Oh Canada!

Birds Hill Provincial Park, Winnipeg, CA

The sunset last night at Itasca State Park was a deep red orange that filtered through the trees. It set the tone for the quintessential campground experience. It was a packed campground and the guitar playing, sing-a-longs, smoky fires and teenage horseplay went on till at least midnight. We didn't mind and got a chuckle out of the very sincere folk singing guitar player belting it out. Ned was cracking me up doing a bad imitation, only to have the folk singing guitar player continue playing sounding exactly like Ned. We had to bury our heads in the pillow to keep from laughing so loud.
Reluctantly we left Itasca State Park and once again headed north. We had about a 5 hour drive into Winnipeg, Canada. It was gorgeous driving though the unplowed prairie, but I couldn't help thinking what this area must look like 9 months of the year covered in a blanket of white and several degrees below zero. We decided that since this very Northern part of Minnesota has such a short summer season that everything just goes crazy at once - mosquitos, flowers, birds, etc.
We entered Canada on a very obscure road and noted that the entry into the border wasn't open after 10 pm. Some very enterprising American had set up an RV park on mowed down grassland not far from the border with a sign that said "Canadians Welcome". Gotta love that Yankee entrepreneurial spirit!
We finally reached Winnipeg and I wanted to explore the city on bike. There's a section appropriately called The Forks where the two rivers (Red and Assiniboine Rivers) meet. The Forks area was originally settled by the Cree Indians then French trappers and traders and finally pioneers. Today it's a big city park that has numerous bike trails, restaurants, a market center and outdoor areas. We had a great time riding our bikes through the area and reading all the interpretive signs. When we went up the observation tower to get a view of the city and rivers we noticed huge black clouds lurking ominously on the horizon and decided we should high tail it back to the car. We arrived JUST in time before it absolutely down poured. We decided it was a good time to find the campground for the night.
Birds Hill Provincial Park is only about 15 or so miles outside of Winnipeg and it could be a million miles away. It is unlike any campground I've ever seen before. It has a little bit of everything; bogs, prairies, woods and 200 different species of birds. The most unusual thing is that it is laid out like a city, with campground circles (12 different areas) that hold at least 400 campers. It doesn't feel so much like camping as living in the future. What a contrast to last night's quaint CCC buildings. The shower building is a totally green structure with grass roof, state of the art plumbing and radiant floor heating. Each circle has it's own bathroom with a wifi connection. (Ned snapped a picture of me seeing if I can connect to the wifi for posting tonight's blog. My data plan no longer works in Canada so I'm at the mercy of wifi connections). By the time we got settled in, the skies cleared up and we took advantage of the sun by going on another bike ride. This park has miles and miles of paved bike paths that wander through the various areas, including around 3 manmade lakes. It was a little sad to see a lifeguard at each beach with hardly anyone there.
The campground host is very sweet and much friendlier than any of the campground hosts we've come across in the States. U.S. hosts generally just leave you alone or come around on their golf carts to make sure you've paid. This lady, Mary, rode her bike to our spot, was impressed we were from California and wanted to make sure we had everything we could possibly want. She even came back later to give us tons of brochures and little collector pins that say Manitoba and The City of Winnipeg. How cute is that!
Today's menu is bbq pork chops (that we picked up from the smoked meat shop) and grilled asparagus. When Ned first put them on the grill the skies were blue and within minutes things changed and another deluge of rain came. I got a great pic of my hubby grilling with his rain poncho. Ahh Californians, what we'll do for BBQ. Fortunately the downpour only lasted about 5 minutes. I have absolutely no idea what's in store for tomorrow, but I'm sure Ned will keep me laughing no matter what.

