The mighty Mississippi River begins in Minnesota and continues for 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. It's a Minnesota bucket-list item to see the beginning of this great river, so that is precisely where we headed.
Specifically, the Mississippi River begins at Lake Itasca, in the Itasca State Park. And much to our surprise, the headwaters travel north-east for about 80 miles prior to running south.
The kids had a great time swimming in the lake, although they did compare it to a polar plunge. They also learned that while a paddle boat seems fun...it is work to get out into the middle of a big lake.
Also within the Itasca State Park are beautiful, tall white and red pines, as well as Aspen trees - they reminded us of the nostalgic perception of the "North".
Between hiking, swimming, and eating a lot of great, gooey camp food, we had a nice celebratory weekend to end the summer and kick off the fall.
