Minnesota meandering...

...is a good way to describe my week. Spent Tuesday and Wednseday on the east side of the state and then Thursday went as far north as I could and drove across the top of the state before cutting down the center and spending the weekend at Lake Bemijdi State Park. Something neat I learned while here is that the headwaters for the Mississippi River are south of here but the river actually flows north and into a small lake then on up into Lake Bemidji before exiting out the east side of the lake and heading south. So even though this is not the headwaters it is the northern most point of the mighty Mississippi. Kinda cool I thought. Got my first taste of cold weather at night-38 degrees-but with just a little bit of heater and two blankets I stayed nice and warm. The weather during the days was great for hiking so I did a bit of that both Friday and Saturday. Had air card coverage but it was not real great so I did not bother trying to post anything. Got to see a little bit of football on Sunday at a local bar so I can say I saw a game this season. Don't know how many I will see this year. The bartender in the place was really cool and he has actually traveled around America quite a bit so it was fun talking with him. He is actually back in college now so he can learn Spanish and go travel South America! Definitely a kindred spirit I think. It is neat being up here and seeing the colors starting to change on the trees and seeing the geese starting to go over. Quite a change from early fall in Florida. I am heading south through Minnesota and going down into Iowa. People up here ask me why and my answer so far is because it's there. No real reason other than I have to get back to Indiana by the weekend so why not go someplace I have never been. I hear it is basically a big field but I have to see for myself. With this job coming up the end of the month in North Dakota and trying to line something up in Colorado for the winter I found myself very distracted this week and really had to stop and get myself back in the mode of enjoying where I am now and not worrying about the down the road stuff. I know I need to go through the steps of having something ready to go but I was so focused and worried and thinking about this winter I was oblivious to where I am now. Funny how easily old habits come back. Think I got my head back on straight though and whatever is meant to be will be this winter. Maybe I'm supposed to go to Mexico and learn how to surf-I don't know. I am going to get some sleep now but before I close I have to acknowledge the date. September 11, 2001 showed all of us just what evil there is in the world, but it also showed the amazing courage and decency of so many. As awful as that day was it was also a time that I think we got as a nation what being an American is. Color and political party and economic station, and all the other ways we find to divide ourselves went away and we helped each other as fellow Americans. Now five years later we seem to have forgotten how amazing that was to truly be one nation. Funny how easily old habits come back. God bless America and all who lost so much that day. Jim