Hello Everyone! When many of you will be reading this, Shadow Catcher and I will be celebrating the 4 year anniversary of this project. We set out together on November 11th, 2017 from our home base in Washington D.C. to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. At the time, the plan was to spend a month in each of the 48 contiguous states, which, if done in one long stretch, would have put an end date right around now. I learned very quickly that a month isn’t very long when it comes to really getting to know a state and while I still try and move right along, six weeks seems like a more realistic timeframe. My dreams of financial success with this project have been all but a complete bust, so I have had to stop and go back to guiding to replenish my coffers. Thankfully, it’s a job I love and it’s fairly easy to put away money in a short time and keep going. And of course who could have predicted a global pandemic, which grounded us for 15 months at home? That time was a blessing as I got to spend it with my folks and watching young Mason every day on his journey from 2 to 3 years old. On the plus side, I’ve seen and done so much, learned more than I ever thought possible and met many truly wonderful people along the way. It’s been everything I hoped it would be and infinitely more and I’m grateful every day for this project, this journey, and all of you who have chosen to share in it. Like any journey, it’s had its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. As I wind up my time in Minnesota, my 16th of 48 states, that would leave me 1/3 of the way there. I don’t know if I’ll finish this project, but I’m definitely planning to keep going for the near future. Thank you all for coming along for the ride.
It’s been a very busy week blazing across the prairies of Southwest Minnesota. With daylight savings time ending and snow in the forecast, it is definitely time to start making an exit plan, but I didn’t want to miss out on a whole region. I’ve definitely driven more this week than I usually do and I’ve seen some pretty amazing places but it’s also been pretty fast and furious. That being said, I’ve driven past some fascinating things this week that either gave me pause or a good chuckle. When I drove through Brainerd again this week, I passed by the Warriors Early Childhood Learning Center. Their school team name is the Warriors, but to an outsider I thought this was pretty funny. I also drove past the towns of Nimrod, Sleepy Eye and Weetown – all of which made me smile. I saw a Sasquatch Reporting Station in Starbuck and a street called Oink Joint Rd. The Starbuck High School mascot is the Bucks, the Fergus Falls (county seat of Otter Tail County) is the Otters and of course in Pelican Rapids they went with… the Vikings! It was wonderful to see Amish buggies driving on the roads and tumbleweed tumbling down dusty city streets. It was a wonderful week of clear sunny days and I tried to make the most of it. Here’s what I got into:
When last I wrote I was headed clear across the state of Minnesota back to the western border. Along the way I stopped in the cute little town of Wadena to take some photos and have a wander. I ended up popping into the Little Round Still Distillery and talking with the nice folks there for a while. They gave me a lesson on Minnesota’s complicated liquor laws and it sounded like there is a lot to overcome when starting a brewery or distillery in the state. I ended up buying a 375ml bottle of their Gunflint whiskey which was quite good and the biggest bottle they could legally sell me. From Wadena, I headed on to the even smaller town of New York Mills to check out the Regional Cultural Center there. For a small town, this center is pretty well known and has a wonderful gallery and shop and hosts classes, workshops and events. There was a nice display of “wet felting” wall hangings by Kristen Anderson in the gallery when I was there which were beautiful and told an interesting story. There were also some other smaller pieces from previous exhibits upstairs. I was there for longer than I thought I would be but really enjoyed it. From there I headed on to Perham where I jumped on the Otter Trail Scenic Byway. This beautiful loop road took me through small towns and past some amazing prairie scenery as I made my way around Otter Tail County. I stopped in Pelican Rapids to take a photo of the world’s largest pelican and pulled into Phelps Mill right as the sun was setting to get some great photos of this historic mill now owned by the county. It was a great place to end my day and then I headed on to Fergus Falls for the night. I went downtown and found it pleasant but empty without a single bar or restaurant around. I really find it strange and sad when towns roll up their sidewalks after dark like that. I headed out of town and stopped for a quick beer at their brewery which was actually really tasty but way overpriced. I was sad that my only option for dinner at 8pm was Applebee’s which was on the low side of mediocre. For a town of 13,000 people I had expected a little more, but it was still a nice place to spend the night and it would redeem itself the following day.
