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| Photography by Al Galus |
Carol writes: On leaving the Dakotas, we embarked on a quick two-week breeze across southern Minnesota, with stops in three small towns. The state of Minnesota has been called the land of 10,000 lakes, and to our eyes that fact was no exaggeration… We noticed a stark change of scenery as the view outside our motorhome windows changed from treeless Dakota prairies to a very green land that was lush with trees and lakes in a rolling landscape shaped by ancient glaciers. For three days, we stayed in a campground in the resort town of Detroit Lakes,
where we had plans to meet up with good Colorado friends Barb and Jim, who had recently relocated back to Minnesota to be closer to family. With campsites almost across from one another,
we caught up on key life events since last seeing Barb and Jim in their former home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Barb wanted to show us the headwaters of the Mississippi River, the great American river that touches 10 states as it flows south to drain half our continent.
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| At the headwaters of the Mississippi River |
The four of us took a day trip 70 miles north to Lake Itasca State Park to a spot that the Dakota and Ojibwe Tribes had known about long before explorers like Zebulon Pike undertook relentless searches for the river’s all-important source. It wasn’t until 1832 when an Ojibwe chief guided explorer Henry Schoolcraft to the headwaters at Lake Itasca.
Barb and I participated in the local “wet your toes” ritual at a relatively small pool of headwaters partially walled off along the shore of Lake Itasca.
For good measure, we all took turns “walking across the Mississippi River” on a handy half-log bridge.
On the way back to camp, we took a detour to visit an old abandoned farmhouse where Barb’s hearty Minnesota grandparents used to live and farm the land.
Along the way, we also caught up with Barb’s Uncle Donald.
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| Garfield, Minnesota campground |
Our next brief stay was in Garfield, Minnesota, only a few miles from Barb and Jim’s lot on Turtle Lake. Barb has dubbed this spot their little “piece of Paradise.” A deluxe garage and workshop has already been built.
As soon as Mother Nature cooperates by sending drier weather, construction on a new home is set to begin. The dock at Turtle Lake appeared ready for summer action.
Sunday brunch at Arrowwood Resort, followed by a tour of the waterpark, was a great way to wind up our visit with ole friends who are just beginning their own new adventure in life…
We have always considered crossing the Mississippi River a watershed moment in any road trip back East. Like much of Minnesota this past spring, we also had a rainy day for our official river crossing.
For a week over the Fourth of July holiday, we hunkered down in a large casino campground in the small town of Hinckley, Minnesota. The Fourth of July “parade” consisted of a dozen or so decorated golf carts,
with enthusiastic riders who had plenty of patriotic spirit. And that was small-town America for us on the Fourth…
The tiny town of Hinckley was no different than thousands of small towns in Minnesota, except for the fact that this old logging town was front and center in a firestorm that killed 418 people as it destroyed several villages in East Central Minnesota on September 1, 1894. The Hinckley Fire Museum, located in the old train depot, did a fantastic job of retelling the incredible saga of the Great Hinckley Fire of 1894, the greatest tragedy in Minnesota history.
There was a treasure trove of old photographs, such as this one of the Hinckley Fire Department that was taken the year before the great fire.
A restaurant called the “Beanery” was captured in this remarkable instant in time at the old train depot. “Beanery” customers picked their seat in front of the piece of pie that most caught their fancy.
Miraculously, over 1000 Hinckley residents survived the firestorm by scrambling aboard hastily assembled passenger and freight cars headed north out of town. Others cowered in lakes and swamps around town to escape the ferocious flames.
Over a century down the road, Hinckley has long been rebuilt. Not surprisingly, we noticed that Hinckley’s modern-day fire department is one that would be the envy of any small town…
Since we had a week in Hinckley, we decided to check out St. Croix State Park along the St. Croix River, which forms the boundary between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Our plans for the day changed drastically when we discovered that the mosquitos were vicious! Our first clue was when we spotted a fisherman dressed head to toe in the heat, including mosquito netting over his hat.
This family that was headed out for a day of fishing on the river was similarly covered up.
Even campground hammocks had mosquito netting!
At St. Croix State Park, ice fishing camper units were something we had never seen before.
On the internet, we discovered that these typically bold-colored campers have a bathroom, sleeping area, kitchen, and even TVs… along with strategically placed holes in the floor for winter fishing through the ice in comfort.
We stuck it out at the park long enough to take a short walk along the St. Croix river.
However, the humidity and the experience of sharing the park with mosquitos and ticks eventually took its toll. Pamphlets about mosquito and tick-borne diseases didn't help the situation either. In more ways than one, Minnesotans sure are tough people…
For us, that was a bit of a speed run through Minnesota. Along the way, it was great catching up with ole Colorado friends who are just in the early phase of their new life in Minnesota. We thank them for showing us around and playing Carbles (it’s a Minnesota game) with us. We wish them well as their dream unfolds in rural Minnesota…
As for us, three summers ago when we were in in this area, we ran out of time to explore the mysterious Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so that is the direction we will head to investigate the rugged beauty of the shoreline of Lake Superior.
Carol Galus
Photo-Blogger
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