Minnesota (or what we did two weeks ago!)

One last trip through Fargo, North Dakota and we are on our way to Minnesota. Two Rivers Campground and Tubing to be exact where we met up with John and Bill! Six weeks together “doing the Mississippi” is what we call it. Our first campground, Two Rivers, is at the confluence of the Platte River and the Mississippi River south of Little Falls, Minnesota. It is very pretty here, very green and lush, and a little bit humid.

One of our first excursions was a bike ride on the Soo Line Trail. We put in a few miles from our campground and the four of us rode 6 miles to the town of Bowlus where we stopped at a little cafe with the most enchanting gardens and had a cup of coffee. John continued his ride to St. Joseph where we picked him up later in the day. The rest of us headed from Bowlus back to the trailhead, completing a wonderful 12.1 mile trip! (Our longest to date!)

A drive up to Little Falls and Charles Lindbergh State Park for a little hike in the woods! Who would have known that Charles Lindbergh grew up near Little Falls, Minnesota! We found a nice trail in the woods that led us right by his childhood home along the Mississippi River.

We also took time to go to the dam in town and watch how much water comes down the Mississippi River, and we aren’t too far from the Mississippi Headwaters.

Speaking of headwaters, what would a Mississippi River Tour be without a trip to the actual headwaters of the Big Muddy? The vote was unanimous and we headed out bright and early for a two (or was it three) hour car trip to Lake Itasca, the source of the Big River. Wow, it was worth the trip! It is beautiful there, and the water begins flowing out of the lake over a “dam of small rocks” where it begins its 2,552 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. We all took the plunge and forded across the Mighty Mississippi just downstream from its source!

After four days at Two Rivers we headed to East Arbutus Park near Black River Falls, Wisconsin for John’s 67th birthday and a surprise visit from his friends Gary and Brian from Appleton, Wisconsin, which would be our next destination in a few days. We celebrated John’s birthday in style at Arbutus Lake, John also got in a nice bike ride with Bill and Brian on Saturday. We took a dunk in the lake which was quite refreshing! (No, that is not us in the photo)

On Monday we all left heading for the Appleton area to High Cliff State Park on the shores of Lake Winnebago. Brian and Gary actually went home for the 1st evening, and had us over for a wonderful dinner in a beautiful home on the banks of the Fox River. I regret that I got no pictures of the river from their home, but it was amazing!

On Tuesday the six of us did an amazing hike on the Red Bird Trail, a total of 3.8 miles.

Next blog post, Green Bay, Wisconsin and camping at Hahn-a-lula and boating on the Wolf River! Then on to the Milwaukee area! Boy time is flying and we are staying busy and too far behind on the blog!