The traveling manatees by Nancy French: Minnesota Part 1

Along the bike trail in St. Croix SP

Be careful what you wish for…

After experiencing the daily, heavy rains in Wisconsin, we were surprised to find the opposite situation on our arrival in neighboring Minnesota. This adjacent state was experiencing an extreme drought, and there was a statewide ban on not only campfires but charcoal grill fires as well. At the time of our arrival, there were almost 100 wildfires burning in the state. Luckily, most of them were smaller, but the tinderbox conditions were ripe for dangerous expansion. Staying at the state’s largest park, St. Croix, for a couple of nights, we were situated in the central east coast region.

St. Croix River

Initially, this park was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) as a recreational area in the early 1930s. Extensive paved bike trails meandered through the park offering riverfront views or overlooks of wildflowers, grasses, pine, oak, and birch. Though our campsite was located fairly close to the St. Croix River, kayaking upstream was something we decided against and the only service for down water pickup was closed. Biking several times during our stay, we were able to cover a fairly large area, but only a drop in the bucket of the 127 miles of varied trails offered.

Moose Lake State Park was full but we found a site at the nearby Moose Lake City Park overlooking the lake. On our arrival, brisk winds kept us off the water, but the following morning we headed out with fishing gear in hand. Shortly after our departure from the beach, the winds began to build. Even in a hidden cove, the current was strong and the fish were not cooperating. With winds increasing to15-20 mph and white caps forming, the kayaking became more challenging. Working back across the lake, we had water breaking over the bow of the kayaks but arrived safely back to the shore.

Morning light over Lake Shumway

At Savanna Portage State Park, we found a rustic site, no electricity or water, so we roughed it for a few days. Of course, with the travel trailer, we aren’t really roughing it. We just lose the niceties like AC. Though there are 4 lakes located within the park, we were within a thousand feet of Lake Shumway, so that was our lake of choice. On our first outing, I caught one largemouth bass and lost the proverbial “big one” that broke the line and got away. On our second outing, Alan hit a bass honey hole and reeled in 4, and lost 2 within a few minutes. I pulled in the largest bass for the day at around 3 pounds. A lovely trail wraps around Shumway and offers a bog trail offshoot that provides walkways over the peatlands. Though we considered the presence of bears on our walk, we hadn’t seen signs within the park warning of their presence and assumed since they did not offer bear-proof garbage cans that there must be no bears in the area. Thankfully, we did not see one during our walk, but the following morning one of our neighbors told us of his encounter with a black bear the previous evening as he made a middle of the night visit to the restrooms.

Heading next into Grand Rapids, we needed to restock groceries and books, and get Alan’s

Mural in Grand Rapids

bike’s flat tire fixed. Securing a campsite at a private RV park, we had a spot that overlooked a small lake. We were able to catch up on emails and communicating with friends and family. As we travel, we are frequently in areas where we have no ability to communicate with the outside world. With no internet or phone service in many locations, it has been difficult to plan and secure reservations for our upcoming travels.

Alan on the Paul Bunyan Trail

Moving to Lake Bemidji State Park for 3 nights, we took advantage of the park’s bike trails. A 6-mile portion of the Paul Bunyan State Trail (112 miles total), runs through the park. Located 5 miles north of the town of Bemidji, we visited this town a couple of times. Because Lake Bemidji is the northernmost lake feeding the Mississippi River, the town is nicknamed “The First City of the Mississippi”. Considered the birthplace of Paul Bunyan, an 18-foot statue of the legendary figure, along with Babe the Blue Ox, is located in the center of town near the Visitor Center and near the shores of Lake Bemidji. The sculptures have graced the waterfront since 1937 when the work was commissioned as a tourist attraction. It is said to be one of the most photographed sites in the U.S. In addition to Paul’s statue, over 25 murals and sculptures are featured throughout the downtown business area.

Alan's walleye!

Before departing the area, we embarked on a guided night fishing outing. Walleye was the prize being sought. Meeting up with our guide, Josh, at Cass Lake, we headed out, in time to catch a beautiful sunset over the lake. Fishing started strong with each of us catching a northern pike soon after leaving the dock, but both were returned to the water. With Josh’s sophisticated fish-finding equipment, we could see the walleye we sought, but we were not catching them. Hours later, Alan pulled in a 23” walleye.

Now, we will continue moving northwest.