Mississippi Headwaters - One Journey Ends another Begins

Itasca State Park, Lake Itasca, MN

What a gift that our final day on the Great River Road was so perfect. The last leg of our journey through Northern Minnesota was so jam packed I hardly know where to begin. We woke to an absolute glorious day of bright sunshine, warm weather and no wind. We barely made it out of the campground as a bike rally, complete with 2 police escorts had congregated at the city park. Once we navigated through a hundred or so old geezers in their finest spandex, we headed for the GRR road signs and headed north once again. In this part of Minnesota the Mississippi River twists and turns and spills into lake after lake. It's really hard to navigate the GRR road so we did our best, but it was hit or miss. We eventually made it to Grand Rapids, home of Judy Garland. Well who could resist touring Dorothy's childhood home and museum? As museum's go this one was pretty underwhelming. The most exciting thing was seeing the carriage that was used in the film the Wizard of Oz. Turns out that it once belonged to Abe Lincoln. How's that for a little symmetry! The saddest part was that the original Ruby Slippers were stolen in 2005 and never located. The funniest part and the hardest I've laughed in a long time was when Ned and I were taking our pictures in those stupid little miniatures where holes are cut out for your face. (We so love those things). Unfortunately, this was in the Children's part of the museum. I fit in just fine (there are some advantages to be a smidge over 5 feet) and Ned was able to snap my picture as Dorothy. However, when Ned attempted to be the Tin Man not only was the hole for his face too small, but it was also too low. Ned couldn't get down or up after, nor get his face in the hole while I was snapping his picture. Priceless. We were both laughing so hard we caused quite a commotion and several moms looked at us none too pleased. We decided to mosey on our way and head to Bemidji. I think Ned was looking forward to the gigantic Paul Bunyan and his ox, Babe after his humiliation with the Tin Man.
By the time we reached Bemidji the temp was close to 80. We decided to have lunch at the Minnesota Nice cafe and then go for a bike ride around the lake. Of course we took our kodak moment with Paul Bunyan and Babe and then continued on. The bike trail along the lake was amazing. On one side were lilacs in full bloom, giving off a heady perfumed scent and on the other side were beautiful quaint homes that looked like they were out of a Norman Rockwell painting. My day could have ended here and I would have been thrilled.
Knowing that the headwaters of the Mississippi River were calling to us we piled the bikes on the car and headed out. This time the GRR was much easier to follow. We made several stops along the way for local fare. Once at a smokehouse and the other to buy some smoked white fish from a Native American selling from his pick up truck along the road. We crossed the Mississippi several more times and each time couldn't believe this was the mighty river we had followed for the last two weeks. At times she was more flooded meadow than river and at other times she was a meandering brook spilling into another lake. We finally reached Itasca State Park and couldn't wait to see the actual headwaters. In fact, we bypassed getting a campsite and just hightailed it to the headwaters. Wow...we were both giddy with the excitement of reaching our destination, but also in complete awe of how humbling this journey of over 2500 miles along her shores has been. We've seen the incredible force of the river, the destruction her flooding has brought, the massive and powerful dams trying to tame her and how she has shaped so many lives along her banks. I couldn't help think of the role the Mississippi River played during the Civil War, of the early Riverboat days and all the wonderful Blues Music along the Delta. They say it takes 3 months for the headwater stream coming out of Lake Itasca to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Legend has it that if you walk across the headwater and make a wish it will come true when that water reaches the Gulf. Ned and I took a few moments to meditate, make our wishes and then walk across. I'll let you know on Sept. 13th if my wish came true.
We got a great camp spot near the lake and spent the rest of the day exploring this incredible state park. It is Minnesota's oldest state park and much of it was built by the CCC. We went on a killer bike ride (lots of hills) but had a great time riding on the paths, exploring the Visitor Centers and seeing the old lodge. This park feels much more like a National Park and I'd definitely rate it as one of the top ten in the country.
After all this activity I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate reaching the Mississippi headwaters than busting out the smoked white fish and some Mississippi Mud beer. Now that's what I call the perfect dinner.
So tonight the Great River Road journey ends, but tomorrow another begins. We continue to head north into Canada, driving across our Northern neighbor's plains until we reach the Canadian Rockies. We hear a big storm is headed that way so we will definitely enjoy our summer evening.

