The Land of 10,000 Lakes

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Geo: 46.8759, -96.7823

Today we had an interesting day, crossing Wisconsin and Minnesota, and landing in Fargo, ND. The day began at 7:55 and 70 degrees with overcast skies. And it wasn't long before the rains came. The skies were threatening and it was clear we had a front passing through. At one point, in addition to the rain, we had a heavy black header with a white stripe below it, a patch of blue peeking through and crooked fingers of gray rising from below like many smoke stacks spewing black smoke into the sky. It was a bit unnerving, But eventually we worked our way through it and made it out the other side to fair skies and smooth sailing.

Wisconsin provided us with miles of fertile farmland…family farms growing corn and soy beans and wheat and hay…just like yesterday. Occasionally we saw goats grazing in the fields, sheep that had been recently sheered, and cows, Guerneys and Wholesteins…mostly black and white with the occasional brown and white odd ball, all eating grass and making milk, I suppose. After all, this is Wisconsin...cheese country. I find these cows the prettiest cows, they remind me of palomino horses.

This is middle America and the people are kind and friendly…that is, until you meet them on the road, where some of them are rather rude. Certainly not like the bible belt where my life in Little Rock, Arkansas taught me how kind and considerate drivers can be. There, they don't honk at you, cut you off, or refuse to let you in. They will let you go before them even when traffic is the absolute worst. It's a good lesson for us all. (Annette, my good friend in Little Rock, if you are reading this, it is a compliment to you and your neighbors.)

The road before us was straight and flat, like two parallel lines stretching away and reaching and then fading into the horizon. And we pursued it, but never quite caught up with it. But we kept on chasing it west. An interesting thing about the county roads in Wisconsin. They are not numerical. They are alpha, like Route U and Route XX. I think I noted this two years ago when we passed this way. And I found it rather amusing.

We reached St. Paul in the late morning hours with the intent of seeing the State Capitol. (There is a theme to our motives. Having worked at the State Capitol of Maine, we enjoy seeing the State Complexes in other states. Some are very impressive.) Well, the capitol building in St. Paul is undergoing serious restoration, and from the look of it, it appears they are doing a fabulous job, because the gold finial on the dome and the horses over the main entrance are a bright and sparkling gold, like brand new. Much of the building is covered with staging and tarps. Almost looks like our Capitol in DC. Have you noticed?

While we were exploring the capitol campus, we saw this incredible building off in the distance on a hill, and it drew our attention to it like a magnet. It turned out to be the Cathedral of St. Paul. We drove to it, parked the car and went inside. It is not as ornate as some churches, but its architecture is beautiful and very appealing. There were people inside praying, walking around observing and just experiencing the grandeur of this church, and I did the same.

Our next stop was in Milwaukee. At some point, we crossed the Mississippi River, but I was not sure just when that happened. I thought the sign said the Minnesota River, and my research on this is not clear. In any event, we ended up on the other side and at the infamous Mall of America. I could not pass through without experiencing this place. And it is truly amazing. There is even an amusement park inside and I watched some of the rides, which were huge.

After having lunch, we hit the road. We still had a long trek to Fargo, which is just over the border in North Dakota. And the further west we went, the larger the farms seemed to be. No longer were the farm houses obvious to us from the road…only miles of crops and many little lakes. Minnesota is The Land of 10,000 Lakes. I guess irrigation is not an issue in Minnesota.

We landed in Fargo a 4:30 a bit spent. Tomorrow, we head to Montana, Big Sky Country.

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Comments

[Art Ritter]

I've not been to Minnesota since I was 20 but really liked it. The cathedral is beautiful.