Friday, June 7, 2024
This morning we departed Itasca Lake State Park and drove north on US-17 towards International Falls, the “Icebox of the Nation.” After about 45 minutes of driving, we arrived in Bemidji, the first city along the Mississipi River after it leaves its headwaters. We patronized the Minnesota Nice Cafe where we indugled in another mega-breakfast.
After breakfast, we drove to Paul Bunyon Park along the Mississipi River. We sluggishly walked around the pleasant park enjoying the river views and the giant statues of Paul Bunyon and Babe, his blue ox.
We resumed our northward journey on US-17 for another 1.75 hours before turning east and driving to the Kabetogama Lake entrance for Voyageurs National Park, one of three entrances for this park. The parking area was full so we parked in an adjacent boat ramp parking lot that was also full of trucks with boat trailers. We got our Passport book stamped, obtained a park map and info, and watched a park video. A young park ranger also educated us about efforts to manage invasive mussels. These have infested Rainy Lake but so far, via diligent hygiene efforts, have been kept out of Kabetogama and other regional lakes.
After leaving Voyageurs NP, we reconnected with US-71 and drove another half-hour to the Riverfront Hotel in International Falls. We were about two hours before check-in time but, after a 20-minute delay while the receptionist dealt with a couple of difficult customers, we were able to move into our room. Our room was hot so we closed the black-out curtains and cranked up the AC.
After resting awhile in our hotel room, we headed our for a beer. Jane selected Loony’s Brew a little east of I-Falls. We ordered our beers and enjoyed them on an outdoor deck with views of Canada across the Rainy River. The weather was delightfully cool. A beautiful silver lab befriended us and tried to get us to toss her stick.
Loony’s didn’t serve food so we eventually drove back into town and enjoyed dinner at the Cobblestone Hotel Restaurant, then returned to our room at the Riverfront Hotel for the evening. The hotel parking lot had changed from nearly empty to nearly full of boat-hauling-trucks.
—— Cobblestone Hotel Restaurant Entrance ——
