Our first stop was Upper Gresham campground in Vilas County. We did some kayaking on Upper Gresham Lake, but were saddened to see that an eagle's nest we had seen on earlier trips there was no more. The tree that had held the nest was broken off in the middle; it was apparently the victim of a storm.
Upper Gresham Lake is near the town of Boulder Junction, which is where we spotted this wood carving. I have my doubts about the bear's canoeing technique; he has the wrong end of the paddle in the "water".
After Upper Gresham we stayed one night at a sheep farm near
Ashland, WI. Not sure what the variuous tags and markings on these
lambs indicate. It was a pleasant stay. We were awakened in the
morming to the sound of lambs bleeting, rather than roosters crowing.
Amnicon Falls State Park was worth a couple of nights
stay.There are several waterfalls in the Amnicon River as it makes its
way down to Lake Superior. This covered bridge was also noteorthy since
covered bridges are rare in Wisconsin.
Snake Pit Falls.
After Amnicon Falls we had a very nice visit with the Craigs in
Duluth. Then it was time to head further west.
The next stop was the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The
official source of the Mississippi is Lake Itasca, which is near
Bemidji, Minnesota. The inscription on the tree stump reads, "Here 1475
Ft above the ocean the mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding
way 2552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico." The river is currently about 200
miles shorter due to rerouting of the river channel.
Where the Mississippi flows out of Lake Itasca, it is about 12 feet wide and ankle deep. Wading in it is a popular activity.