Itasca State Park and the Headwaters of the Mississippi. . .you gotta see it!

 

we waited out the weekend. . .thinking Monday would be a much smarter day to

view the Headwaters of the Mississippi. . .hmmm. . .

and although we did not enjoy the boat tour at the Soo Locks. . .

we do love being out on the water,

and decided the Boat Tour of Lake Itasca would be just the thing. . .

I must say. . .very well done!

first thing we see. . .the Common Loon. . .Minnesota’s State Bird,

and the one thing I really, really wanted to see while we were here. . .check!

now tour guides sometimes amuse me. . .

and this was one of those times.

As we pass the Old Growth Forest portion of the park

called Preacher’s Grove. . .the guide told us that is was called that

because a group of Preachers gathered for a

. . .Religious Conference. . .

I almost laughed out loud. . .and told Dave. . .

I’m pretty sure back in those days they called it a

. . .Revival Meetin’. . .or a good ole’ Brush Arbor Meetin’

nuttin’ fancy like a religious conference. . .

ah well. . .tickled my funny bone. . .

I was completely intrigued by the wild rice growing all along the shore of Lake Itasca. . .

evidently, it is very common and grows all over the Great Lakes Area. . .

and was a huge trading commodity for Indian Tribes in the area. . .

causing many battles over wild rice. territory. . .

More images of Wild Rice and Wild Rice Harvesting

Foraging for wild food intrigues me. . .not enough to do it of course,

(well, other than blackberries). . .but it does intrigue me. . .

I bought this bag of rice in the gift shop,

although I quickly discovered I could have gotten it much, much cheaper at the Farmer’s Market.
Oh well. . .it contributes to the State Park coffers. . .so all is well,

and I am sure we will enjoy a couple of wild rice pilafs in the near future.

we also loved seeing “The Bog”. . .

the little short trees that look like Christmas Trees

are actually Tamarack Trees which are approximately 80 years old. . .

their growth is stunted due to their proximity to the bog. . .interesting!

(I’d love to load the link to a fact sheet about it. . .

but slow internet. . .not happening. . .maybe later)

lots of kayakers on the lake. . .loved this wooden one.

bet that suckers heavy though. . .

the kayakers needed to paddle through the wild rice. . .

I think the little dog on the front must have seen something interesting,

because he dove in. . .and needed to be fetched out. . .

it all happened really quick. . .too funny!

here was our view of the headwaters from the lake side. . .

the kayakers could paddle in this far, and then needed to portage. . .

this was our view of the Headwaters once we finished our boat tour,

DROVE around to the Visitor Center. . .

and hiked an awful long way. . .just kiddin’

watched these kiddos “wading across the Mississippi.”

Won’t that be a fun story to tell when school starts. . .loved it!

I got the biggest kick out of watching all these folks

crossing the Mississippi on these rocks. . .

I’m too clumsy to attempt it myself. . .

and after Dave’s fall on the rocks at Schoodic Peninsula. . .

well. . .yeah. . .ain’t happening. . .

but doesn’t this look fun?
Just past the kids swimming, you can see the path

the kayakers were taking through the wild rice

to reach this point from the lake. . .

What a fun day we had at Itasca State Park. . .

but if you really want to know all about the park

and all the things to do there. . .

plus they got some really great shots of the
Headwaters without all the folks. . .

I really, really must direct you to

Sherry and David’s Blog

In the Direction of Our Dreams

they actually stayed at one of the campgrounds in the park,

and checked out the park from every angle. . .enjoy!

See you next time at Tamarac NWR. . .

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

OH. . .P.S. . .

I almost forgot to tell you. . .

after Itasca SP, we drove the Great River Road

over to Bemidji to see Paul Bunyan and Babe. . .

I mean really. . .can you even come to Minnesota,

and not go to see Paul Bunyan. . .come on!

 

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Lake Itasca,Itasca State Park,Minnesota,Headwaters of the Mississippi,Great River Road,Paul Bunyan,Bemidji MN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Landed in a Pretty Place in Minnesota. . .we needed this!

