Our Beloved Country

"Not to make this sound like a travelogue, I rather wanted to reflect on this piece of land some have been born on, and most now live on. It is our home. It is part of our beloved country. It is America. Land of the free, and home because of the brave." 

I have been asked many times since I have started to blog, why do I dislike Minnesota so much? The fact is - I don't. Yes, as a native Minnesotan, I have the pedigree to bitch and moan, and complain about the weather - mostly about the endless winters. That being said, there is a certain beauty in some winter days. And - there is nothing, NOTHING, which beats the first hints of spring after months of white blah. The smell, the emerging warmth, the first shoots of green. 

I do strongly dislike the politics in Minnesota. Don't like them, and sure don't understand them. Do I wish Minnesota was different? Do I wish Minneapolis was still livable? Yes and yes - but I have addressed those issues many times before, in many blog posts. This article is simply about the glory and beauty of this state. This state - which is part of the beloved country we reside in.

Minnesota has never been the home to 10,000 lakes. It has almost 12,000. Plus, it is more than just lakes. Besides the lakes, there are the bountiful rivers and streams. In addition, if you like waterfowl, wild turkeys, Eagles, Ospreys, hawks, songbirds, deer, an occasional moose or black bear - Minnesota is a good place to live. There are fruited plains which stretch on as far as the eye can see, and there are hillsides so pristine, they look like thy were taken from a Norman Rockwell painting.

But in my opinion, with all the good and glorious things to watch and do in Minnesota, the crown jewel lies about 170 miles north by northeast of the cities. Lake Superior, named as such, because it is. It is our hiding place, our resting place, our healing place. The North Shore of Lake Superior is so spectacular, so wonderous, it attracts people from all over the world.

This little piece of Heaven to the north of us, is so pristine, much of it looks the same when the Ojibwe first named this magnificent lake Gitche Gumee, or to be more accurate, Otchipwe-kitchi-gami. What does name mean? "Big sea", or "huge water" - and that it is.

One the most fun things we have done since retirement, is visit all 76 state parks in Minnesota. We have been deep under the Earth in Soudan State Park, to historic the majestic plains of western Minnesota. There we visited the Upper Sioux Agency State Park, which was steeped in rich Minnesota and Native history.

Our state parks journey took us all over the state, both on the high-ways and the bi-ways. We loved every minute of it, and saw some amazing things. Of course, you cannot visit all the state parks without a visit to Itasca. Itasca State Park is the crown jewel among many jewels. It is the pride of Minnesota, on display for all to see.

Monday, we go into November. In the past years, we would head up north to Blue Finn Bay and take advantage of their "Gales of November" event. Sometimes, the big lake is so serene  that weekend, it is like a mirror. Other times (if you are lucky), the lake is angry with storms. The crashing waves of the rocks of the north shore is something words cannot describe.

Then once the gray, stormy, and windy month of November is past, winter sets in. The white overcoat the North Shore will put on, can be both brutally cold, and often times drop dead gorgeous. The Sawtooth Mountains on the North Shore, come alive with skiers, snowmobilers, and snow shoers.  

Not to make this sound like a travelogue, I rather wanted to reflect on this piece of land some have been born on, and most now live on. It is our home. It is part of our beloved country. It is America. Land of the free, and home because of the brave.