Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Mississippi Headwaters (Grand Forks ND Trip, Day 4)

We start the day with a yoga class led by our friend at the local fitness club, before breakfast at the downtown artisan bakery, Dakota Harvest Bakers. We decide to take Route 2 East across Minnesota to go see the headwaters of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca State Park. 

The park has a welcoming stone visitor center, with a wooded path down to the lake where a tumbling, clear 15-foot-wide brook flows out of the lake to create a small stream flowing North, before it turns South building to become the great Mississippi.  We take our turn with a bunch of kids, walking across a log at the headwaters. 

Then, we drive the 17-mile Wilderness Drive and Bike Route around the park, stopping to examine a giant 300+ year old white pine, 112’ tall and 178” in circumference. Next time we stop here, we’ll bike the route instead of driving it.

Continuing on Route 2 East across Minnesota, we descend toward Duluth, enjoying stunning views of the blue waters of Duluth Harbor and Lake Superior. From there, we take Route 53 South to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and then I-94 for about 30 miles to the KOA at Hixton. This is a peaceful campground with large pines and beautiful gardens and landscaping.  In the bathroom, there are vases of fresh daisies and Black-Eyed Susan. At our site’s picnic table, we eat salad and the leftovers from last night, and work on our computers, connected by Wi-Fi, until almost dark.

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