North Country Cont....

North Country Cont…..
Hurley, Wisconsin to Fargo, North Dakota
Still on the road, leaving Houghton, a few side trips, still Fish Frys and Pasties country, though Bad River Reservation on Rt. 2, Ashland, then North on Rt.13 to see the Apostle Islands, Bayfield, another playground for summer folks, pass Big Top, missed David Bromberg by a day, Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua (sha-ta-qwa) is a year round non-profit performing arts organization with a rich history. We operate an intimate 900-seat, all-canvas, state-of-the-art tent theater, producing and presenting a seventy-plus night summer season of concerts, plays, lectures, and a highly acclaimed professional local troupe which performs original multi-media musicals in the tent and on tour. Tent Show Radio, a weekly one hour program which showcases live performances from the Big Top Stage, is aired on public radio stations throughout the country. Upwards though Bayfield, population 600+, seems bigger than Gaston, maybe there is hope for the little town yet. Into wetland forest of hardwoods and pines, around the top, looking for views, missed something or a turn off, still lots of folks kayaking and camping everywhere, can’t see much of these islands without paddling out,still nice name for these islands. Wild landscapes in the greatest of the northern lakes. Land of pine and hemlock, eagle and bear. Ancestral home of the Ojibwe people. The nation's finest collection of historic lighthouses as well. Paradise for campers, boaters, and kayakers. ... The Apostle Islands.
On a roll to Duluth for the night, pass Red Wing, back into farm lands, Lutheran Churches, the Poplar River, even an old Dutch style windmill, cool sight, then though Wentworth, then Rt.53 to Duluth, Minnesota, they are having a Blues Festival, their 18th year, maybe the next day some music, first the wash, self maintenance being a lone cowboy, only one in the laundrymat today, nice chat with gal working, she says I have give her a need to clean. Time to call for a room, NONE available in the WHOLE town, none for miles and miles, oh well. My apologies to Wisconsin, need more time for this place, I have heard so much, it’s a view out a window of a car for me, it's not right or fair to there beatiful state. Oregonman will need to return.
Dark now, back on the road, Rt.53 North, I was thinking of going to Angle Inlet, Northern most point in Continual US, but would need to go though Canada, why do we have this land, not sure, too much Global security concerns this week, another drumming of fear and the War on Terror, who’s terrorizing who? I pass the Hellwig Creek, where someone crossed out one of the L’s. Pass the Whiteface River, then the Paleface River. True!
Up to Virginia, pass the Paul Wellstone Memorial, the Hockey Hall of Fame, no rooms here either, the next town Hibbing, one room left. Back down Rt.53, then Rt. 37 to Hibbing.
OK, I am done driving and really tired.
Houghton, Michigan to Hibbing, Minnesota
63.9mpg/ 449.1 miles traveled

Hibbing, Minnesota, home of Robert Zimmerman, a quiet rainy Sunday morning, off to breakfast at a local place, ashtray are there if needed, sitting at the counter, where’s Bob, no Bob. Facts about Hibbing: The Greyhound Lines bus company was started in Hibbing, but the corporate headquarters has long since left the region. Even the company's buses no longer stop in the city, although the Greyhound Bus Museum remains. The Hibbing Public Library houses a collection of Bob Dylan Memorabilia. Hibbing is the home of the Hull Rust Mahoning Mine, the world's largest open pit iron mine. Hibbing moved about a mile away from original location, so that the mines could reach the ore underneath. A triple watershed divide exists within the city limits of Hibbing on the property of the Hibbing Taconite iron mining location.
At this point, drainages for the Gulf of Mexico (via the Prairie River and the Mississippi River), the Atlantic Ocean (via the St. Louis River, the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence River), and the Arctic Ocean (via the Red River of the North and Hudson Bay) meet http://www.alternet.org/story/14399/ story about Wellstone crash and others. Not much happening today in town, the same old fellow keeps going up and down the street, crossing slowing at each crossing.
The Paul Wellstone Memorial is back off Rt. 53, very moving and well done, in the same area of the plane crash that killed him, his wife, daughter, staff and polits, they said pilot error, why do all the lefties die tragically? Check out his life at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wellstone.
He was the kind of inspiration and leadership this country needs.
"As the rescue crews were approaching the crash site,
eagles were sighted soaring above…the eagles circle in a ceremony…
To guide their kind friends’ home.
Though our time here is brief, an ancient truth circles with the eagles.
That spirits never die.
They stay alive, in love, in hope, in Eagles’ wings touching the sky,
In people extending hands to one another,
to circle like an eagle and bring everyone home."
Writing by LeAnn Littlewolf
Sheila Wellstone said, “It’s time that we tell the secret, time that we all come together to work towards ending domestic violence. It’s no longer an issue just for women, it’s an issue for men, and it’s an issue for children, an entire community’s issue." Each year 1.5 million woman are victims of Domestic Violence.
Paul and Sheila’s life live on, their son’s Mark and David having founded the Wellstone Legacy.
Paul wrote: “We need a new kind of citizenship, so that people earn the rank of patriot because involvement in their community affairs. We as a society need to encourage people to focus not just on individual wants but on serving the larger community.”Long Live Paul and Shelia Wellsone!!!
A very moving memorial, two circles of paths with large stones of the area, the Iron Range, the inner circle stones for the dead, the outer circle, words and deeds of remembrance, in respect the place they died, one can be at that spot, where the Eagles took their friends home.
I leave with sadness, hope, anger, then inspiration and tears.
On to Iron World, up Rt. 53, pass the Hockey Hall again to Rt. 169S to Chisholm, wide streets, National Curling Champs from here, bars are full at 1pm Sunday, it’s pouring rain, after the Wellstone Memorial, stories about Iron Mining are hard to grasp, yet like life, it keeps going on, the Polka Hall of Fame is here, there is a God plenty of accordions and music, even a group from Pennsasylia with song, music and dance of the old country playing here today live.
It’s too wet, so back though Hibbing, Rt. 169W to Grand Rapids, Rt. 2, crossing the Mississippi River, and many lakes, the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, there is a drought here and the rest of the Midwest, as well as the Southwest, its hard to fathom with all this water, Skate & I wheel into Bemidji for the night, Paul Bunjan and the Blue Ox live here, will have to see hello.
59.6 mpg/ 188.1 miles traveled

