“Land of 10,000 Lakes” – and we saw a couple of them!

Our Minnesota visit was broken into two parts. We camped at Camp Ripley Training Center (an Army National Guard Post) in Little Falls for a few days; then we flew from Minneapolis to Orlando to visit with family for about a week-and-a-half, before getting back to Minnesota to finish our time there in Albert Lea. Our fifth wheel stayed at the Army Base while we were out of town, which was cheaper and safer. We had a nice camp host (veteran) keep an eye on it for us. And the dogs took their own vacation at a doggy hotel in St. Cloud while we were gone. Anyway, it all worked out just fine!

About Minnesota, though… We chose not to do some of the more popular things. The Mall of America just seemed too exhausting of an endeavor, and we have no real room in the camper for more stuff, so shopping didn’t make sense. We also didn’t make it up to Lake Superior, because it was a little far from where we were staying, and we just figured we’d check out some of the other lakes the state is known for.

Our first little excursion was to Mille Lacs Kathio State Park. This is on Ogechie and Shakopee Lakes and right near Mille Lacs Lake. So, we saw three of the 10,000 lakes up close! We rented a canoe and went down Rum River to access the lakes and get a good look at some turtles along the way. For whatever reason (maybe tired from doing some short hikes before canoeing), the girls turned into little monsters on what should have been a peaceful ride down the river. Between arguing over who sat where and physically fighting and nearly flipping the canoe over, they were terrible. We repeatedly told them to stop, threatened that they would not get ice cream from Dairy Queen when we left, and said we’d throw them overboard. Still, it continued. There was griping, tears, and shouting that I’m sure other boaters and bird watchers heard. By the end of the trip, I was wishing that Rum River was made of Rum. I would have jumped in. True to our word, when we left the park, we pulled into DQ, and Ray and I ate ice cream in front of them. I felt a moment of guilt, but they needed to know we meant business.

Despite the bad behavior, I managed to get a couple of iPhone shots of the river and us.

While at the state park, we also climbed a 100-foot tower (well, minus Ray and the dogs) to get some views of the surrounding areas. It was an open tower, and quite honestly, a little nerve-wracking climbing up, but it was pretty once at the top.

A day or so later, we also got the chance to check out a pretty awesome swimming hole in Waite Park, which is near St. Cloud, at the Quarry Park and Nature Preserve. At one time, Saint Cloud Red Granite was quarried from land which is now part of the park. There are still some buildings in the area made of this granite. Quarrying operations ceased in the mid-1950s, and over the years the area returned to a more natural state. It was eventually purchased by the county and turned into a park. There are now two swimming quarries, as well as quarries for scuba diving, and some areas designated for rock climbing. There is also a historical area where people can check out the old equipment used during the quarrying days.

While the history was interesting, we were there for the swimming. We checked out both swimming quarries. The first had huge rocks that people were jumping off of, and after spending a little time there (not cliff diving), we moved on down to the other quarry, which was smaller with more of a beach for the girls.

The waster was clear and cold – just how I like it! Back at the campground, we had some nice nights. The campground at Camp Ripley was perfect for relaxation. For $17 a night, we got a quiet spot with lots of space, nestled between some trees, near the Mississippi River. We did laundry for free, got free firewood for our fire ring, and the girls really liked the playground. We spent some time roasting marshmallows, and Rayne and Jayden rode their bikes quite a bit around the RV park. It was a nice spot to rest up before leaving town for vacation.

When we got back from our Florida trip, we headed a little more south in Minnesota, to Albert Lea. There we visited another state park, Myre – Big Island State Park, and saw the Albert Lea Lake. We did some hiking through the oak savanna landscape, and the most spectacular sight we saw were the white pelicans. Being from Louisiana, I’m quite familiar with the brown pelican (It’s our state bird), but this was new. Ray has recently gotten into birding, and this park is one of the many good birding spots in Minnesota.

Ray got some nice shots of some white pelicans a couple of days later, while driving past one of the 10,000 lakes in the state.

Our last little outing in Minnesota was to the Spam Museum in Austin, MN. I didn’t recall ever having tried Spam, so Ray bought some and fried it up. Despite it looking pretty nasty right out of the can, thinly sliced and fried, it’s not half bad. Come to find out, the Hormel family (makers of Hormel Chili, Dinty Moore stew, Spam, and a whole bunch of other stuff) were from Austin, MN. Hormel is headquartered there, and the Spam Museum is just down the road.

It was pretty fun. We tried some samples, learned about the use of Spam during World War II and how people eat it around the world, and let the girls time themselves packaging it. It was a nice way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon.