Lake Itasca contains the headwaters of the Mississippi River. At the headwaters, the Mighty Mississippi measures about 20 feet wide, can be easily walked across and is as clear as glass. We have taken the 90-minute cruise many times and always enjoyed it. Eagles nest on Lake Itasca and we usually see at least one. Plus plenty of waterfowl make Itasca home.
The center picture in the first line is a loon family. The dragonfly is a calico pennant.
North of Bemidji, nearly to Canada, lies the Big Bog with a mile-long boardwalk over a peat bog. When we have been there before, there were a variety of lady slippers. On this trip, not a single slipper was found. We did read the story of the big ditch, dug during an unsuccessful attempt to drain the bog for farmland.
In another attempt to find lady slippers, we drove part of the Lady Slipper Byway, a road through the woods where usually lady slippers bloom. ARGH, no roadside ladies, but we did find an area where lady slippers had been planted. The slippers require 8 years from planting to bloom. The photo on the left shows a bloom and a past bloom. I'm wondering if the drought in this area has hampered the bloom or if the bloom occurred prior to our visit.
Chippewa National Forest, close to Bemidji, is also a popular place for us to walk. When you don't see birds, you take lots of pictures of wildflowers, bugs, and beautiful water.
I like looking down the trail and wondering what lies along the way with so many possibilities.
Black shouldered spiney legs
Like most states, Minnesota battles invasives in its many lakes. We have seen check stations at boat ramps in the area. This is the first self-check station we have seen, encouraging boaters to clean their boats.
As we prepare to leave Bemidji, I look for those events that I didn't mention or were just strange. Like the time we were in Wal-Mart at prime time and I made some comment about needing a stop light. A woman said, you aren't from here, are you? I said no, how could you tell, expecting to hear about my accent. She said, no, you are taller than everyone from Bemidji.
There are three observable osprey nests around Bemidji. In this one, you can see the parent and a chick.
We always go to the Farmer's Market in Walker, MN. I saw this great use of wine corks made into a tabletop.
Have you ever heard of a lefse? It is a Norwegian flatbread made of potatoes. There was a woman at the Bemidji farmer's market who made them. She was nice enough to explain how they were made and how to eat them. If she said "butter" once she said it at least 20 times, i. e., made with butter, consume with butter, lightly brown with butter, etc. She has won awards at the Minnesota State Fair for her lefses. She even gave free samples. I tried them. It tasted like a light, sweet tortilla.
We did go out and eat a couple of times. Leo wanted a burger for his birthday and we went to a local spot. Though we ordered two burgers with mustard and no onions, we got one burger, no onions, and thousand island dressing. The fries were good.
A sign you don't frequently see in North Texas.
To end our time at Bemidji. . .
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