Going with the Flow

Lum City Park, Brainerd, MN

We've been so lucky on this trip with great weather. If it has rained it's been only at night and we've woken up to blue skies. Well, not so much today! Torrential rains pelted us for most of the night, but it was quite dry and cozy in the winniemobile listening to the thunder and hearing the storm surge around us. Yep, we still slept on top with a panoramic view of the happenings in the campground. This morning the rain kept up which resulted in us changing our plans throughout the day. We were only about an hour outside of the Twin Cities. I had originally planned a bike ride around a park and near the river in Minneapolis, but we could barely see while driving so that plan was definitely scratched. Rather than explore the Twin Cities we decided to put them on a list for another trip and do our best to navigate the water drenched highways. We (the royal we here, Ned was driving and thank goodness!) hydroplaned our way around the cities and caught up with the GRR on the Northwest side. The weather finally broke and the skies cleared up by mid day.
We drove alongside the Upper Mississippi and it sure looks completely different in this part of the woods! The river is dotted with homes on both sides of her banks and roadsigns indicate canoe put-ins every few miles. We stopped at a couple of parks to get an up close view and the river basically looks like a small lake. It would be pretty easy to swim across at this point. In fact, Lake Valley Reservoir, where we often picnic and swim back home, seems more of a challenge to swim across than the Mighty Mississippi now. I'll attach some photos so you can see just how serene and peaceful she looks. I imagine with the cold winters in this part of Minnesota that the river freezes over in some parts too.
One of our destinations today was Charles Lindbergh State Park. We were looking forward to taking a tour of his boyhood home and eponymous museum as well as camping at this campground. Turns out it's not open on Wednesdays. We toured the campground and decided while nice, it was still too early in the day (early afternoon) to pitch camp. So, we toured the local Charles Weyerhauser Museum instead. It's a sweet little museum and research center that tells all about this area. It also has lots of funny contraptions from days gone by. I got a chuckle out of the electric gizmo that permed ladies' hair. This museum is situated on the Mississippi so it was fun to walk out to the grounds and get another perspective on the Mighty Miss looking rather halcyon. We drove through Little Falls, MN and had a great time watching the falls now turned into a dam roaring at full blast. A couple of guys were fishing in the backwaters next to where the water roars through the gates of the dam and they were literally pulling in fish after fish, as fast as they could hook their rods. Amazing and so fun to watch!
Fortunately, another state park, Crow Wing, wasn't too far down the road. I checked a couple of my maps and books and it appeared perfect - situated on the confluence of the Crow and Mississippi Rivers. I also checked it out on the internet. It did have a warning that wood and deer ticks were prominent in this park. Hesitantly, we drove into the campground. I went in to talk with the Park Ranger and ask her about it. Yep, the place is rampant with ticks and have warnings posted all about tick borne diseases. She said that several people have gotten ticks not just on the trails but sitting in their campsite too. Okay, well this was a no brainer to keep on driving!!
We finally pulled into Brainerd, MN late afternoon and upon the ranger's recommendation are settled in at a Lum City Park campground. It's actually a sweet little campground situated right on Rice Lake. There are only about 15 sites and 2 of us camped here. We are camped in a wide open grassy field, but have flush toilets and showers, and a great view of the lake. What more could a girl ask for?? Ned and I did our usual bike ride to check things out and stretch our legs. Beautiful spot.
Tomorrow we should reach the headwaters of the Mississippi and thus end our journey on the GRR. Pretty excited about that!

Bald Eagle Up Close

Location: Frontenac State Park, Frontenac, MN

Ned, here, filling in for Debi. We got a very leisurely start this morning, as we wound our way along some beautiful Wisconsin backroads. We were impressed with the beauty of the constantly rolling farm country, and the fact that, for the first hour, we saw only about 3 cars, 1 bicycle, and 4 farm tractors on the road. I was amused when we went through a little town named Bagley, since this is the name of my father's home town in Iowa. Both Bagleys are very humble little places. Once we got near La Cross, the road got busier with traffic, and we went from peaceful farmland to jumbled-looking strip malls. At this point we left Wisconsin and crossed the Mississippi into Minnesota. The river continues still to flow placidly along, which became particularly apparent to us when we passed a marina filled with sailboats. In fact the stretch of the river just south of where we are camped tonight is actually called Lake Pepin. Our big highlight of the day was stopping at the National Eagle Center, a small, handsome museum set right at the edge of the Mississippi at a spot where bald eagles routinely winter-over in large numbers. We got to see one of their 6 eagles (all of which have been rescued after some injury which makes them unable to fly) being fed a fish. This eagle was 32 years old (they can live to 50 in captivity!) The young woman who gave the presentation was excellent in her use of humor and being able to engage the young kids in the crowd. We even got our photo taken next to the eagle as the trainer held it on her heavily gloved arm.
Not far up the road we found a camping spot at Frontenac State Park. Much to our delight, the temperature continues to be mild, while the buggy situation which we had last night is almost nonexistent. So rather than huddling in our van, as we did last night to eat our dinner, we sat luxuriously outside beneath our new awning as we ate barbecued chicken and salad in the pleasant evening air.