 

after four straight days in Downtown Chicago,

and then a couple of days in the Minneapolis/St Paul Metroplex. . .

we are thrilled to have landed at Rainbow Resort. . .

on lovely Little Bemidji Lake. . .isn’t this pretty?

Don’t you feel relaxed just looking at it?

there are 8 FHU RV Sites. . .ours and one other is 50 amp. . .

not right on the Lake, but we can see it through the trees. . .

or we can just walk up to the store/office in less than a minute. . .

and enjoy the view from the bench on the back porch. . .

we have just been laying low. . .

enjoying the peace and quiet, since we arrived on Friday. . .

Later in the week, maybe tomorrow,

we will check out the Headwaters of the Mississippi. ..

and we will also check out Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge. . .

where Judy, of Travels With Emma fame, volunteers. . .

we look forward to making her acquaintance. . .

See you next time at the Headwaters. . .

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

 

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge,Minnesota,Little Bemidji Lake

Travel Days–from Iowa to Minnesota

Leaving Pikes Peak State Park,

discovered by the same Zebulon Pike who discovered

Pike’s Peak in Colorado

In 1673, the first white men to see what is now Iowa, explorer Louis Joliet and Father James Marquette, reached the mouth of the Wisconsin River and beheld the great, unknown river now known as the Mississippi. After the Louisiana Purchase, the government sent Zebulon Pike in 1805 to explore the Mississippi valley and select locations suitable for military posts. Pike recognized the park site as an important, strategic point, and an excellent location for a fort. The government agreed on the vicinity but selected the prairie around Prairie du Chien (now Wisconsin) for the fort. Several years later, Pike was again sent westward by the government and named Pikes Peak in Colorado.

yesterday morning, we traveled the “Great River Road”

for about 46 miles. . .almost to the Minnesota Border.

Now, the idea of traveling the Great River Road

has fascinated me ever since I saw

Alton Brown’s, Feasting on Asphalt, Season 2 Journey

from Louisiana, north along the river. . .


I’m sure traveling it on a motorcycle is much different than

traveling it in a motorhome. . .see that right hand side of the road

just past the shoulder, where the grass is growing?

That drops off about four feet. . .yikes!

but. . .it’s kinda fun to say we’ve been on it. . .

and I would be interested in exploring it further in the Jeep. . .

I mentioned in our last post that Eastern Iowa has been a surprise. . .

it’s difficult to depict the beauty through the windshield. . .

but there’s been something lovely around each curve. . .

even some 7 and 8% grades. . .we had no idea!

When we drove across Southern Iowa in 2010 all we saw was prairie. . .

I guess we were expecting more of the same this trip. . .what a nice surprise!

here’s the only really bad road construction we encountered

for the whole three hour trip. . .

this itty bitty, skinny, teeny, weeny little path. . .

I was just sure we were going to scrape the side any second. . .EEK!

and then on into Minnesota. . .

NO State Line sign. . .

we would not have known we crossed the border

had our Rand McNally GPS not stated it. . .? ? ?

and a lovely overnight stop at Tilley’s American Traveler RV Resort. . .

Rochester Minnesota. . .right off the highway. . .

lovely long level pull through sites. . .

and then up and rolling again this morning for a very nice 1 1/2 hour

drive to Lebanon Hills Campground in the Minneapolis/St Paul area

where will explore the Minnesota State Capitol

and the Mall of America. . .

see you there,

Janice and Dave

Eastern IOWA is a Surprise

I have a lot of pictures to sort through and label

before I will be able to post about our time in Chicago,

so I thought. . .

well, I don’t want to get behind on blog postings,

so I will skip ahead to our next stop,

and catch you up on all our goings on

in Chicago when I get it all organized. . .

Friday morning Jordan got all packed up. . .

and we headed off on our 45 mile trek (2 hours in traffic. . .ugh) to the airport,

where we went as far as we could with him (security) and left him

about twenty minutes before his assigned boarding time of 12:30. . .

all is well (we had no idea there had been massive flooding in Houston)

the Houston Chronicle called it rain of Biblical Proportions,

4 to 5 inches in an hour, with parking garages downtown

looking like swamp areas. . .

so, when we got the first notice that his flight had been delayed 45 minutes. . .

it was like, okay, no big deal. . .then the 2nd and then 3rd delay. . .

but always with a departure time about 45 minutes away. ..

until about 4:15 when he called to say the flight had been cancelled.
This is his first solo flight, so he has no clue what he needs to do.  . .