Stillwater refers to itself as the “Birthplace of Minnesota” because the territorial convention which began the process of statehood was held there in 1848. The town itself predates the state and when it was officially incorporated in 1854, Stillwater was Minnesota’s biggest city. The town gets its name from the quiet stretch of the St. Croix River it sits on and its early life was dependent on lumber and river traffic. At its peak, the Stillwater Lumber Company was one of the biggest in the country. While its lumber days are long over, Stillwater has been busy repurposing the old warehouses and mills and reimaging itself as a premier tourist destination. The town’s main street is vibrant and packed with wonderful restaurants and busy bars and draws people from all over the world. Beautiful historic homes can be found in the nearby neighborhoods, harking back to Stillwater’s busy early days. Stillwater is everything I love about a historic town and it was one of the prettiest towns I visited in a long time. I love what they’ve done with the place. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Stillwater, the Birthplace of Minnesota.
Hello Everyone! I can’t believe it’s November already. That means it’s almost 5 months since I left home and that it’s almost time to turn my headlights back in that general direction. I turned 46 last weekend in the Twin Cities and really enjoyed the weekend. I caught up with some friends and found some Halloween festivities as well and even went to the Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium. After a fun-filled but tiring weekend, I traveled up the St. Croix River through some really cool historic towns and have once again turned west for my final run across Minnesota. There’s been a lot of sun this week which has made the freezing and near-freezing temperatures pretty easy to bear, but with the sun coming up at 8am and going down before 6, it’s been a challenge to get everything I want to accomplish done during daylight hours. Daylight Savings Time is ending this week and while I’m looking forward to getting up with light in the sky, it will be dark by 5 and that’s not so easy. There was even a little bit of snow this week which was fun, but definitely a reminder of what is right ahead of us. I’m going to be pushing hard this week to see and do the things I want to get done so I can get out of here before the real snow flies. It’s been a busy week, so let’s get right into it.
After finishing this post last week in St. Cloud, I told you I was looking forward to an open-mic night in town. What I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know was that it was an open-mic comedy night which was quite something to see in a mid-sized Minnesota town, especially since most of the comedians were in some form of costume. On the whole, they were pretty terrible and bombed pretty hard if they could even remember their jokes at all. Some read directly off of their cue cards while others blanked entirely and wished they’d brought some. As far as hilarious stand-up goes - this was not that, but as far as observing life in St. Cloud, it was fascinating. Some people just spilled their guts and I wondered if there was supposed to be any jokes in it at all or if it was some form of humiliation therapy (although I sincerely applaud their courage to get up on stage at all). My favorite was probably Large Marge, a 40-something drag queen who had the best delivery and was actually pretty funny. The crowd was small, but generally supportive and I had a great time. The $4 craft beer pitchers didn’t hurt. Before the show I went across the street to Pioneer Place, an old theatre which was having a live radio performance. I wish I had known it was going on because it’s been a long time since I’ve attended such an event, but I did catch a little bit of it and it was also a lot of fun.
Thursday I headed out of St. Cloud and made a beeline for the Twin Cities. I had a great conversation with my old friend Peter as I drove. Peter lived near me when I lived in Japan and it was nice to catch up with him. When I got to Minneapolis, I ran around and did a bunch of errands and then spent the afternoon with my friend, Val. The last time I saw Val was at her place in Dallas on my drive home from South Texas at the beginning of the pandemic. It was good to see her and we spent the whole afternoon just hanging out and catching up.
The next day was my birthday and I started the day with a delicious breakfast at a little hole-in-the-wall called Junior’s. Then I headed up to the town of Anoka, which bills itself as the “Halloween Capital of the World”. There were banners on the light posts in town declaring the same and a giant pumpkin down by the river. The stores along the main street were all decorated, but mostly in a very subtle way and I was surprised how little decoration I saw around town seeing as it was 2 days before Halloween. While their big Halloween parade was on Saturday, I was there to see the schoolchildren’s parade. It was really wonderful with all of the different schools in town participating and hundreds of costumed kids marching down the street.
The area surrounding massive Leech Lake, which now includes the town of Walker, Minnesota, has been visited by Native Americans for centuries. When European fur traders arrived, the Ojibwe occupied the area. The railroad came through in the late 19th century and a small lumber town was established and named after Thomas B. Walker, a lumber baron and one of the wealthiest men in America. Logging was king in those early days, but the beauty of Leech Lake soon started to attract tourism as well. Today, tourism is the main draw to the area but Walker also serves as the Cass County seat. Leech Lake is beautiful and I can certainly understand the draw. The town itself is also very attractive with a cute downtown area and some wonderful parks along the lakefront. While Walker was on one of my lists of photogenic towns to visit in the state, when I found out one of my friends grew up there I definitely knew I had to pass through. While she lives in Moab, Utah at the moment, her parents were kind enough to take me in for the night and show me a good time. When I went to take these photos the next morning, the sky was so blue I found it hard to leave. I hope you enjoy these photos of beautiful Walker, Minnesota, a pleasant town worth checking out on the shores of fabulous Leech Lake.
The Ojibwe referred to the body of water we now call Detroit Lake as “Gaiajawangag", meaning a lake with a crossing in a sandy place. The name “Detroit” was given to the area by a French missionary as “Detroit” means “straight” in French. The Old Red River Road came through Detroit in the early 1800s and was traveled by fur traders and Indians alike. When the Northern Pacific Railroad was pushing west through Minnesota, there was a small village on the lake known as Tylerville, named after Merwin Tyler whose small cabin on the lake also served as a hotel and post office. As the railroad came through, the city of Detroit was established in 1871 and in 1877 it became the county seat. The town provided ice and water to the railroad in the early days, but today’s economy relies heavily on tourism. The name was eventually changed from Detroit to Detroit Lakes in 1926 to avoid confusion with Michigan’s Detroit. I really enjoyed my stay in Detroit Lakes and found the downtown area to be quaint and historic while the lake itself was stunning - especially around sunset. I loved watching the trains cruise past the historic station and found beautiful art all over town. I hope you enjoy these photos from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, a little town with a lot to offer.
Hello Everyone! It’s been a week of changes here in Northern Minnesota. I must admit that it’s not been the best of weeks for me out here, probably mostly because the weather has been so gloomy (although it could be considerably worse too). The days have passed their equinox and there are now more dark hours than light. Nighttime temperatures have dropped near freezing, and I’ve had to adjust accordingly. My winter clothes have been retrieved from their spot under my bed and my winter sleeping bag is out as well. I have gotten all of the water out of my van’s pipes and hoses so it doesn’t freeze and burst. As I’ve made my way north and west along the Canadian border and then south and east to North Dakota the scenery has changed from forests and lakes to hay bales and grain silos. I’m starting to see western businesses like Arco and Tesoro pop up. I’ve definitely entered the plains region of the state which has been an interesting and quick transition. I saw a lot of beautiful scenery this week, but I didn’t take a lot of photos. Voyageurs National Park was a bit of a let-down and the towns I have passed through have not been very inspiring of photography. I guess it’s been a weird week. Not a bad one, but not quite what I had hoped from it either. We’ve had a couple of good days weather-wise, but I haven’t felt like I’ve been using the blue skies and sun to their fullest.
When I finished off last week, I had just arrived in Hibbing. Hibbing is a very blue collar town whose biggest claim to fame is that it’s where Bob Dylan grew up (he was born in Duluth). Dylan first performed with his friends at a Hibbing High School Talent Show, calling themselves The Cashmeres and playing Little Richard, much to the shock and surprise of the town. Dylan had his Bar Mitzvah at the Androy Hotel which has since been turned into apartments and I had the luck of staying there at my friend Elizabeth’s place which was very cool. We went to see an open-mic night at Mike’s Pub on Wednesday evening and saw some really amazing local talent and I was happy to see a musical tradition has passed down through the years.
On Thursday I went and visited all of the Dylan sites in town – his boyhood home, Hibbing High School (where they are just completing a monument to his winning of the Nobel Prize in literature) and some of the old stores and restaurants he enjoyed around town as a teenager. The biggest tribute to the great songwriter in Hibbing was in the basement of the public library, which had memorabilia, books about his life, concert posters and artifacts from the town’s Dylan Days festivals. Bob has asked that no museum be built until after he dies which I guess is fair enough, but Hibbing could really use a Dylan museum to attract more people to the town. That night we hung out at The Sportsman, another of the pubs on Howard Street, the town’s main drag. There were some wonderful salt-of-the-earth folks there that night, and I enjoyed their company and had a good laugh. One of the things I found disturbing, though, was how many of them were in chronic pain and self-medicating with alcohol (among other things). More than one said they had broken bones recently but couldn’t afford X-rays and they weren’t bones that could be set anyway. I really don’t know why people in this country are opposed to socialized medicine. In all of my travels around the world, in all of my conversations with the thousands of tourists I’ve taken on vacation over the years and through my own experiences with it while living in Japan, I’ve never seen anything but good come from socialized medicine. Every system around the world could be improved, but what you don’t find in those countries is people who can barely get out of bed in the morning because of the pain they’re in but can’t afford to go see a doctor. And as I’ve mentioned in this space before, you won’t see GoFundMe pages from people who are trying to afford their children’s cancer treatments. It’s one of the greatest tragedies I see in this country and that night it was so prevalent it was hard not to think about it. Good people though and we had a very good night.
The next morning I went to see Hibbing’s other claim to fame – the old Greyhound Bus museum. Started as a cheap way to transport miners to their jobs right there in Hibbing, Greyhound was the beginning of bus transportation in America.
Thief River Falls gets its name from the falls at the confluence of the Red Lake River and the Thief River (which traces its name back to a conflict between the Ojibwe and Dakota people). These falls made navigation by boat impossible beyond this point, so a town was born here in 1887. Thief River Falls was originally a lumber town and then shifted to wheat farming, but it really took off when the Great Northern and Soo Line railroads came to town in the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries respectively. The rivers and railroads still power the local economy today and Thief River Falls is also the home of an Arctic Cat Snowmobiles plant. Thief River Falls has a population of around 8,600 people today and it really put on a show for me during my visit. The temperature hovered around 70 degrees under sunny skies and the sunset was absolutely spectacular. I hope you enjoy these photos from my visit to beautiful Thief River Falls, Minnesota.
Minnesota’s North Shore stretches along Lake Superior from Duluth all the way to the Canadian border. This region was at the top of all of my Minnesotan friends’ must-see lists and after five days of exploring, I certainly understand why. There are eight beautiful state parks along this stretch, as well as Grand Portage National Monument which is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. This park tells the story of the early fur traders, voyageurs and Native Americans who came together on the western shore of Lake Superior. Waterfalls abound along the North Shore, including Minnesota’s tallest - High Falls in Grand Portage State Park. I also found lighthouses, cute little lakeside towns and breathtaking views out over Lake Superior. Also in this region is the wonderful Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway which stretches 40 miles, from Grand Marais to Gull Lake, and offers wonderful lodging and recreation activities in the state’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area. While not technically on the North Shore, I’ve included some of my favorite shots from my two days along this beautiful road as well. I so enjoyed watching the sun set and then rise again in the morning over Gunflint Lake, and the stars at night were simply amazing. I will echo my friends’ recommendation - if you’re coming to Minnesota, the North Shore is definitely a place you must see. For such a compact area, it’s one of the most beautiful regions I’ve seen in my travels anywhere in the country. I hope you enjoy these photos from Minnesota’s North Shore and the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway.
According to Visit Cook County’s website, tiny Grand Marais has been named America’s Coolest Small Town, a Top 10 Beach Getaway and National Geographic Adventure’s Next Great Adventure Town. Those are some pretty strong accolades for a town with a population of less than 1500 people. Before European exploration, the local Anishinaabe People called this area Gichi-biitoobiig meaning “Two Bays” while early French-Canadian explorers called it Grand Marais or “Great Marsh”. The area’s natural rock breakwater made it an important harbor for early ships to escape the fury of Lake Superior storms and the entire region was important in the 18th century fur trade. All along the western shore of Lake Superior goods would come in from Europe and points east and be traded for beaver furs with the Ojibwe and Cree People. More recently, Grand Marais became Minnesota’s oldest artists’ colony and is home to the North House Folk School. It’s the largest town on the upper end of Minnesota’s North Shore and the jumping-off point for the Gunflint Trail and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. And not to forget about its position on Lake Superior, Grand Marais also hosts a fleet of charter fishing vessels. You can’t miss Grand Marais on your trip to the North Shore, but it’s definitely worth your time to stop and stay awhile. You’ll be happy you did. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful downtown Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Hello Everyone and greetings from Minnesota. I crossed over at Duluth on the first of October which seemed like and appropriate day for a new beginning. It’s always a bit strange crossing into a new state because over the last however many weeks I’ve become accustomed to wherever I was. Within a state there are certainly regional differences, but crossing the state line isn’t a gradual change from north to south or east to west. Grocery stores are one way in Superior, Wisconsin and are something completely different 10 minutes away in Duluth (no booze in MN stores). And while people obviously move freely between the two, you can see differences in the culture immediately too. Packers green and gold gives way to Vikings purple and white and the maps on peoples’ t-shirts change as well. Spend enough time in one state and you’ll forever after recognize that state’s shape because you’ll see it everywhere if you’re really paying attention. It’s fun. Also apparently they call port-a-johns “biffies” in Minnesota. Oh, and the Twin Cities become just “The Cities” when you cross the state line. I have definitely been a little bit surprised by how many clothes people are wearing up here. Temperatures have been in the fifties and sixties and I’m still in shorts and a t-shirt but the locals are wearing jeans and coats and hats. Mark Twain has often been quoted (erroneously, apparently) as saying “the coldest winter I ever spent was summer in Duluth” and I know winter temperatures around here can get down to 50 below, and I just can’t imagine how cold these people must feel in the middle of winter if they’re so wrapped up in the beginning of October. I also got a kick out of a local radio ad which was telling employers to book a fun day out for their employees with a no bag-limit pheasant hunt “reserve your birds today”. Of course if it weren’t for these differences, traveling around the country the way that I am wouldn’t be nearly as fun.
So I have a fly which has been in my van for a few days now. I envision him thinking he is my dog because he seems to want to play all the time. He’s also very Midwestern in his mannerisms. He doesn’t bother me, but he wants me to know I’m not alone either. He keeps me company and comes and lands on me when I hop into bed. He doesn’t bite and he leaves me alone if I swish him away enough, but every time I get him out the door, he flies right back in again. He doesn’t move very fast and I could whack him with a flyswatter pretty easily, but he’s not really causing me any problems so for now, he can stay.
After I finished up this post last week, I headed out to Amicon Falls State Park which is about 15 minutes east of Superior. It’s a beautiful state park with quite a few waterfalls around to see, all within an easy walk of the parking lot. Like so many of the rivers in Wisconsin, there are a lot of tannins in the water from the trees which line their banks, leaving the water a brown, cola-like color. I don’t know where the Amicon River flows from, but it was raging when I was there. There was so much water going over the falls, and there hasn’t been much rain here recently and obviously no snow-melt in quite a while. It was pretty cool to see that much power in the water. That evening I went to celebrate my time in Wisconsin coming to a close with a beautiful cut of prime rib at Hammond’s Bar and Steakhouse which of course had to be accompanied by a brandy old-fashioned. I only made it to a few of Wisconsin’s storied supper clubs, but they made a big impression and were a wonderful part of my experience.
Thursday morning dawned foggy and grey, but I had one last place I wanted to see before I could leave Wisconsin: the state’s highest waterfall: Manitou Falls, at Pattison State Park. It was also only about 15 minutes out of Superior, and definitely worth the drive. I was actually really surprised by how high it was as most of the waterfalls I have seen around the state have been pretty small (it’s a flat state). Manitou Falls was impressive by any standard and I enjoyed eating my breakfast and watching the cascades. After breakfast I went on a little 3 mile round-trip hike to Little Manitou Falls which was also a pretty good sized waterfall. The sun came out and the fog burned off and by the time I returned to my van it had turned into a beautiful day. I decided to hang out there for a while, work on my podcast and enjoy the weather. I ended up staying at the park far into the middle of the afternoon and then headed to the library for a while to try and catch up on some of my photos from last week. By the time I was ready to go, it was late so I decided to hang on in Superior for one more night instead of crossing over late and when I was tired. I went for a burger and the Anchor Bar in Superior which came recommended by a friend. It was a decent burger at a very good price, but the people working there looked and acted the way most servers and bartenders feel but don’t show. I ended the night back at the Thirsty Pagan in the old railroad station with a nice beer and some good live music. That’s definitely a place I will return someday.
According to their Chamber of Commerce, Bayfield is one of USA Today's Best Coastal Small Towns, Wisconsin's Smallest City, the Berry Capital of the State, and the Gateway to the Apostle Islands. That’s a lot for a place with a population of only around 500. the town was named in 1856 for Henry Bayfield, a British admiral and topographic engineer who explored the region in the 1820s.Lumber and fishing were the big industries in the early days and Bayfield also served as a port city. You can tell from some of the beautiful Victorian homes in town that at least a few people made their fortunes here. I found Bayfield to be a charming place with beautiful architecture and wonderful views out over the lake. It was my jumping-off point to both Madeline Island and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. If you visit, be sure you try the local delicacy of whitefish livers which was one of the tastiest dishes I’ve had in a long time. I hope you enjoy these photos from this wonderful lakefront city.
Madeline Island is the largest of the Apostle Islands which sit just off the coast of Wisconsin’s Lake Superior shoreline. It is the only one of the Apostles which isn’t a part of Apostle Island National Lakeshore and the only one open to development. The permanent population of the island hovers around 300 but grows considerably during the summer months. The island is named after Madeline Cadotte, an Ojibwe woman and the daughter of Chief White Crane who married a white fur trader and lived on the island in the 19th century.
The island is important to the Ojibwe as a spiritual center and was also the home of Chief Buffalo, the man responsible for negotiating the Treaty of 1854 which helped create a permanent Reservation on the Lake Superior coast.
Madeline Island was a major fur trading post for many years and later industries included commercial fishing, logging and tourism. Both Father Marquette and Bishop Baraga (the “Snowshoe Priest”) visited the island and helped establish missions there.
I had a great visit to Madeline Island. The ferry only took about 20 minutes to make the crossing and I brought my van with me and stayed at wonderful Big Bay State Park on the far side of the island. The ferry docks at La Pointe, the island’s only town which has several restaurants, bars and shops. It’s also where I found Tom’s Burned Down Cafe, one of the coolest bars I went to in the state. I enjoyed hiking in the state park and a long drive around the island on a very well maintained dirt road. I was sorry that the museum was closed when I was there, but I’m sure it had some interesting artifacts in it. Sunset over Lake Superior looking back at the mainland was magical. I hope you enjoy these photos from my time on beautiful Madeline Island.
