Since we’re going all the way to the West Coast, not all of our days could be full of fun and adventure. Some days were mostly travel days, with a few quick pit stops sprinkled in. This was one of those days.

Our final destination for the day will be Minneapolis. We’re looking forward to some time in a city. But first…

Along the route we stopped in Bimidji to check out the iconic Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox statues. Totally goofy and touristy. The statues are really big and lots of fun, and inside the Visitors Center they have a collection of fun (and disgusting) Paul Bunyan “artifacts.” Check out those giant toenail clippings!

When we arrived at Paul and Babe, I had noticed a sculpture a block or so down the road so I strolled down to take a closer look at it. The statue, Niiemii (meaning “He Dances”) was dedicated to all pow-wow dancers in 2000. It was a great sculpture.

Our next stop was at the Mississippi Headwaters at Itasca State Park. It was impressive to see that the mighty river comes from such a very humble start. The sign states, “Here 1475 feet above the ocean the Mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding way 2552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.”

We continued on our way. The Charles Lindbergh home was on our route, and we would have loved to stop in, but it was unfortunately closed. Perhaps on a future visit.

Off to Minneapolis.