The Great River Road 2026
  
 

Day 02

May 26

  
     
   
   
  I know I have over 500 miles to do to get to the headwaters of the Mississippi, so I am out and about early. It works well that I have my breakfast sandwich handy from last night so I don't have to stop early in the day for nourishment.  
   
  I'm on I39 for little bit more as I make my way toward the Twin Cities. I am hoping that I will miss a lot of the morning rush hour which is another reason I left early,  
   
  I grew up in the country in my early years of life, so I appreciate the work and effort it takes to keep up a farm place. This looks to be in really good working order with the out buildings in excellent condition. That does not happen by accident, it only happens by determination and dedication.  
   
  Soon I leave my old friend I39 for I90/I94. They will get along for a while but eventually part company down the line.  
   
  Soon I cross into my first new state of the day - Minnesota. In all of my travels, I have to say that I am the most impressed by that state's signs then any other ones I have encountered in my travels. Once I am past the Twin Cities I leave the slab for a good while - which is fine with me.  
   
 

Soon I pass by Camp Ripley, a Minnesota National Guard base. A bit of history on it -

The site for Camp Ripley was first approved following World War I in 1929. The State of Minnesota purchased 12,000 acres of land to be used for military training. The site was officially named Camp Ripley in December 1930. It was named after Fort Ripley, a frontier fort that had been closed by the Federal Government in 1877. The fort was named for Brigadier General Eleazar Wheelock Ripley, a hero of the War of 1812.

 
   
  And as always, I pass by many of the lovely lakes in Minnesota. I think the only thing they have more of than lakes are mosquitoes.  
   
  It's a pleasant run through the heavily forested area as I head for Lake Itasca and the headwaters of the Mississippi River.  
   
  I pass a lovely church building along the way that obviously has been well maintained. It really saddens me when I see a church building falling into disrepair. I know that means what went on inside it had fallen into disrepair long before.  
   
  Soon I am there with plenty of daylight to spare, for which I am very thankful. Unfortunately, I cannot ride to the headwaters marker as there is only a footpath to get there.  
   
  There are lots of interesting displays within the building like this full scale model of the Mississippi River.  
   
 

And I find this historical marker very interesting that details the various searches to determine just where the Mississippi River actually started. The inscription reads -

The romantic 19th century quest for the source of the Mississippi river brought many explorers — among them Zebulon Pike, Lewis Cass, and Giacomo Beltrami — to northern Minnesota. The search ended when Ojibwe chief Ozawindib guided Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to Lake Itasca in 1832.

Sent by the United States government to help negotiate a treaty between the Dakota and Ojibwe, Schoolcraft used the opportunity to explore the Mississippi's headwaters area. The expedition, numbering 30, left Sault Ste. Marie in early June and travelled by way of the St. Louis River and Savanna Portage to Sandy Lake, then up the Mississippi to Cass Lake. From there Ozawindib guided them to Lake Bemidji and up the Schoolcraft River, and over a portage to the river's source.

Sorely tried by "voracious, long-billed, and dyspeptic musketoes" and portages knee-deep in mud, the little band caught their first glimpse of the lake on July 13. It was known to the Indians and traders as "Omushkos" or "Lac la Biche," both meaning Elk Lake, but Schoolcraft renamed it "Itasca" from a combination of the Latin words for "truth" and "head," veritas caput.
Although public interest focused on the long-sought source, the Schoolcraft expedition also collected valuable scientific information, inspected fur posts, vaccinated 2,000 Ojibwe against small pox, and achieved an intertribal peace treaty.

  
   
  There is also another marker that talks about the 'first colony of the United States'.  
   
  Finally after a bit of stroll, I reach the marker erected at the headwaters.  
   
  Knowing how wide and deep the mighty Mississippi gets before it hits the Gulf, I am a bit amazed at how small it starts out.  
   
  The clarity of Lake Itasca is amazing as you can see the depths very clearly. Especially when you realize just how muddy the Mississippi often gets on its way down to the ocean.  
   
  I manage to make it down into the headwaters without breaking my neck or other parts of anatomy. Though it is hard to tell, my boots are in the water as it makes it way south. And fortunately my waterproof boots live up to their billing today.  
   
 

I decide it's been a long time since my Subway breakfast sandwich. There's a cafe on premise so I figure I'll avail myself of what they have to offer. Danielle is the dear sweet young lady that suggests their brisket sandwich. We chat a little bit about my travels on a motorcycle and what her traveling ambitions are. And as is my usual habit I tell her -

'Take that trip while you still can. Start planning and putting aside funds even if it is just a little bit'.

When I take her picture, I tell her she will be world famous now since she will be on my website. And in reality, I do have people from all over the world come and look at my adventures.

  
   
  The sandwich lives up to Danielle's billing as it is very tasty and certainly fills the empty stop. I wish her well and make my way back out into the heat of the day.  
   
  With that tended to, I officially began my ride down the Great River Road, stopping at the first marker at the edge of the parking lot.  
   
  When I come to the next one, I grab a shot of it also. At this point I have no idea as to how well the route will be marked, But I have it in my GPS so hopefully between that and the markers I will be able to stay pretty much on course.  
   
  I take a shot of another one as I turn onto a new road.  
   
  What happens is the road and the river do not follow one another as I am discovering. But every now and then they do intersect with a sign dutifully posted.  
   
  And again it is a bit hard to reconcile that this is the same Mississippi River that I have seen many times as ride through Memphis Tennessee.  
   
  Then we part company and we get back together again.  
   
  It's gained a little more width here but still it is not much bigger than what I would called a good creek back home.  
   
  With plenty of daylight I pull into my Super 8 motel for the evening which is nice. My change of plans to visit the headwaters today worked out just right. It will give me a shorted day tomorrow as I will not have to backtrack as I had originally planned.  
   
  I put SweetTreat to bed for the evening and tend to a few 'electronic' chores since I have the time.  
   
  Since I already had a late lunch/early supper I don't have to go foraging for nourishment. From here on, I have only setup 300 to 350 miles day so I would have plenty of time to see the sights. With things sorted out, I hit the sack and see the sights of the inside of my eyelids.