Passing Scenes

• Immediately across the border, we headed for Grand Portage State Park. There, a half mile hike took us to the viewpoint for High Falls:
  

  

  These falls on the Pigeon River (the international border) are the tallest in Minnesota at 120’. Long ago, American Indians created a nine-mile trail from Lake Superior to bypass the falls. Later, that trail became famous as “The Grand Portage.”
  
  Continuing southwesterly along Lake Superior, we paused a number of times for attractive vistas over the lake:
  

  

  

  
  Although water levels were low in all the waterfalls we could spot from the road, nevertheless, we entered much-loved Gooseberry Falls State Park for a look-see:
  

  

  

  In the photo above, the bridge carries the state highway across the river; below is the view downstream from the bridge’s catwalk:
  

  

  It was easy to appreciate why this state park is so popular: lots of volcanic basalt for kids of all ages to clamber over, many trails and bridges and a fine visitor building.
  

  

  
  Leaving the state park, we stayed a night near Duluth (a 2006 destination) and arrived next day in Bemidji:
  

  

  Meeting Paul and Babe --- as thrilling as that was --- came in second to our main reason for being here. You guessed it, a bike ride:
  

  

  Repairing a flat bicycle tire delayed our departure but this 7 mile stretch of the Paul Bunyan Rail Trail was well worth the effort. Below is a view across Lake Bemidji toward town, which lies on the western shore. In the foreground, a youthful Mississippi River flows gently under an old railroad bridge and enters the lake:
  

  

  Another body of water adjacent to the trail is Big Bass Lake:
  

  

  However, despite its substantial-sounding name, it is a fraction the size of Lake Bemidji. Before returning to our car, we also rode about 1/2 mile into Lake Bemidji State Park. There, colorful leaves carpeted much of the path and did their best to hitch a ride on our tires:
  

  

  
  Bike ride done, we set off to discover the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River, only an hour’s drive away. Getting close, we sped right across the infant river:
  

  

  This photo shows where the Mississippi begins its flow at Lake Itasca, Minnesota --- taken on a beautiful, delightfully warm day:
  

  

  Perhaps because of the waning afternoon, only a few people were around to share our discovery. With no queue, it was easy for each of us to take a turn walking across the Mississippi --- something one doesn’t do every day: