I set out on this journey across the country with everything I own packed into my Honda Element and $4,000 to my name. I have a general idea of the direction I’m heading and a couple places I want to see along the way. A couple of business opportunities await me in the Los Angeles area and my good friend Kenar has offered me a place to stay in Burbank, CA so that’s the final destination. Other than that there is no specific plan or definite timeline. All I know is that it’s time to start a new chapter in my life and the road is where I’m going to do just that.
Take, for instance, day one of the trip — Wednesday, September 29, 2010. I wake up around 8:00 a.m., eat some breakfast, watch some television, and around 9:30 decide I should hit the road. After saying goodbye to my grandfather and shedding more than a few tears on that first stretch of highway I head straight across northern Wisconsin and about two-thirds of Minnesota to Lake Itasca State Park. That’s just south of Bemidji if you’re looking for it on a map.
Why Lake Itasca? Well, last week I was running my finger along my trusty road atlas (I’m doing my best to make this a GPS-free adventure) and saw “Mississippi Headwaters” listed not far off US 2. I thought, “The start of the Mississippi River? I’m there.” I told my dad I was planning to see the headwaters of the Mississippi and while we were on the phone he said that Google told him the river started at Lake Itasca. With that tidbit I pointed my car in a westerly direction on highway 2.
As I near the city of Bemidji I realize that I don’t know where Lake Itasca is except for the fact that it’s “near Bemidji”. I hear the muffled, semi-robotic voice of the GPS from deep inside the glove box say, “you know, I can help you with that.” Shut up GPS. You’re staying in your cozy little box so you might as well get comfortable. Just then I see a sign – Lake Itasca State Park next exit. Well lookie there GPS, I didn’t even know it was a state park. That probably means they have some campsites. Maybe I can get a good spot by the lake…after all it is late September and all the family campers should be back to the grind.
About 30 miles south of Bemidji I turn into the Lake Itasca State Park south entrance. It’s another 5 miles in to the campsite registration office and the fall season has washed the forest over with a sea of golds, reds, and oranges – simply stunning. I pull up to the registration office and I’m in line behind an old fellow driving a big shiny house on wheels pulling the American equivalent of my Honda Element. I guess when I’m his age maybe I’ll have a motorhome and tow my Element behind it but for now this little buggy will have to serve as both.
The first thing the registration lady says to me is “wow, you’re the youngest person we’ve had here in weeks.” Apprently all the parents and kids have indeed gone back to work & school so my neighbors will all be of the senior citizen variety. I immediately jump to conclusion that the campground will be nice and quiet.
The registrar tells me the majority of the campsites have electrical hookups so I opt to go with one of those for an extra 4 bucks. She says, “Site 59 is the best spot in the whole park and it’s available. Would you like that one?” “You bet!” I reply and hand over my credit card. Wait, I can use a credit card? I wonder if they have wifi. Ah nevermind, I can just tether my phone to the laptop if I can get a signal. Wow, my idea of “roughing it” has changed since I was a kid.
Sure enough, I pull up to the most beautiful campsite I’ve ever seen. Nothing but some trees and Lake Itasca behind me and the site is made for those monstrous houses on wheels so my Element tucks way back next to the lake leaving a good 100 yards between me and the nearest neighbor. Fantastic.
Of course, being the geek that I am I have to see if I can get a decent web signal on the phone so I jump on Google video chat with my dad. After giving him a brief tour of the campsite the signal craps out so I try to get the thing working again for another 10 minutes. Suddenly I realize I’m in a beautiful, natural setting that requires no electricity or internet access to enjoy and I jump in the car to go see the Mississippi headwaters.
The interpretive center is quite impressive. They have a gift shop and a restaurant which were both closed but looked nice. What I really like though is the 25 foot long scale model of the terrain from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico that gives an excellent perspective of the length of the Mississippi River’s flow. Good, now I’ve that I’ve got perspective let’s go see what’s at the start of this 2,500+ mile stretch of water.
I’ve been over the Mississippi River in Minnesota, Wisconsin and down in Louisiana. The river is absolutely huge and until today I never gave a second though to the fact that it had to start somewhere. Well start it does — all 15 or 20 feet of its width spills out of Lake Itasca at a steady pace. I walk over it on a flattened out fallen log (read: tourist gimmick) and contemplate trying to jump over it on a narrower, secluded section a bit further down its flow.
What you see here at the Mississippi headwaters isn’t much in relation to the whole of its mass. It’s definitely worth the trip though and not just for a “yeah, I’ve been there” moment. Seeing the natural beginning of something so massive that helped shape so much of the history of the United States is both humbling and thought provoking. Definitely a good way for me to start this trip.
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