Minnesota land of 10,000 lakes and a few a**holes

Beautiful September Sunday, enjoyed my early morning walk around Lake Nokomis. Nokomis is a pretty lake in the Twin Cities, although I wouldn't be caught swimming in it . Rumor has it that you can't get the smell out of your swimming suit after you've been in the lake even with repeated washings. As part of the Park Board's desire to make Lake Nokomis more accessible to the public, walking and bike riding paths were constructed around the lake. To create these paths, the Park Board had all of the wild flowers removed that had grown around the lake, who would want to look at a bunch of wild flowers when you can look at a nice green suburban type lawn . Years later someone realized that the wild flowers and natural grasses were an important part of the ecological health of Lake Nokomis. They acted as a filter to keep the lake clean. Now parts of Lake Nokomis have been replanted with supposedly the original wild flowers and grasses that had ...

Where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet is Ft. Snelling, now a state park in Minnesota. The land that Ft. Snelling was built on was purchased from the Dakota Indians by intrepid explorer Zebulon Pike of "Pikes Peak" fame. The land includes a small island known as "Pike Island." While negotiating with the Dakotas for a place to build Ft Snelling, Pike estimated the value of the land at $200,000. Congress paid the Dakota tribe $2,000. After the Dakota Indian uprising Pike Island became essentially a concentration camp for Indian women, children and old men. Over 600 Dakota Indians died on this tiny space. Indians on Pike Island were relocated several move times and eventually ended up in Nebraska. Today, Pike Island is a very pleasant place to spend a Saturday afternoon. We spent time on a nice walk around the island. Couples with small children in strollers pushed their children around the comfortable walking path occasionally stopping to take picture...

Chasing a train through central Minnesota:

Winding it's way through south Minneapolis, is Minnehaha Parkway and Creek part of the legendary "Grand Tour of the Twin Cities." Runners, walkers, and bicyclists enjoy the pleasant and calming views along the Parkway. The Minnehaha creek is a home to wildlife of all kinds including fish and fowl. The soothing sounds of the running water in the creek help to create a tranquil and calming mood for the residents of south Minneapolis.

Between Paynesville and Belgrade Minnesota and stuck between 2 fields of soybeans in the middle of nowhere is the town of Regal. With a population of only 40 people, the State of Minnesota has deemed it unnecessary to even slow down while driving through the town. After years of whizzing through Regal at the speed of light, we finally decided to stop off at the only commercial establishment in Regal, the Pilgrim Inn. Our decision to stop was based on the following on-line review quoted below: "The food could not be better--try the chicken, it's awesome and the girls waiting on your are EASY on the eyes! Did I mention the beer is always cold...... it's a must if your in the area! (Feb 1, 2008) ." It was a sleepy Saturday afternoon in a town of 40 people. We ate at the Pilgrim Inn and then wandered around the town to see the sights. As it turned out this didn't take very long. Not much seemed to be going on with the exception of one odd resident apparently ...

The lake is one of the larger ones found in Minnesota. It's shallow, probably 20 feet deep at it's deepest point. The fishing is not so good these days. Anyone who goes out in a boat works for their catch. The state DNR recommends that people only eat a minimal amount of fish from the lake due to the high levels of mercury and other toxins found in the fish. It's usually windy and the shallowness of the lake causes some rather rough water at times. The constantly blowing wind has an almost neurotic quality to it at times. If you can't make your peace with the weather you don't have any business spending any time up at the cabin. You can sit in back of the cabin if you want to be out of the wind but eventually the wind will drive you a bit crazy finally forcing you indoors where it howls through the windows. The lake is located in central Minnesota, the god fearing farmland world of good Christian folk. The people are pleasant but to put it carefully...