Wednesday, July 5th – Day 66 – Wandering Retirees

Fargo, ND to Little Falls, MN.

We left Fargo, ND this morning and headed into western Minnesota to find the headwaters of the great Mississippi River. Turns out someone else discovered it first and made a State Park to mark it. The north end of Lake Itasca has its outlet and the mighty river has its start as a trickly little stream. By the time it reaches New Orleans, 2550 miles along, it is a mighty thing, miles across having collected the input from a number of large rivers, including the Illinois, the Missouri, and the Ohio. More than 40% of the country’s watersheds flow into the Great Muddy. From such humble beginnings…
There were a surprising number of families at the lake, many were dangling their feet and even swimming. Kids being kids were simply enjoying getting wet. Not sure they cared so much about the significance of this stream that heads north before curving the the east and south on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. Connie got some great pics and we were quite impressed. Met some nice people along the way as we always seem to do. A fellow named Rick was tending the counter at a store near Lake Itasca and he generously shared his advice on visiting the park while ringing up a welcome cold soda.

It was another hot day so we ditched our riding pants to get the cooler air at 65 MPH, heading for our night’s destination in Little Falls, MN. We had been planning to visit the White Earth Reservation of the Chippewa, but decided to stop at a good museum in Mille Lacs tomorrow to learn more about my family’s heritage. Looking forward to tomorrow.

And off she goes …