Minnesota

We have driven from Grafton, North Dakota to Greenbush, on to Roseau, to Warroad,

Over to Ely the back way through the Boundary Waters Park

With all the small lakes and many bears

I remember taking an unpaved road past small ponds or lakes in the middle of forest to Ely

It was a very beautiful drive and very green and lush and filled with lakes

The bears are all small in Minnesota and don't bother you especially if you leave them alone

We have driven highway 2 and of course I-94 all across the entire state

Up from Duluth we have travelled most all the way to Canada

The famous lighthouse and coast are indeed something to behold

Moose we found in the Agassiz State Park and wolves we heard there once

Once we saw a moose in the field as we were driving home from the Agassiz

We have driven the Red Lake Indian Reservation and watched wild rice being harvested

Once we saw a bear as it went toward the lake near the edge of Red Lake

Wild rice really isn't rice at all you know

And yes we have been to and through International Falls several times

Crookston is a city or large town that was the source of disappointment and hope for us

There is some pain in Minnesota especially surrounding

A visit to Crookston I can never forget

I remember acting in horrible ways I can do nothing about at this time of my life

Willmar is the home of the Sunshine Festival and

We went three or four years with many young people

Sunshine Fest is a three day Christian Rock Festival

With everything including heavy metal Christian music

We always had a great time there and enjoyed the music and the atmosphere

We have driven up the State and down it on I-35 and

Through New Ulm, and Austin and seen the Mayo Clinic

We have straddled the Mississippi River with both feet where it begins

In Bemidji we saw the famous lumberjack statue and

Was overwhelmed with the beauty of autumn in the state park

We lived next door to Minnesota for over five years and it was a good time in our life

I haven't even begun to speak of Minneapolis- St. Paul

Which are really

Two distinct cities but one in being

I once got an autograph from Pat Meares a young major league Twin Short Stop

We went to many Twins games, as many as we could and

We saw Dave Winfield make a super catch

Once while at St. Paul's I saw Bo Jackson steal home and

The Metro dome was just fine as a baseball place

I spent parts of two years at St. Paul Seminary

Getting my Fellow in Church Business Administration

We went to Minneapolis so many times while living in Grafton

'We went to Opera, Broadway Shows, the State Fair and of course the huge Mall of America

We have walked all the floors of this Mall and it is really a big place

The huge Lake of the Woods provided Walleye for many a fish fry

I visited a summer home there once to try and raise money for my church

Whatever the person I visited gave, demanded much more from me and my church than

I wish I had given in return

Minnesota is a beautiful flat state with much snow and even more forests

We took pictures of a massive flood once while we were there

This flood was only a precursor to what would happen a few years later

Still to see the Red River so far out of its boundaries was a very impressive sight,

We enjoyed visiting and going for drives in this State and found beauty in it