I tell him. . .get in line. . .see what they say. . .we are on our way!
OFF WE GO. . .45 miles (you get it!) raining and Chicago traffic yaaa. . .

when he calls back to say they’ve rescheduled him for a 9:15 flight,

and they are sure he will get on it. . .okay. . .

what do you want to do, because we are on our way to get you,

we can just get you a flight for in the morning. . .but no. . .

he wants to get home. . .his girlfriend is picking him up,

and he needs to be at work Saturday night. . .so okay,

we turn around. . .go back to the motorhome. . .

on pins and needles until he lets us know he’s on the plane. . .

and then another text at 1:15 AM (13 hours after we left him at the airport)

to say he has arrived in Houston. . .thank the Lord!


I know he’s a full grown 19 years old. . .but oh my goodness. . .

he will always be my baby. . .my only grandson. . .

whom I really, really needed to rescue. 


I surely hope he has any good memories left of his time in Chicago. . .

wow. . .what a day!

hopefully the horrible flight memories will fade,

and he’ll reminder the fun Gangster Tour

 

the “Bean” Cloudscape Sculpture

our wonderful Chicago Style Pizza. . .

and a fabulous time at Wrigley Field. . .all good stuff. . .lots more stories to follow later. . .

 

Anyway. . .knowing our boy was safely home in Houston. . .

Saturday morning we headed out to our next destination. ..

Pike’s Peak State Park in Iowa, north of Dubuque,

500 feet above the Mississippi River,

right where the Wisconsin River empties into it,

and about 4 hours from Chicago. . .

what a lovely place to spend a couple of days and RECUPERATE. . .

we are exhausted. . .we pull in. . .hook up the electric. . .

go back in the motor home. . .(I’ve read stories about those kinds of campers)

do nothing for about four hours. . .

go to bed at 7:30 and stay there for twelve hours. . .LOL!

as is usual for Sunday in a State Park. . .by noon eveyone’s packed up,

and we practically have the place to ourselves. . .

time for a little hike. . .

we can’t see the river from our campsite. . .

but it’s only 2/10 of a mile to the overlook. . .

from which we can see the State of Wisconsin

and the mouth of the Wisconsin River where it flows into the Mississippi. . .

the same river we took our Wisconsin Dells Boat Tour on last month. . .

small world right here. . .

saw some wildlife. . .

got us an ice cream bar at the park store

as our reward for taking a hike. . .ha ha!

Watched the hummingbirds at the feeder. . .

and was serenaded by the beautiful Mountain Bluebird. . .

I’m feeling better already!

See you next time,

Janice and Dave

The Grand has Landed. . .in Chicago

We picked Jordan up at the airport yesterday. . .

Chicago Midway. . .which, by the way

is THE most organized airport I have ever been in. . .wow!

We parked in the garage, literally steps from the baggage claim. . .

Jordan’s flight from Houston landed a few minutes early,

he’s 19, so was able to get himself to the baggage claim area. . .

 

I was all set with the camera, but he sneaked in so quick I missed my shot. . .

so. . .I made him pose when got to Navy Pier. . .

it was really bright. . .he’s squinting a bit. . .

but I don’t care. . .I’m so excited to see him. . .


We just did the double decker

Chicago Trolley Tour yesterday. . .

on our way Downtown Chicago in a few minutes. . .

lots to see and do today. . .

’til next time,

Janice and Dave

CHICAGO. . .finally

Next Tuesday, the #1 Grand, our first born, and only grandson,

will arrive via Southwest Airlines. . .

We promised the grands when we started traveling,

that we would fly them out to meet us. . .

so Jordan’s finally taking us up on it. . .

we decided we should make a dry run to check things out

but first. . .some lunch.

