Sunday, August 23, 2009
Hamilton's Fox Lake CG, Bemidji, MN: Aug 9-12
What a travel day this was! First, we planned to stop at a casino east of Bemidji, in Cass Lake. This casino had an attractive, free RV parking area with 20-amp electrical hookups. For some unknown reason, we can't plug our trailer into 20-amp GFI-protected circuits -- we flip the breaker every time we plug in. We don't know what causes this, if it is "our fault" or something in their wiring, but the forecast was way too hot to park without the option of electricity. We tried to call Bemidji SP to ask about the availability of camping but the number in our outdated AAA book was no longer valid. So we drove there, only to find that the fees for camping would total $29/day, and we felt that was just too high. We continued on to a nearby Passport America park that we had thought was too far out of town. It turned out to be a lovely place, with plenty of space for us, at a much lower cost than the state park, located on a small lake, and plenty close to town going the "short way".
We found a lot to do in the Bemidji area. Bemidji is the legendary home of mythical Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. There is a large statue of them on the shore of Lake Bemidji outside the visitor center, and the Paul Bunyan Trail, which starts there, is a popular bicycling, skiing & snowmobiling route. The visitor center contains a fireplace built out of rocks from all 50 states and many provinces. Bemidji is the first town on the Mississippi River, and the river flows through Lake Bemidji. There was a display of public art, and we picked up a brochure with a map, which enabled us to walk through some of it, despite temperatures near 90 and similar humidity. It was well worth the effort! We got to see the historic area of town along this route and also visited a nice woolen mill outlet, with great bargains. Unfortunately, it's difficult to think of buying wool when you're so sweaty!
We spent a day at nearby Lake Itasca State Park, home of the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. The park was established in 1891 to both protect the basin around the source of the Mississippi and the remnant stands of virgin pine. The 32,000-acre park has become a famous natural and cultural landmark. Willie had always wanted to visit and wade across the Mississippi, and she got her wish! It was a hot day, and no one minded getting their feet wet. The place where the water left Lake Itasca and became a river was clearly delineated by a line of rocks.
Our stay in Bemidji coincided with one of their two weekly bridge games, so we were able to play once. Yet another friendly club (we haven't run across many that aren't!), we managed a fine second-place showing.
We found a lot to do in the Bemidji area. Bemidji is the legendary home of mythical Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. There is a large statue of them on the shore of Lake Bemidji outside the visitor center, and the Paul Bunyan Trail, which starts there, is a popular bicycling, skiing & snowmobiling route. The visitor center contains a fireplace built out of rocks from all 50 states and many provinces. Bemidji is the first town on the Mississippi River, and the river flows through Lake Bemidji. There was a display of public art, and we picked up a brochure with a map, which enabled us to walk through some of it, despite temperatures near 90 and similar humidity. It was well worth the effort! We got to see the historic area of town along this route and also visited a nice woolen mill outlet, with great bargains. Unfortunately, it's difficult to think of buying wool when you're so sweaty!
We spent a day at nearby Lake Itasca State Park, home of the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. The park was established in 1891 to both protect the basin around the source of the Mississippi and the remnant stands of virgin pine. The 32,000-acre park has become a famous natural and cultural landmark. Willie had always wanted to visit and wade across the Mississippi, and she got her wish! It was a hot day, and no one minded getting their feet wet. The place where the water left Lake Itasca and became a river was clearly delineated by a line of rocks.
Our stay in Bemidji coincided with one of their two weekly bridge games, so we were able to play once. Yet another friendly club (we haven't run across many that aren't!), we managed a fine second-place showing.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 9:12 PM 
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