Monday was a short driving day so we got things ready and headed out. We stopped for gas just outside of town. I decided to go inside the convenience store and have a look around. While I was inside, I got a quick lesson on the best way to cool Walleye. I didn't ask for it but I got it. The guy was really friendly and wanted to know if we had enjoyed our fishing trip. I told him, to his amazement, that we did not fish. My guess is that a lot of folks that travel to the area are there for fishing. There was even a sign that said "worms packed in artificial soil for travel to Canada." Well ok then. It is amazing what a person can learn by just looking and listening. I now know, in theory, how to cook Walleye and I know that worms must be in artificial dirt if they want to travel to Canada.
We continued down the road and, once again, we were treated to lovely scenery. Miles and miles of lakes and forests. We also saw miles and miles of empty highway.
ALL THE WAY TO THE HORIZON
As we neared our destination, we came to the town of Bimidji, MN. We pulled into a WalMart parking lot, had lunch and then went inside to pick up a few groceries before we went to our camp.
While we eating, I noticed cars lining up at a building separate from the WalMart parking lot. I was wondering what they were lining up for and figured out it was for Caribou Coffee. We counted eight cars in line for coffee. We also noted that we could not see the order or pick-up window. We figured there must be 10 or 11 cars in line. I mentally marked one car just to see how long the driver was willing to wait. I fixed and ate my lunch and the car moved once. My guess is that the driver waited 25-30 minutes for a coffee. Fascinating. I cannot say that I have never paid too much for a cup of coffee but I can say that I would not sit in line for 30 minutes for that coffee. This store did have a walk in option.
I also saw this on the way into Bimidji.
IT MUST HAVE BEEN A C DAY FOR MOVING. A COUCH AND A CANOE
We finished our lunch and shopping and loaded up for the very short last leg of our drive.
Our destination was Itasca State Forest. The forest has miles and miles of hiking and biking trails and also hosts the Mississippi Headwaters.
A river's headwaters is a fascinating thing. The Mississippi river is long....really long. It is 2552 miles long and runs from Lake Itasca to the Gulf Of Mexico. I rarely think of things like this when I see the Mississippi or a river like it. I see these beautiful bodies of water that run deep and wide and enjoy the beauty they present. I do not usually think "I wonder where this river starts?"
IT STARTS HERE
We got to the camp registration office and got checked in. This particular state park only offers electric for campers. There are no water or sewage hookups. We also do not have satellite reception, TV or much wifi. I do not care about the Satellite or TV but the wifi limitations may stifle my blogs. Not a huge deal but definitely not my preference if we are staying somewhere for more than one night. Definitely a first world problem. We are not roughing it but we are not really glamping.
We got set up and got dressed for a run. We hit one of the trails and got in a few miles to work out the kinks of the day's travels.
Back at camp, we put the girls harnesses and leashes on and took them for a walk. Taking them for walks in so many new places is always entertaining. The new smells keep both of them busy sniffing and rolling.
We finished our walk and got the grill ready. Dinner was delicious and we finished our evening with the first episode of "From The Earth To The Moon." This multi episode drama is about the space race and is really good. We watched it on HBO many years ago and I bought the DVD series last year. It is produced by Tom Hanks and gives a really good timeline to the race to the moon between the US and the Soviets. If you enjoy space stories, give it a watch sometime.
It had gotten really dark and we were ready for bed.
Another great day in this thing we call life.
No comments:
Post a Comment