Do It Differently Personal Training

Turns out there is a nice bit of entertainment in Bemidji…the birthplace of Paul Bunyan, local craft beer, shoe shopping, and buying books (so much for the continued attempt at Little Free Library). I also squeezed in a nap! Some days it feels like vacation, and other days, we are non-stop sight-seeing or driving. Today felt like vacation.

We didn’t actually get to swim in the lake (a major downer). The weather was perfect for a dip, but the Swimmer’s Itch warnings sounded horrid. No thanks. We were already scratching enough mosquito bites from Quetico.

The kids spotted a turtle at our neighbouring campsite digging a hole…turns out she was laying eggs! We watched the whole thing (from a respectful distance), until she wandered away. The Junior Rangers kicked into gear and notified a park ranger for egg relocation. That was very exciting stuff!

Our camp host (insert new retirement idea) was really nice and suggested we check out Lake Itasca on our way home…it’s the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Some very interesting history on the discovery of the headwaters…many explorers were trying to find the source of the Mississippi review, and eventually, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft found Ojibwe chief Ozawindib, who guided him directly to it. Of course Chief Ozawindib knew where it was. Guess who took credit for the “discovery”?

This is a very popular site-seeing location in the summer. We saw license plates from Florida, Texas, both Dakota’s, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, and of course Minnesota. We dipped our feet in the headwaters and started our final leg of the journey home. One last night before we are back in our own beds.