Bemidji, Minnesota is a quaint old town, home to Bemidji State University, dozens of surrounding lakes, and some really impressive tributes to the legal profession, in it's city hall and county courthouse buildings.
These buildings are larger and more impressive than those in some cities 10 times the size. I simply must hear more of the story behind these buildings....
A sign on an overpass that you have to pass under entering the city shows pride in the city and their mascots, Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.
Bemidji is also one of those towns that have sculptures on many of the downtown street corners. I have not yet been able to determine the underlying theme, but many are nicely done and interesting.
Paul and Babe look somewhat forlorn right now as their place of residence is being torn up, literally right at their feet, in order to construct a new parking lot. I managed to find one small view where the site appears a little less disturbed as the construction goes on.
It's amazing how many times you can cross the Mississippi River around here. No, it's not as wide and mighty as it is down river where captains with huge boats attached to 6-12 barges navigate between the channel markers.
But it is the same river. The headwaters of the Mississippi arise just a few miles from town. In Bemidji, the river would allow a couple of ski boats to meet and pass, while just a few miles out ot town, it is more like a stream that kids can swim and play in.
I seem to recall from a visit while we were in college that at the headwaters, you can walk across the Mississippi River on stepping stones. But that's for another day......
Smoke from Canadian wildfires is filling the air right now. The haze is so thick you can't even see across Lake Bemidji....
Diamond Point Park
Seems I remember something similar when we were at Glacier National Park last year....
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