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Minnesota Travel

A remote lake in northern Minnesota, so hidden by the surrounding wilderness that it took explorers 130 years to find it, is the serene but rather unspectacular origin of the longest river in North America — the mighty Mississippi. When at last a party of indefatigable searchers led by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft and an Ojibwa Indian guide found the boggy headwaters of the great river in 1832, they named the lake Itasca.

It sounds like an American Indian word, but Itasca is in fact Latin — or truncated Latin, anyway — for the name was created by lopping off the first and last syllables of the phrase Veritas caput, or “true source.” Today the true source — together with the surrounding area of lakes, bogs, and evergreen forests — is protected and enshrined in beautiful Itasca State Park.

Ancient Petroglyphs, Minnesota

I found a mysterious petroglyph site in southwestern Minnesota that's definitely worth a visit.

Archaeologists believe that the Jeffers Petroglyph Historical Site was a holy spot developed around the same time as the pyramids in Egypt and Stonehenge in England. And like those sites, there are more questions here than answers.

Red Wing, Minnesota

For our 40th wedding anniversary, my husband and I enjoyed a relaxing weekend in Red Wing, Minnesota. It was one of the best weekend trips we've ever taken.

A town of about 15,000, Red Wing is nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River. It's named after the symbol of the Mdewakanton Dakota tribe, which was a swan's wing dyed red.

Spam Museum, Minnesota

I'd venture that almost everyone's heard of Spam luncheon meat. In fact, Spam is so popular that there's now a museum in Austin, Minnesota dedicated solely to this American cultural icon.

Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota

When we became full-time RVers, my wife, Dee, and I discovered Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota. We recently revisited this unique place and enjoyed it even more.