Minnesota - natural beauty galore!

​Luke 8:22b …and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
I had to put this verse in because Minnesota is known as the land of a thousand lakes. I’m not so well-versed as to southern MN, but the north is full of lakes and rivers:  thus tourism is strong with cabins and fishermen and that sort of stuff. Alongside every lake will be cabins of varying sizes and shapes tucked in among the trees. The shorelines are dotted with docks and every type of boat is moored there. Paul Bunyan was the legendary hero of the logging industry and if you get to Bemidji you most certainly want to stop at the visitor center and get your photo taken with Paul and Babe, his blue ox. The guest book to sign is Paul Bunyan sized too, so prepare to write big! For the shoppers you can head to the twin cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul) where the Mall of America is located. I try to avoid those cities but I do enjoy Duluth – if you come in on #2, you can drive up a steep hill to a rest area that overlooks the city and the sparkling waters of Lake Superior, just before you cross into Wisconsin.
My area is the northern part of MN, just below Canada. My first school job was in the country and dirt bikes, canoeing, were the thing to do. I got lost on the Mississippi River for a good half hour when the school went on a canoe/picnic field trip. There are so many islands on it; some places the Mississippi may not seem large, but other areas – whew! In MN it can be as narrow as 30 feet, or as wide as 11 miles! For someone directionally dysfunctional, you really want to be with someone who knows what they are doing!
I also spent a couple summers helping in the kitchen of a boys’ wilderness camp in northern MN. It was located right along the water; my favourite memory was 6:00 am one morning before I needed to be in the kitchen, I took my flute and went down to sit on a rock at the water’s edge. The lake was like glass, still, not a ripple anywhere. Then out in the distance I heard and saw two loons. I thought, “I wonder if I could imitate that call with my flute.” I tried, and was shocked when I saw the loons swim a bit closer and call out again. I kept repeating myself; they came within 20 feet of me before I squeaked on the flute. With a ruffle of feathers, and a squawk themselves that said, “FAKE! She’s not a loon, run!” they took off and left me smiling that I’d been able to bring them in that close!
If you like the bush, Minnesota is the place to vacation – but you have to take the mosquitoes along with the beauty!