Perham to Duluth
Mom's Breakfast, the Headwaters of the Mississippi & Paul Bunyan
Day 38 — Ray woke up at his Mom's house in Perham, Minnesota. Coffee, eggs, bacon, and walleye for breakfast. Then back on the road.
Day 38 started the best possible way: breakfast at Mom's.
Ray had arrived in Perham, Minnesota the previous evening — his hometown, where his mother still lived. Coffee, eggs, bacon, and walleye (a Minnesota staple) for breakfast. Then back on the road.
The day's destination was Duluth, on the western tip of Lake Superior — but the route took Ray and his mother through some of the most iconic Minnesota scenery first.
Itasca State Park: the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The mighty Mississippi — 2,340 miles long, draining 41% of the continental United States — begins as a trickle you can walk across in Itasca State Park. Ray walked across the Mississippi River. Wow.
Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji — the giant statues of the legendary lumberjack and his blue ox, standing on the shores of Lake Bemidji since 1937.
Photos from the Day
The Day's Route
Mom's House — Perham, MN
Ray woke up at his mother's house in Perham, Minnesota — his hometown. Coffee, eggs, bacon, and walleye for breakfast. A rare moment of home comfort in the middle of a 63-day road trip.
Itasca State Park — Headwaters of the Mississippi
Itasca State Park — where the Mississippi River begins. The river starts as a shallow, rocky stream you can walk across in a few steps. Ray walked across the Mississippi River at its source. The river will travel 2,340 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.
Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox — Bemidji, MN
The giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox on the shores of Lake Bemidji — installed in 1937 and one of the most photographed roadside attractions in Minnesota.
Lake Superior — Duluth, MN
Duluth, Minnesota — at the western tip of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes by surface area. The Duluth Harbor, with its famous aerial lift bridge, is one of the busiest freshwater ports in the world.
Leif Erikson Park — Duluth
Leif Erikson Park on the Duluth lakefront — named for the Norse explorer who is believed to have reached North America around 1000 AD.