Our 50th State!!! {Minnesota}

In 2014, we set off on a grand adventure, traveling fulltime by RV with our 3.5yr old twins. When we stopped traveling fulltime, we were missing only 3 states. Finally, 8 years later, we have officially experienced all 50 US states!!! A huge accomplishment and something we are so grateful to be able to do with our children. 

Our main destination in Minnesota is Voyageurs National Park, but I found, Itasca State Park, one of their most popular state parks, was a long our path, so we decided to stay for 3 nights to check it out. It's home to the headwaters of the Mississippi River, and "wading the headwaters" is one of the biggest attractions. Water flows from springs in Lake Itasca once it passes over a rock barrier, the river begins its 2,552 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

We drove the 10 mile Wilderness Drive thru the forest and stopped at multiple lakes and hiking trails.

The park is also known for its old-growth red and white pine forest. In the 1880s logging was depleting the state's forests. Jacob V. Brower fought to protect the resources by establishing the State Park in 1891. Today it holds 25% of the state's remaining old-growth pine! We saw two trees that formerly held state records for size, plus walked thru the Preacher's Grove, a section of trees that have been growing since 1710. 

At Elk Lake and Mary Lake, Asher caught lots of fish, mostly bluegill, but also a pumpkinseed and his first walleye!

Peace Pipe Vista is a popular place to watch the sunset.

Views from the top of the 100ft Aiton Heights Fire Tower were worth the nerve-wracking climb! It's very small and holds 6 people max. The closer you get to the top the more it sways in the wind. Yikes. We passed three small lakes during this hike and while I didn't see any swans, I did find a family of Golden-winged Warblers! 

The Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center has many interactive displays for learning about the area's natural features, wildlife and history. At the Headwaters, there's a map you can pour water into to watch how the Mississippi River flows from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. We noticed the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi.

I was delighted to find the lake was only a 5 minute trail walk from our campsite. I was able to spot lifer Red Crossbills here! 

Right as we were packing up to leave the park, we met our camping neighbors. After a three hour conversation about life, travel and Jesus, we reluctantly said goodbye, but not before they prayed with us and offered for us to camp on their property. They actually said, "we'll give you our address, go hook up to our electric and we'll be home on Sunday to show you around the area!" How sweet is that?!