Superior in so many ways

beautiful lost in fog

 

and on a clear day

4th largest lake in the world

largest freshwater

touching three states and Canada

40 degree water
partially freezing in the winter
warming a bit in the summer

livelihood of many a shipper and dockworker
transporter of iron ore and coal
home to Great Lakes freighters reaching 1000 feet in length
grave to many like the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald
icy blast in the winter

unbelievably blue








long summer days

My baby loves me!

How do I know? Cause he dropped me off at the start of this fabulous 15 mile all downhill trail from Carlton MN to Duluth. Best bike ride in history.

Meanwhile, he parked at the terminus and biked UPHILL to meet me. That's love, yes it is.

Lake with a river running through it

That's what Bemidji means, a lake with a river running through it. I asked both the pronunciation and the meaning. It's an Indian word. Indeed there is a Lake Bemidji with a river running through it, namely the Mighty Mississippi. Above, I am standing on a rock in the headwaters where it flows out of Lake Itasca (named after our RV, by the way) on its way to Bemidji Lake and Cass Lake and one I can't spell and then to the Gulf of Mexico, 1,475 feet lower in elevation and 2,275 miles away. When I said our plans for the summer were to visit the Great Lakes, I didn't realize that I would learn so much about rivers. The mighty Mississippi drains the eastern half of the US, and has 93 major and minor tributaries. It is the fourth longest river in the world, surpassed in length only by the Nile, the Amazon and the Yangtze. 

Here's some folks crossing the Mississippi about a quarter mile from the source.  Amazing to think it goes from this little stream to a mile wide at Cairo.

The search for the headwaters of the Mississippi was all consuming to some folks who got towns and counties and trails named after them in these parts.  Why all the bother about the headwaters?  Well, besides being geologically interesting, the Mississippi was politically important, setting boundaries between the US and France. The tip of Minnesota projects up into Canada because at the time of the Treaty of 1783 in Paris, the headwaters were thought to be much farther north. 

But I stray from Bemidji.  Bemidji, also known as the home of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, is about 50 miles northeast of the Fargo, ND.  However, since Minot ND is 91 degrees and flooded and Bismark ND is flooding and Fargo warns of a heat wave, I don't plan to color in North Dakota this trip. Think I will stay right here in Paul Bunyan country.

(had to use Daisy for scale here.....she's the white spec by the ax)

The biking trails are fabulous here, all paved and fairly flat.  Minnesota is not much on elevation, with the highest point about 2800 feet and the lowest 1400.  That makes for some Texas flatlander type biking.

And guess who I spotted in Nisswa, cute little town on the 112 mile Paul Bunyan bike trail.   I knew no one would believe me, so I took a picture with him.  I wondered about him being here but then I realized we are pretty close to Canada.  Even got Canadian TV tonight. 

I think Justin may have been here counting lakes.  The Minnesota license plates say 10,000 lakes, but in actuality, there's more like 15,000.  There's over a hundred in Itasca State Park.  I don't know how they count the little lakes the RV parks dig to make themselves more scenic, but since the count is so loose anyway, I suppose it doesn't matter.  What does matter is that Minnesota is not running out of water.  All you folks in Arizona and California and Nevada might consider moving up here. Plenty of water to drink here and you probably won't need to water your lawn either.

Course, it is a little nippy here in the winter.  I met a gentleman at a fruit stand in St Cloud who said he moved from Houston, Texas.  First winter he was here it snowed 36 feet on Halloween and the snow didn't melt until May.  Coldest winter he remembers was 54 below.  Don't put your tongue on anything metal in that weather, for sure.  I saw photos back in Nisswa of golf tournaments on the lakes in the winter.  Guess you don't get your balls back after you putt them in the hole.

The natives are enjoying swimming now that it is officially summer.  I put one toe in Sunday night and changed my mind.  I asked the girls in the pool where they were from:  two from Minnesota  and two from Canada.  I understand folks from around here will swim in anything except Lake Superior.  Superior is too nippy even for natives.  But in little lakes like this one, you'll find the locals playing with wild abandon.

 

Partly cloudy with a chance of flowers

 

I know where all the rain that is missing Texas has gone: the Great Lakes. So far Fridays have been the only sunny days of the week. When a beautiful Friday happens, the natives go wild. This week on Friday they were all on bikes along the Root River Valley, which has a 60 mile paved bike trail through little towns and along the river, past farms and barns. We found the beginning of the trail in Houston at the Houston Nature Center, complete with bike sculptures on display in the gardens.

Carl started his ride there, headed toward Peterson, about 20 miles upriver, where I drove Daisy and the RV before biking out to meet him.

It seemed fitting to end our day of biking in Austin, home to the Spam Museum and Yogi Bear's Jellystone Campground.  First time I stayed at a Yogi Bear campground. Yogi Bear had a large population of little girls on pink bikes cruising till dark and back at it at sunrise. One of them asked Daisy’s name, twice. Then she asked, “Is Daisy a boy or a girl?” I wondered would a boy dog named Daisy have the same problems as a boy named Sue? Three boys asked permission to pet Daisy as well, and they were pleased at her talking. Then they all thanked me politely. I smiled an approving smile at their mother. She raised them right.

Yogi Bear also had a big bouncy jumping park. Since there was no posted Seniors only time, I stayed off of it.

The weather has been largely unpredictable, changing from sunny to sprinkles at will. The best indicator of beautiful weather is meeting a line of Harleys out for a drive. Harleys are also a great indicator that you have found a scenic route. When you meet Harleys, it is going to be a great day. 

If the Harley's turn out to be wrong, you can always duck inside someplace like the National Eagle Center at Wabasha, an education and preservation institution, to learn some interesting facts from these raptors who have lost their ability to fly and therefore cannot be released into the wild.  Most of them were hit by autos.  This is the closest I have ever been to one of the magnificent birds.  Since they have no survival issues in captivity, they may live as long as 40 years.

This is Angel.  She's 12. A beauty. no?  They found her hopping around on the ground, about age one, with a wounded wing that would have prevented her from ever reaching adulthood.  Lucky Angel to have been rescued.

Angel has a soft imprint on humans. She was raised as a chick by eagles, so she knows she is an eagle. However, humans are her flock. Eagles raised entirely in captivity have a hard human imprint.

Angel is primarily calm, but every once in a while she jumps off and tries to fly into the crowd. We have to give her space. Did you know that the only thing that ever touches an eagle is a mate? No touching Angel, not even by her handler. And that eagles mate till death do us part? If one of the pair dies, the other finds another mate. Just like pioneers, they must go on to propogate. Only 20% reach adulthood, so the urge to propogate is strong and necessary.

One final word about the weather. Be careful what you wish for. It is supposed to stop raining for a while next week, and Minneapolis is going to reach 100. The weather report includes a warning that the mosquito population is about to explode. Clear skies, stay away!