Day 2 Itasca State Park
The morning light had bought what promised to be a better day weather wise. Everything still very wet but not me thankfully.
It also bought sounds reminiscent of a dog pound. I had to laugh. Pets have got it good here.
Prepared the pancetta, broccoli etc number in the wok and a couple of coffees, swapping itinerary ideas with Ken and his son in the nearby camp. He’s a nice guy, into cycling, is my age with a couple of kids and lives north of Minneapolis with his wife. We have a bit in common.
Shower time for me is also when the laundry gets done. I checked the forecast and it looked like a day fit for a bit of washing. Mind you I can’t get away with it during a 4 day stop but moving daily no one knows you’ve been in the same garb for a week. Thats the beauty of the Icebreaker gear, people can,t smell you prior to your arrival. Luckily I have a bit of a conscience when it comes to cleanliness.
I have conscientiously made a decision to maintain my personal hygiene to a high standard where possible. Though my toilet bag is weighty I feel it’s worth it.
An extended stop in this park is mandatory with so much wildlife, cycle trails and the feeling that sometimes you have the park to yourself.
An opportunity has arisen to keep my notes up to date here at the Douglas lodge its so comfortable with friendly staff. I,m now a bit of a fixture here, the boss is really helpful and the young waitresses enjoy a laugh.
About 39k was added to the odometer, it was a day of unloaded relaxed cycle trail riding.
I went about just covering the main sights the park has to offer, viewing points, visitor centre, swimming beach and of course the headwaters of the M.
Anyway at the northern end of the park the river begins its journey leaving Lake Itasca as through an assemblage of boulders partly submerged,that people can walk across, an option not offered by the river in many places.
My Mississippi River Trail (MRT) guide book circa. 2008 included a photo of the author with his bike in the water at the origin.
I was greeted with a sign with wording to the effect that bikes were not to be taken to the river some 200m away and people everywhere. Shit, I came here specifically to perform this ritual, a simple plan was hatched that would facilitate this apparently prohibited symbolic gesture.
I had lunch at the Douglas Lodge and spent the afternoon visiting museums within the park that were mainly concerned with lumber recovery and early discovery.
Two people of historic importance were Henry Schoolcraft who with the help of the local Indians discovered the source of The MR. For me Mary Gibbs the daughter of the first park ranger who took the position on the passing of her dad.
The lumbermen having great influence dammed the river to aid the transportation of log floats. She confronted them and finally through an injunction opened the valve to let the river return to its normal flow.
Prior to this trip some publications I had read mentioned loneliness and first few day blues as issues. The former could be the case in sparsely populated countries without english as a first language. To date neither of these detractors has even been contemplated other than here.
Having meandered about all day with a reasonable amount of time spent typing I headed back to camp, serviced the bike, which involved checking for loose nuts and oiling any moving parts, quite simple really.
Tea consisted of an herbal tea and some peanut butter on crackers.
Ken had bought some firewood $4.00 a bundle, due to some introduced pests i.e. the Ash Borer Beetle, firewood cannot be moved around, infact it has to be certified.
Bundles are available here at the park entrance. A bundle would be good for one bottle of wine and some waffle at best. The park is actually quite at night. Most unlike a few consecutive nights at Sandon River a few months back.
Around the camp fire Ken introduced me to a Minnesota camping culinary tradition, that of the proverbial Smore. Prepared thus, roast a marshmellow, he just happen to have a telescopic marshmellow roasting stick.(bloody handy) Once done, it is squashed between two Grahams crackers with a slim piece of Hersheys milk chocolate
Nice, but wheelchair material should one over indulge. Actually it was a welcome treat at the end of the day. We had a beer and a bit more of a yarn. I was pleasantly relaxed with thoughts of the nest in my head and soon acted upon them.
The morning light had bought what promised to be a better day weather wise. Everything still very wet but not me thankfully.
It also bought sounds reminiscent of a dog pound. I had to laugh. Pets have got it good here.
Prepared the pancetta, broccoli etc number in the wok and a couple of coffees, swapping itinerary ideas with Ken and his son in the nearby camp. He’s a nice guy, into cycling, is my age with a couple of kids and lives north of Minneapolis with his wife. We have a bit in common.
Shower time for me is also when the laundry gets done. I checked the forecast and it looked like a day fit for a bit of washing. Mind you I can’t get away with it during a 4 day stop but moving daily no one knows you’ve been in the same garb for a week. Thats the beauty of the Icebreaker gear, people can,t smell you prior to your arrival. Luckily I have a bit of a conscience when it comes to cleanliness.
I have conscientiously made a decision to maintain my personal hygiene to a high standard where possible. Though my toilet bag is weighty I feel it’s worth it.
An extended stop in this park is mandatory with so much wildlife, cycle trails and the feeling that sometimes you have the park to yourself.
An opportunity has arisen to keep my notes up to date here at the Douglas lodge its so comfortable with friendly staff. I,m now a bit of a fixture here, the boss is really helpful and the young waitresses enjoy a laugh.
About 39k was added to the odometer, it was a day of unloaded relaxed cycle trail riding.
I went about just covering the main sights the park has to offer, viewing points, visitor centre, swimming beach and of course the headwaters of the M.
Anyway at the northern end of the park the river begins its journey leaving Lake Itasca as through an assemblage of boulders partly submerged,that people can walk across, an option not offered by the river in many places.
My Mississippi River Trail (MRT) guide book circa. 2008 included a photo of the author with his bike in the water at the origin.
I was greeted with a sign with wording to the effect that bikes were not to be taken to the river some 200m away and people everywhere. Shit, I came here specifically to perform this ritual, a simple plan was hatched that would facilitate this apparently prohibited symbolic gesture.
I had lunch at the Douglas Lodge and spent the afternoon visiting museums within the park that were mainly concerned with lumber recovery and early discovery.
Two people of historic importance were Henry Schoolcraft who with the help of the local Indians discovered the source of The MR. For me Mary Gibbs the daughter of the first park ranger who took the position on the passing of her dad.
The lumbermen having great influence dammed the river to aid the transportation of log floats. She confronted them and finally through an injunction opened the valve to let the river return to its normal flow.
Prior to this trip some publications I had read mentioned loneliness and first few day blues as issues. The former could be the case in sparsely populated countries without english as a first language. To date neither of these detractors has even been contemplated other than here.
Having meandered about all day with a reasonable amount of time spent typing I headed back to camp, serviced the bike, which involved checking for loose nuts and oiling any moving parts, quite simple really.
Tea consisted of an herbal tea and some peanut butter on crackers.
Ken had bought some firewood $4.00 a bundle, due to some introduced pests i.e. the Ash Borer Beetle, firewood cannot be moved around, infact it has to be certified.
Bundles are available here at the park entrance. A bundle would be good for one bottle of wine and some waffle at best. The park is actually quite at night. Most unlike a few consecutive nights at Sandon River a few months back.
Around the camp fire Ken introduced me to a Minnesota camping culinary tradition, that of the proverbial Smore. Prepared thus, roast a marshmellow, he just happen to have a telescopic marshmellow roasting stick.(bloody handy) Once done, it is squashed between two Grahams crackers with a slim piece of Hersheys milk chocolate
Nice, but wheelchair material should one over indulge. Actually it was a welcome treat at the end of the day. We had a beer and a bit more of a yarn. I was pleasantly relaxed with thoughts of the nest in my head and soon acted upon them.
the swimming beach, Lake Itasca. The water was refreshing but not chilly, say 16-17
Built just for bikes,how good is that
A snapping turtle doing what it does best. When they are really alarmed their head extends some distance from the shell. To quick to take pic
