The next stop on the tour was Bemidji, Minnesota where we stayed at Itasca State Park - the headwaters of the Mississippi. The weather finally managed to improve a little bit and it only rained once during our stay. This park had the best bike trails I've ever seen in a campground and we spent lots of time exploring them through the forests! The kids also loved crossing the Mississippi and walked back and forth many times! Going to Bemidji wouldn't be complete without visiting Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox. We also went to a really neat "zoo" called Paul Bunyan's Animal Land where they actually encouraged you to feed the animals - everything from Bears to Deer who would actually eat out of your hand! Mackenzie was in heaven and Cole was a little freaked out by all of the deer trying to get food from him!
We rented a pontoon boat for the day at Lake Itasca! We had a great day fishing, lounging in the sun and jumping off the boat and swimming in the lake! We didn't catch a single fish but the kids were troopers and kept throwing their lines back in the water to try! They also loved the opportunity to get behind the wheel and actually drive the boat!
We did find some success with fishing off the docks for perch and sunfish! Cole caught his first fish ever and was super pumped! In total I think the kids must have caught over 25 fish during our stay in Bemidji - now all we have to do is teach them to bait their hooks and to take off their own fish!
We also found some time to hit a golf course with the kids - they actually golfed all 9 holes - at least part of every hole! We also made a visit to the World Of Christmas which had go carts, bumper boats etc!
