I love lists, especially my bucket list! It has various categories and is a work in progress revisited often throughout the year. Recently my “coming home” experience allowed me to cross off three items of significance to me.
We took a mid-week road trip to northern Minnesota and I finally got to visit Itasca State Park. Established in 1891 to protect the forests and waters surrounding the Headwaters of the Mississippi River, it is the oldest state park in Minnesota. There is a lot of hype for what turns out to be just a small stream trickling out of a shallow lake into which numerous other lakes drain. One county in the area boasts over 600 lakes so there is a lot of water up north. The park itself is lovely with several old growth pine forest areas, over 100 lakes, many nice trails, a fire tower you can walk up (130 steps) to get a bird’s eye view and lots of opportunities for education at the Visitor’s Center, Headwaters Center and Museum. You can even take a two hour boat tour up one arm of Lake Itasca that includes narrated area history. Both Douglas Lodge and the Gift Store are great examples of old log construction. A stay at the Lodge or Campgrounds would be ideal. We stayed in Bemidji which turns out to be a nice small college town, not nearly as touristy as surrounding towns. I have traveled to Duluth and further north several times and I plan to get up to Ely and the Boundary Waters next year.
Fargo, yes Fargo, was on my bucket list. When I was growing up, Sioux Falls was the “go to” city but Fargo seems to have taken its place for many. It is a growing regional center with the drilling and fracking business in the western part of the state a significant contributor to this city’s prosperity. My main interest was to get acquainted with the city and visit its revitalized downtown where some 67 buildings have been renovated since 1989. Did you know that Fargo (#7) was listed in the Top 10 Best Downtowns (2015) based on a growing population, walkability, daytime population, household income and art/cultural attractions. There is a Downtown Fargo Magazine that profiles all kinds of new and interesting things happening in this vibrant small city. It seems different from Sioux Falls; maybe it’s just me but I picked up an “industrial grunge” vibe in downtown Fargo, part of which comes from the many old industrial looking buildings in the city. I noted some very cool carved metal doors on the elevator in an old art deco building. There are many fun and interesting shops downtown along with multiple hip restaurants. On the rainy day we visited there was even some food truck action in a store parking lot. We went to the Wurst Bier Hall for lunch which touts several German classics, gourmet sausages and many local and regional brews. I want to make another visit during a summer art fair or festival when I bet the place is humming.
Finally, I got to assist in preparing the Plathe Pumpkin Patch in Bellingham, MN this year. Open all day every day this is a seasonal destination spot that will get your autumn up and on. Located in the old school sports field, my friends, Mari and John Plathe somehow make this happen every year between farming and other jobs. During the winter, Mari carefully selects her pumpkin, gourd and squash seeds from her preferred seed catalog and John faithfully tills the ground and plants the seeds in the spring. The patch gets a little fertilizer and weed control potion during the summer but the patch is basically “on its own” until Mari comes calling in the fall. As a “pick your own” patch, the greenery needs to be stomped down and the search is then on for the “big ones” who’s stems need to be cut before the kids arrive to forage through the patch. This prevents the stems from pulling loose on the pumpkin when the kids in their excitement start pulling on and rolling their pumpkins out of the field. Many smaller pumpkins and gourds then need to be picked, sorted and piled by size. They added a Corn Maze last year and this year hauled a small shed onto the property which is filled with one of a kind fall decorations and home décor handcrafted by Mari. The shop is appropriately called Marigolds and if you haven’t been there, now is the time to head out for a fun filled afternoon at the Plathe Pumpkin Patch! 2017