Journeys With Judy: Headwaters of the Mississippi River

Aug 12, 2012 Sun

This is my last night at Itasca State Park in Minnesota. This park has been on my bucket list for a long time. I grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River in a small town in MO. I’ve always wanted to see were all that water comes from. Well I found out it really starts out as a small trickle over some rocks flowing out of Lake Itasca. Someday maybe I’ll follow it all the way to New Orleans to see how wide it gets at different locations.

On July 2, 2012 a storm with winds of 80 mph toppled many trees in the park. I saw trees that were snapped like match sticks all over the park. I’ve included a couple of photos. It must have been a very scary time to be here. One of the toppled trees was right next to my camp site.
The park was established in 1891. It is Minnesota’s oldest state park. Today the park totals more than 32,000 acres and includes more than 100 lakes.

It has barely reached 70 deg the whole time I’ve been here. That sure is a pleasant contrast to the 100+ deg’s almost every day I was in MO waiting for my truck repairs to be completed.

While I was in the area, I took a side trip to Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge. I saw a few trumpeter swans and ducks, but not the amount of birds I was hoping for. I’ve seen a few loons on the lakes here in the park, but only from quite a distance. I’ll be continuing my journey to the northeast in the morning.

The Mighty Mississippi River becgin with a trickle in the fog

Had to get here at dawn to get a photo without dozens of people walking across the Mississippi

Caretaker Woman
In Ojibwe culture it is believed that women are the caretakers of the water. The turtles represent universal cycles of life to the Ojibwe