The Upper Mississippi

Nelson Dewey State Park, Cassville, WI

The household was buzzing this morning with babes underfoot before 6. Brian was off to camp by 6:30 and Owen needed to leave for his camp by 8:30. I didn't get much time to spend with Brian (although I did get him to give me one more "cutey eyes"), but Owen and I had time for another bike ride, a couple of video games and he helped me pack up the van. Those boys absolutely stole my heart and it was with a bit of sadness that we said goodbye and were on our way. (Cute Owen story: He had worn his socks out to the van and they got wet and dirty. He took them off in the van and said to me, "You can have these to remember me by.")
We headed from the heartland of Illinois back out to the Mighty Mississippi towards the Northern Illinois town of Galena. This quaint town is one of the more bustling hamlets on the Mississippi. We spent a couple of hours walking around town and doing a lot of window shopping.
We are definitely in the Northern section of the Mississippi River now and as we entered Wisconsin the GRR takes us up and over dramatic rolling hills and alongside neat and tidy farms. Often times the road is now high up on a bluff rather than alongside the river. We came upon one rather worn out little town, Dickeyville, that had a pretty strange roadside attraction. It was called The Grotto and can best be described as a shrine made up of everything under the sun (sea shells, pottery, quartz, glass, coal, and any brightly colored object) and was an homage to all things religious and patriotic. It was a created by a Catholic Priest in the early 20th century and today is watched over by the local church. Yeah, try to imagine saints and the Virgin Mary alongside Lincoln, Washington, Christopher Columbus and an eagle all hobbled together by cast off objects. I'll include a picture, but trust me it doesn't do justice to the absolute tackiness of it all.
As we drove along, signs now entice the traveler with cheese, sausage and beer rather than BBQ or catfish. At one point we rounded a corner and saw a group of old brick and rock buildings with a two story size can of beer in its midst. It was a brewery founded in the mid 1880's by German immigrants that had closed down in the 1960's but was now revitalized. Ahh...how could one resist? It was in the middle of a lazy afternoon on a summer day and Ned looked at me and said, "I think it's time for a beer." We spent a good hour walking through the museum, learning about the area, people and beer making history of the Potosi Brewing Company. We finally settled in for a nice cold one (Dopplebock-a dark beer). It was pretty good, but Cello Chocolate Stout at Ol' Republic is still better - call me prejudiced.
We pulled into our campsite late afternoon and were immediately struck with how peaceful, wooded and beautiful this little spot is. I was exhausted from my playdates with the boys and settled down to a nice nap. When we woke up we rode our bikes around exploring the campground. The view from the high bluffs overlooking the Mississippi is spectacular. The river looks like a large placid mountain lake. Everyone assumes the mosquitos or bugs were a problem in the South. Not at all! We hardly noticed them and it certainly didn't effect any of our activities. Well, not so much the case here in Wisconsin! The temperature is quite pleasant (mid 70's to low 80's) but the bugs are overwhelming. We're not able to sit outside and even riding our bikes the insects swarmed us. I always heard that this part of the country had two seasons - winter and bug season - and now I know what they are talking about!

