Bemidji, Minnesota

I is be in Bemidji - sounds like Jumanji - Minnesota. After the debacle at Devil's Lake, I decided to get a hotel room for this round of 'thunderstorms, possibly severe at times'. The sky has been threatening all day and mother nature already made her point, I got it loud and clear and I ain't messing 'round no mo! One flood is enough for me.

I splashed around in the headwaters of the Mississippi yesterday. It's bizarre, the mighty Mississippi originates in a place called Lake Itasca, where it's just a dribbling, drooling stream - you can walk across it. It actually flows north to Bemidji and then heads south where it turns into its mighty self.

I've become lazy the past few days. I spent this weekend in Fargo, ND, staying with a very nice older couple. They took me to Best Buy on Saturday where I purchased a new camera. I hung around until Monday morning, I was becoming the guy on the couch, in the basement. Nice! Actually it was nice.
Then I went to Calloway, Minnesota on Monday, and Lake Itasca yesterday.
I met a fantastic family at Ice Cracking Lake in Minnesota. They recently bought the Ice Cracking Lodge, which they were kind enough to open up early for me. They have three of the cutest kids around, the one little boy wants to be a race car driver. He's 4. And the girl wants to ride horses, and 'pet them'. She's probably 6. Cute, cute kids.
I ended up spending hours there, the locals started buying me drinks, looking at my maps, telling me where to go. I tell you this bike is the secret to free drinks! Super great people. I met a boy-scout leader - watch out! - who had just taken his troup on a bike ride from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul). He thought it was the neatest thing since sliced bread and was very interested in what I was doing. 'Serious biking' as he called it.

Last night I stayed behind the Rock Creek convenience store outside of Lake Itasca. I talked awhile with the owner last night, then spent this morning drinking coffee, reading the newspaper and shooting the breeze with his daughter while I waited out a passing thunderstorm. He and his daughter bought the store last year. They were extremely nice people and thanks to them for their kind hospitality.

Anyway, I'm headed to Grand Rapids tomorrow, then I'm leaving the Adventure Cycling route and inventing one of my own. I'm going to go up to Hibbing, Minnesota, where Bob Dylan grew up. Then I'm going north of there to a place called Soudan - apparently there is an old mine there that gives tours. Take an elevator a mile down into the earth - going...down???
Then I'll take Route 1 over to Route 61 - revisited! Take Route 61 south down into Duluth - where Bob Dylan was born. I think he moved to Hibbing when he was 7. Did I mention I like Bob Dylan?

From there I'll head into Wisconsin, I haven't invented a plan for that state yet. If anyone knows of cool places to visit, or places to stay, in either Wisconsin or Michigan, lemme know! I'll probably stop by Green Bay to see Lambeau Field. I'm thinking of zooming around the upper peninsula of Michigan, I've heard it's cool up there. Other than that my calendar is wide open!