When someone makes a great recommendation, I make a note of it in my Travel Spreadsheet. . .

then when we arrive in an area. . .I have all these great places to check out. . .

so when Judy mentioned in a comment to Marsha and Paul

to check out Frank’ Pizzeria on Chicago’s Northwest side,

I decided that would be a great place to have our first taste of Chicago Pizza. . .

EXCEPT. . .

evidently, they are CLOSED ON MONDAYS. . .hello. . .

all righty then. . .nothing to be done about that. . .

so. . .on to the next thing, Wrigley Field. . .

which took us through this great little Northwest Chicago neighborhood.

All these cute little houses, lined up side by side,

with yards as neat as a pin. . .really lovely. . .

and the copper clad windows on this condo unit were so great. . .

We just wanted to check out where Wrigley Field was located. . .

we have tickets for a game next Thursday. . .

so I know we will get some great pics then. . .

so we just parked at McDonald’s across the street, and got a couple of quick shots.

and on we go. . .here’s the EL. . .

we really thought we would be taking this in,

but, we are so far out, it would cost almost $60 per day roundtrip

for the three of us to ride. . .so, it’s way less expensive to just

bring the car in, and pay $21 parking. . .

Dave hasn’t found driving in Chicago to be any worse

than driving in Houston. . .so there ya go.

Of course, we’ll try to avoid rush hour times. . .
I’ll let you know how it all goes. . .

Finally. . .what we’ve been waiting for. . .
the Downtown Chicago Skyline. . .

as seen from Navy Pier

I’m sure I’ll know what some of the buildings are

after we take the Architectural Boat Tour next week. . .

We checked out Navy Pier, and had lunch. . .

but decided to save all the sightseeing and tours

for when Jordan arrives next week. . .

 

So, that was it. . .our first day in Chicago. . .

exciting huh?

 

There’ll be much more to share next week,

 

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

Belvidere Illinois–almost to Chicago. . .almost

We moved the coach from Madison Wisconsin to

Pine Country (Outdoor World) in Belvidere Illinois

which is still 65 miles from Chicago. . .guess why?

because it’s part of our Thousand Trails “Membership” package

so there’s no charge for us to be here. . .yaaa!

After some of the prices we’ve paid to stay up here in

the Great Lakes Area. . .”free” is good for the budget.

Boy, am I ever glad it’s free. . .’cause it’s only 30A service,

and it has gotten hot. . .up into the 90’s. . .

Now, that would normally not be a problem . . .right?

We can still run one A/C. . .and just maneuver appliances and such. . .

trust me. . .over 12 years of full timing. . .we’ve figured out the 30A misery. . .

The problem happens about 2 o’clock every afternoon. . .

the sun is beating down on the MAIN Breaker Supply. . .

those breakers heat up. . .and TRIP!

So. . .no one in our row is tripping their individual breakers at their pole. . .

but we have to wait for the tech to come over. . .unlock the main breaker box,

and get us all up and going again. . .yaaa. . .NOT FUN!

okay. . .enough whining. . .on to the fun stuff. . .

Next week, our #1 Grandson (he’s the only boy) will be here. . .

so. . .before he gets here, we’re going to move the coach over to the KOA

where we will have FHU and 50 AMP service. . .yes!  Also about 20 miles closer to the city. . .

Belvidere’s claim to fame is that it is the City of Murals. . .

you know I love my murals. . .and since we weren’t fixing to go into Chicago

on the weekend, we decided we would go check them out. . .

I’ll just show you this really great one. . .and include the rest in my album.

 

As we were walking about snapping pics, one the shopkeepers came out

to see what we were finding so interesting. . .it really is a pretty little town. . .

obviously an important place, at some time in history. . .

so we chatted with her a bit about the town and her business,

and told her exploring little towns is a great way to get a nice walk in. . .

we thoroughly enjoyed it.


I know this has not been all that exciting. . .

but I wanted to chronicle Belvidere for our journal. . .

Next time. . .Chicago. . .I promise!

 

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

 

Belvidere Illinois - Summer Trip 2014 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Illinois,Belvidere IL,Thousand Trails Membership,Pine Country RV Park,Outdoor World