Hanging with the Family

Marc's house - St. Charles, IL

I couldn't wait to get up and out of the campground this morning knowing we were headed to see my big brother Gary, sister-in-law Dru, nephew Marc, his wife Sheila and my two adorable great nephews Owen (7) and Brian (6). I haven't seen the boys for a couple of years and I was expecting them to be shy or a bit hesitant. Well the big grins and huge hugs I got from the boys were fantastic. Totally made my day!
I can't believe the memories these kids have. Owen remembered almost everything we did the last time we were together, especially the campout with me in the Winniemobile. We had so much fun visiting with everyone and catching up, but the best part was playing with the boys. We went on a couple of bike rides, had a good old fashioned water fight with squirt guns and even played some ping pong. For the record, Aunt Debi definitely lost the water fight. At one point a good old fashioned ice cream truck drove thru the neighborhood playing the traditional "Turkey in the Straw" music. Even though it was before dinner Ned and I thought "what the heck", and bought the boys ice cream. After all it is summer and one of the privileges of being an Aunt and Uncle.
Marc and Sheila just moved into a beautiful new home and wowza, it sure is something. I was particularly impressed with Marc's beer cellar. Nice brewskis Marc and thanks for sharing:)
The boys leave for camp early tomorrow morning, 6:30, and I promised them they could wake us up. Oy...better go hit the hay.

Barges on the Mississippi

Location: Mississippi-Palisades State Park, Savannah, IL

The drive up this part of the GRR was the prettiest so far. We are officially north of the flooded crest of the Mississippi River so roads are open albeit everything is saturated.
As the river recedes it has left a lot of wood debris, but this part of Northern Illinois has seen minimal damage. We took a couple of wrong turns first thing this morning, (this stretch of the GRR is hobbled together by country roads that are either poorly marked or have no names at all), but it was one of the best mistakes we've made. We drove for quite awhile right next to the river, within a couple of feet, and were in awe of the quiet serenity. The river was still moving fast, but quite flat and everything surrounding her was a deep lush green. At one point we drove by a small group of Belgian draft horses frolicking in the field and had to just stop for awhile and watch them. What a beautiful moment in time to just be quiet with my honey, watching the horses play, while the Mississippi rolled by.
Our first stop of the day was at Rock Island, Illinois at the U.S. Corp of Engineers Dam and Lock No. 15. There are 29 locks on the Mississippi, we've certainly seen our fair share, but this one was fantastic!! Our timing couldn't have been better. Just as we arrived a barge was leaving the lock, a pleasure boat was entering and then we spent the next 2 hours watching a double lockage. This is when a tow boat is pushing too many barges to fit into a lock at one time so it pushes in half of them, disconnects, and then pushes thru the second group. It was so much fun to watch the entire process and the Rangers were awesome explaining everything as it was happening. We had the added bonus of seeing a swinging train and auto bridge working with the lock system at the same time. Ned thought he had died and gone to heaven. I think it was his favorite day yet. For a week now we've been following the Mighty Miss. and stopping by the Information Centers, but today it all came together on how everything worked. We saw a really informative movie on the history of the Mississippi and why the locks were created to enable the navigation of this important travel byway. I honestly believe I could pass a test right now on the depths, dredging, navigation and lock system - ha!
It is just amazing how different this part of the Mississippi is from downstream. Once you are past the 3 huge confluences so much changes! We would never have imagined anyone boating, swimming or waterskiing in the Mississippi. Now upstream from these 3 main tributaries the river flattens out and is much calmer. We saw people enjoying the river as we would a lake. Amazing.
Our next stop after driving through the Quad Cities was Le Claire, Iowa home of Antique Archeology. Ned and I love watching Mike and Frank of American Picker fame. My impression of their shop was that it was off the beaten track, perhaps down a dirt road. Wrong! It's in downtown Le Claire, behind the BP gas station, and quite the hub of activity. It was fun to spot some of the items we had watched them pick - such as the Laurel and Hardy heads. We decided to take a stroll downtown Le Claire, which is basically a sleepy little town alongside the river that specializes predominantly in antique shops. Ned spotted a smoker and we decided it was probably our last opportunity to enjoy southern BBQ. We grabbed some pulled pork and had a picnic near the river, just being lazy and watching the Big Muddy roll by.
As we work our way upstream you can feel that change is a'coming. Little by little we've left the hot and steamy days of the Delta behind us, where people talked with a drawn out drawl, sipped on sweet tea and called you ma'am. People now speak with a bit of a twang or flat a's, the weather is cooler and bratwurst and cheese curds are beginning to show up on the grocery shelves. Knowing that Wisconsin and Minnesota are in our future, I began salivating for my much loved smoked whitefish.
Tomorrow we connect up with my family and I'm so darn excited to see my big brother, nephew and great-nephews. I just hope they don't mind that I'm bringing along a week of dirty laundry.