August 31,2005
Bemidji KOA
Bemidji, MI

Spent the last few days exploring the Headwaters of the Mississippi River and the adjacent neighborhood. Truly good to drop the airstream at the camp and head out on day trips. Opens up so many little dirt roads. It’s good to be at a campground where you feel safe to leave your rig.
The Mississippi ain’t such a big river up in these parts. I walked across it, up at the Headwaters at Lake Itasca, Henry swam across it numerous times and Heather took pictures of us doing it.
The back roads lead you to such varied landscape, from the largest Peat Bog in the united states and what look like swamps to me, to wooded pastures with great rock piles and weathered birch trees. Small streams are everywhere and many wonder through these pastures. Then into dense forests, that I just can’t figure out how to photograph, and back around another lake. Lakes are everywhere! From small ponds to a huge sea in Upper Red Lake.
Great part of the country but I still want to know where the lobsters are? After all there are sea gulls in most of the fields and it sure feels like Maine.

dmk shoots the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca

Lake Itasca

Bridge over the Mississippi just below Lake Itasca

dmk henry and heather at the start of the Mississippi River

upper Mississippi River

more of the upper Mississippi

Henry in the upper Mississippi

Henry in the upper Mississippi 2

Henry swam ALOT in the upper Mississippi River!