It’s a nice town on Lake Bemidji, up Rt. 21 there is a nice park close by with a bog walk, though Jack Pine, they date back 50.000 years, not much use commercially, and ther is also trembling aspen, thought they grow only in higher elevations, lots of wildlife: horsetail, blue-flag iris, fragent bed straw and pitcher plants, white-throated sparrows, Paula Warblers, Osprey, Goshawks and Copper Hawks can be seen here, too, very pleasant, very peaceful start this day.
Don’t forget to go to Moose-a-Brew for coffee and Wi-Fi, there is an active culture of old and new here, told a lady I could not understand her words because of her accent, she said “you are the one with the accent”, my foot in my mouth, again.
There is also the Concordia Language Village, an internationally recognized and respected language school and cultural immersion program preparing young people for global citizenship since 1961.
This area is also known for its wild rice and fishing, too. Lots of both here.
Off in source of the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi River, take Rt.2W to Clearwater County Rt.2S, climbing up slowly, farms, tree farms and small ranches to Itasca State Park, will I be the first one to discover this place, maybe. Not.
After the Revolutionary war, lands under British rule were acquired by the US, though the Paris Peace Treaty of 1783. at the time the Mississippi was the Western Boundary of the US, because of its importance we needed to know its true location. It took until 1888, Jacob V. Brown finally confirms that Lake Itasca is the true source. It’s the forth longest at 2348 miles, the Nile is 4147 miles long. Beautiful lakes were bald eagles live and nest, large pine trees surround the lake.
A nice tribute to the headwaters, a sculpture by Jeff Savage, it’s called Heartwaters Caretake Women,
in Anishinabe (Ojbwe), their belief is the women who are the care takers. In this sculpture, a women leaning over, releasing a clutch of small turtles from a basket, renewing the seasons and continuing the waters of life. Her flowing hair is like that of flowing water. The turtles, strong water symbols, also symbolize the universal cycles of life. The turtle’s roundshell represents the earth, moon, sun and seasonal cycles. The legs of the turtle point in four directions, his head points up to honor Grandfather Sun and his tail point down to mother earth. Turtles show us all directions of life, they live in the water, walk on the land and breathe air.
The Mighty Mississippi starts 1475 feet above the ocean, begins here, traveling on its windy way to the Gulf of Mexico.
It’s late again, taking a very small straight forever road Rt. 200W, over the Wild Rice River, I almost go though a stop sign in a blank road wary mindset. I go into the Mahnomen reservation there are farms, wild rice growing along the lakes, for miles it seems, then left on Rt.75S, farmland, grain elevation, crop-duster spraying, ticking the tops of the corn he is so low, then raising a the last moment before the tree line, taking Rt. 10w at Moorhead on the Fargo, North Dakota.By the way Fargo, the movie was filmed elsewhere.
In my life I have been now to all the states in this great country, before starting the trip, Vermont, Michigan and North Dakota.
Off to camp in the Teddy Roosevelt Nation Park today.
Bemidji to Fargo
65.6mpg/ 197.3 miles traveled