Day 9: Minnesota: Land of 10,000 Lakes!

And the mosquitoes to prove it! Actually, they weren't as bad today, since it was overcast, cooler (50s), and breezy. I think this part of Minnesota is also the land of 10 billion trees. We drove through a mixed forest of conifers and deciduous trees (some just beginning to change color), including cedar, spruce, pine, ash, and aspen, among others. I'm sure in a few weeks it will be gorgeous.

Before leaving Bemidji this morning, we stopped at Paul Bunyan Park downtown on Lake Bemidji. Besides the obvious draw of taking pictures of Paul and his blue ox, Babe, they have an informative visitor center. I was especially drawn to the huge "Fireplace of States." It was originally built in 1934-35 and contains stones from all 48 states at the time (donated by each state, with some engraving the state name in their contribution), plus most Canadian provinces and all 87 counties of Minnesota. The Mississippi River also flows into Lake Bemidji here, making Bemidji the first city on the Mississippi River. In about seven weeks I plan to be at the mouth of this same river (I'm taking the scenic route to get there!).

Near Grand Rapids, MN we explored the Forest History Center. This had another interesting educational visitor center, but we mostly walked the trails along the Mississippi River through a forest of aspen, poplar, ash, eastern white pine, and red pine (the official state tree of MN). Besides several miles of trails, the center also boasts a re-created logging camp (including a working team of draft horses) and a fire tower. For more information on the Forest History Center, you can visit their website: Forest History Center

Today we only traveled 81 miles (thankfully!), making an even 2,100 miles total so far.

I'm 6'5" in shoes, so this gives you a sense of how big Paul was!  :-)

Bemidji is a very bicyclist-friendly town.

Store where one can buy Paul Bunyan souvenirs, at ntersection of 3rd St. and Paul Bunyan Dr. across from Paul Bunyan Park.

Across from Paul Bunyan Park.

The "Mighty" Mississippi!

Foot bridge affected by frost heave.

The Mississippi River is more of a lake in many parts of its headwaters, as seen here along the River Trail at the Forest History Center.

Fire tower at Forest History Center.

Fishing dock at Forest Lake in Grand Rapids, MN.