My family has been planning a camping trip for awhile to beautiful Itasca State Park, famous for its location at the head of the Mississippi River. Two months ago, we tried to make reservations to camp at the park and it was completely full. We were told there are 30 first come-first serve campsites everyday and if we come early enough, we’d still be able to camp there. So, Friday morning at 4am, my mother set off to the park, arriving at 8:15, fifteen minutes after the office opened. Surprise! There were no campsites!!! We settled for second best, Lake Bemidji State Park.

We ended up having a wonderful weekend. My parents, brother, sister-in-law, niece, and sister were all able to come and we had a great time. We were hiking, biking, chatting, eating, sitting around the campfire and enjoying our time together. Hopefully I’ll be able to post some pictures soon. The park was beautiful and actually pretty quiet. I wish we’d been able to see the Mississippi headwaters, but it ended up being a perfect weekend anyway, unexpected for second best.