaking!

    We took Tuesday off and did a few housekeeping chores, caught up on our laundry, had a home-cooked lunch, and then went to town to do a little thrifting for our eBay store. 

    On Wednesday, we made a two-hour westerly drive to Grand Forks, North Dakota.  We figured that this would be our chance to scratch that state off of our map while we're that close.  On our way there, we drove through a few interesting towns with picture-worthy murals to add to our photo library.

Small town, big talent.

A very eye-catching welcome sign.

"Fosston, Where the Prairie
Meets the Pines"

Crookston -- sits along the Red Lake River.
It is home to one of the campuses of
the University of Minnesota.

    Our plans were to have lunch in Grand Forks, North Dakota; however, the restaurant we wanted to visit is located in East Grand Forks --- in Minnesota!  We sat outside on the back patio of the Blue Moose restaurant to feast on our delicious meals. David got to eat walleye fish for the first time. We made sure that we sat where we could look directly at North Dakota, which is located on the opposite side of the Red River that runs along the backside of the restaurant!

The front of the restaurant.

The back of the restaurant where the
outdoor dining is located. We’re on a
sidewalk that runs behind the restaurant. 

Just a brief walk down the street
from the Blue Moose, and there  
hangs the North Dakota sign
on the bridge.

    After our dining experience, we took a stroll down the street from the restaurant and ventured through the Cabela's/Bass Pro Shop, which is located right in the middle of town.  

The store is on the main street
going through town, right before
the bridge to cross into N.D.

We went from the Blue Moose to
the brown moose, which are found
outside of the Cabela's Bass Pro store.

  The Red River is what separates the
two states. Of course, fisherman
David was able to
name each fish on the mural!

    Just a short drive across the bridge brought us into North Dakota, where we found our way to a Goodwill Store to do some additional sourcing.  We had to eat something in N.D., so we found a 5th-generation candy store located in the heart of the beautiful downtown area and purchased a few treats to serve as our dessert.

Widman's Candy Shop
Five generations of candy makers.
Because we made a purchase of a
few pieces of their homemade candy,
we were each offered a chance to pick
out a piece of candy to sample!  
That’s a perfect example of what
lagniappe means!

    On day four of our stay in Bemidji, we made a two-hour drive deeper into the North Woods to visit International Falls, MN, where we stopped by the tourist center to get recommendations for things to do there.  We then toured a little bit of the city, took a selfie with Smokey the Bear, and stopped in a few of the very quaint gift shops.  

A few wall murals in town:

We loved this store that had hundreds of 

pennies inlaid on their bathroom floors!  

The good thing about this design,
it only cost pennies to make!

    We figured that since we were only a half mile away from Canada, and had our passports with us, we would cross the border to eat lunch in another country.  We went to a highly recommended restaurant, The Flint House, located in Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada.  

O Canada! 🇨🇦 

Our car's first trip to Canada!

Fort Frances, Ontario

Town mural.

Great food and fantastic service.

    After visiting a few shops in Fort Frances, we drove back to America.  We only had to drive about ten miles east from International Falls to get to Voyageurs National Park.  We already knew that to really see the park, you'd have to do it by boat.  We did not want to spend the time nor the money to do that, so we went to the visitor center, then drove around the area to see parts of the very large and beautiful Rainy Lake.   

Of course, we had to leave our
name alongside one of the many
beaches on Rainy Lake.

    On Friday, we decided to just take it easy and stay home for most of the day.  We did drive over to Bemidji State Park to see Lake Bemidji, took a walk down to the beach area, and strolled along one of the park's trails.

A photo that our younger grandchildren
will appreciate.

Shoreline of Lake Bemidji.

    Saturday was a highlight for us because we drove to downtown Bemidji to see the Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox statues, where the visitor center has a webcam focused directly towards the statues and the little park area in front of them.  It was another very beautiful day, perfect weather for being outside.  

   Our family members who live in Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and Mississippi got to see us on the livestream.  It was fun interacting with them via text as they were watching us wave at the camera and then trying to do some dance moves that a few of our grandchildren texted us a request for ... they got some good laughs from their Papa's antics!

A view of us from the webcam.

The Aging Cajuns flanked by
the big man himself,
Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox.

Um, which way is the camera?

    In sum, Minnesota is a beautiful state that has a lot to offer for sightseeing enthusiasts. We merely scratched the surface of what is available for adventurers to enjoy. 

    Minnesota definitely lives up to its nickname, “Land of 10,000 lakes!” Our observation has been that while its vast number of lakes are wide and deep, its small number of rivers are narrow and shallow! 

   We were quite blessed to wake up to a few chilly (by our standards) mornings, but the cooler temperatures were very welcoming for us southerners who are usually melting during this time of year in south Louisiana!

     Today, August 9th, we made our way over to Iron River, Wisconsin for a two-night stopover.  We are now regretting not reserving a longer stay in “America’s Dairyland;” however, we have resolved in our hearts that we cannot possibly see and do everything that's being recommended to us, even though we'd love to.  While we have a lot of time on our hands, we don't have an unlimited budget!

    To this point of our extended vacation, we have visited five out of the six states we wanted to scratch off our map!  On Tuesday, we will get to scratch off the sixth one when we arrive in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where we will be staying for at least a week.  We have much anticipation of taking many day trips there to explore what lies along Lake Superior and other places we get to discover along the way. 

    Until next time...blessings from our neck of the woods to yours!

    Romans 8:38-39

Bonus photos:

Sign outside of gift shop
in International Falls

We found a cute roadside
chapel for sale if anyone
is interested,

Our spot next to the campground's
bar and grill with a golf simulator.
Park quiet time is 10:00 PM
however, the bar stays open until
1:00 a.m. and the patrons
loved sitting out on the front porch!

River rats!

Just sitting on the rock in the river.

He's walking to New Orleans!

Taco about getting something sweet!