No peeking

Swan Lake to Deer River, Minnesota. Thursday, June 10, 2021

Today was low-key compared to yesterday‘s Easter egg fest. It started out with more great conversations with Tom and Karen, we have so many stories to share, but they are more disciplined than I am, and managed to depart quite early. I had some anxious moments trying to find campgrounds or lodging for today, the pipe liners are still a factor, and I was finding nothing. Finally I called a casino; they directed me to a motel not on Google maps, and I snagged a room. Jeez, and it’s not even the weekend! Likely to get worse, but I found a warmshowers in Bemidji for Friday night, my first in a month and a half.

Spent too much time futzing with yesterday’s blog, but what a story to tell. Finally left around 1:30, and it was simply a matter of completing the Mesabi trail, which ended in Grand Rapids. Here is the entrance gateway, I had been on the trail for a total of 75 miles, and by and large it is wonderful, an Easter egg in its own right.

My motel was just 15 miles further down the road, the road being my old friend US Highway 2, the same highway that runs close to my front door in Vermont. It was smooth, wide, good shoulder, not much traffic, perfect for listening to podcasts.

Just to my left was the Mississippi River, reportedly quite small here, close to its headwaters. However, I didn’t want to peek. Crossing the Mississippi is an important threshold in this journey, figuratively where you cross from east to west, and my plan is to go its source at Lake Itasca, then follow it downstream to Iowa. I really didn’t want to see the river until then. One more quirky ritual.

I had gotten the last room in this motel, and it was on the second floor, this time up 23 wooden steps. My sunglasses fell off during the struggle and through the stairway into the storeroom below, it took some time to locate them. However, I was happy to have a room. Warmshowers tomorrow, I might have to wind up “cowboy camping” on Lake Itasca on Saturday.

Distance 42 miles, 2,446 total. Time 6 hours with stops. Elevation gain 893 feet.

©️ 2021 Scott Luria