Here are some photos from a recent camping trip to Lake Bemidji, the land of Paul Bunyan, with my sons. I always enjoy seeing my older boy swing the ax. I haven’t started a fire in years. I wonder if I still know how. We saw several loons while canoeing. Some had chicks that rode on their backs, to protect them from the muskies I suppose. The water in the lake was extremely clean and great for swimming. There were also a multitude of downed trees from a recent storm that also did a lot of property damage. We saw this crushed car (pictured below) on a 17 mile bike ride around the lake.

Surprising, there were hardly any bugs, at least the kind that bite.

It would have been nice to have landed a fish or two, but it was still fun trying. The kids did enjoy catching crawdads and leeches in the small marina where we launched our canoe.

On our way home we visited the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park which is known for its beautiful forest. I had visited that spot many years ago, and it felt special for the boys to experience that since the river is a source of so much of our recreation. Where does a river really begin? I would say the sky which is a blue reflection of our beautiful oceans.