Heading for Minnesota

On Thursday, October 9, we spent most of the day in Iowa. I read in my tour book about Iowa’s Great Lakes. Well, that was something I had to check out!

So, following our policy of staying off the beaten path we remained on Highway 30, the Lincoln Highway, until we reached Highway 71 which headed straight north for the lake region on the northern border of Iowa. The lakes were formed by some last minute glacial action at the end of the ice age, some 13,000 years ago. The largest one is Spirit Lake at 5,684 acres. The deepest one is West Okoboji Lake at 136 feet with beautiful blue water. This is a real resort area and quite busy in the summer months. However, at this time of year it is very quiet and many stores and restaurants are closed. But, the lakes know no season and, with the trees turning, it is a beautiful spot to visit.

When I talked about this area at my family reunion over the week end several of the cousins remembered visiting the lakes or driving through the area on family vacations. It is a place well worth coming back to.

On the next day we drove by some of the wetlands area heading for Minnesota. We stopped to look for trumpeter swans, which nest here in this protected area, but did not see any. However we saw great flocks of ducks and smaller birds in the water as we drove by.

I spent time in Fairmont MN doing research at the Martin County Historical Society, the County Court House, and St. John Vianny Catholic Church only to remember that we had done the same thing on our last trip! So, we headed to Blue Earth MN to spend the night in the fairgrounds camp ground. We woke up to frost on the ground the next day - brr!