12/11/2018
We left Ishpeming and headed for Bemidji, MN. arriving on the 19th of September. Bemidji is the home of Lake Itasca which is where the headwaters of the Mississippi are. The headwaters are a small shallow stream flowing out of Lake Itasca. You can see people walking across the headwaters in the pictures.
While in Bemidji we toured the town on a guided bus tour. We stopped during the tour to visit a woolen factory and to see a museum where they had large statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. We had a lunch cruise on a paddle wheeler on Lake Itasca.
Bemidji photos
For information purposes we should note that most of the time we will be traveling on a two lane road marked as the River Tour and the road was usually named River Road.
Our next stop was 113 miles down the River Road in Brainerd, MN. We stopped en route to tour a logging museum and took a guided tour of a logging camp. They showed us where the loggers slept and ate and explained how the logging process worked. It was very difficult work since it was done in the winter months without any modern equipment like chain saws or bulldozers. After the logs were hauled down to the river they were floated to the saw mills. Men actually road the logs down the river.
Grand Rapids photos
Our next stop was the Dakotah Meadows RV Park which is in Prior Lake, MN at the Mystic Lake Casino. The RV Park was about 20 miles outside of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Of course we did visit the casino in addition to going to see Minnehaha Falls. We had guided bus tours of Minneapolis and St. Paul. We had a tour in St.Paul where we learned about the gangsters during Prohibition..The rule was no crime in ST.Paul and that was home for the gangsters. If you were a bad guy when you came to town you checked in at the police station, payed you fee and then were safe to stay in town.
We toured the Wabasha Street sand stone caves. They were created when the sandstone was mined from the hill sides along the river. The cave we toured was a night club at one time and they believe it is haunted. The caves were also used by mushroom farmers. Judy took a picture of the area where the person was murdered and got a large orb in her picture.
We had a lunch cruise on the River. We also toured the old post office/court house which has been restored. We also drove up to see the Mall of America. It is really big.
Minneapolis/St.Paul photos
Prior Lake photos
Mall of America photos
Believe it or not we have only been on te trip for a week. Our next stop is Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. (225 miles down River Road) We stopped enroute to visit the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN. We saw Bald Eagles up close and listened to a talk about the Eagle.
National Eagle Center
We headed out the next day for Rock Island, Illinois. We visited the National Mississippi River Museum enroute. The night we arrived we had a dinner cruise on the River. The next day we toured the Herbert Hoover Library and grounds as well as the burial site in Walcott, Iowa. It is a very nice facility.
We visited the Iowa 80 Truck Stop which is reportedly the worlds largest Truck Stop. There is a truck museum there with many restored trucks, a really nice museum.
Walcott, Iowa photo
We took a side trip to La Claire, Iowa to visit the home of the American Pickers. It is a small facility with two small buildings. But there was plenty of stuff to buy if you wanted to spend money.
La Claire, Iowa photos
The next day we toured the Amana Colonies which stem from a religious movement started in 1714. The first of the Amana Colonies was built in 1855. It was a communal society. The communal way of life ended in 1932. Amana refrigerator appliances are still made in one of the 6 Amana Colonies. It was an interesting tour.
We then toured the John Deere Pavilion and historical site. Judy found a new tractor she wants. You can see her standing next to it in the pictures.
Amana Photos
That's enough for now, will add more later.
Dick and Judy
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