Sure Wish I Could Send this Rain Home!

We've been traveling steadily north since we left home, stopping every 200 or 300 miles to spend 2 - 5 nights, get some rest, do some sightseeing.  And at almost every place we've stopped, we've endured at least one night of violent storms and flood-producing rains.  We haven't actually been flooded out of anywhere, or even had to change our route because of floods, but we have seen a lot of water.  Sights like the photo below are common on the sides of the roads.  Fields have turned into lakes overnight.  Sure wish we could send some of this home.  From what I hear, areas all around our neighborhood have gotten at least some rain, while we've only gotten a very very small amount.  Our daughter says everything at home is "crunchy".

Our campsite at Shady Oaks Campground in Garden City, Minnesota. I'm loving all the green!

The Watonwan River runs alongside the campground.

The Blue Earth River.  I read that the river was named by the Dakota tribe because of the blue clay they found along the edge of the river. Sadly, there's no longer any blue clay, but the name stuck.

The Rapidan Dam on the Blue Earth River.

The Dam Store.  It's beside the dam. It's really a little cafe. We got some good burgers here.

The interior of The Dam Store.  It's just as classy as you would expect.

Their motto.

I liked the signs they had all over the interior.

Wonder why this made me think of Tim?

This was my favorite sign.

I hope I get this next part right. I think it's an important part of our history. 

In 1862, near the Minnesota River, the Dakota tribe began a war on the U.S. because of broken treaties, broken promises and general mistreatment. We all know about the mistreatment of the native Americans. It was a brutal uprising, with many innocent whites being killed and injured.  Of course, the U.S. won the war, and sentiment against the Dakota was vicious and insatiable.  A trial was held, and 38 Dakota men were sentenced to death. Actually, I read that over a hundred were meant to be executed, but President Lincoln pardoned most of them.

In Mankato, Minnesota, the Dakota and the U.S. got together and designated a little spot downtown as Reconciliation Park.  It's a tiny little park, right beside the river, but it holds a big idea - forgiveness. Both sides have much to forgive. As, for one thing or another, we all do. 

A huge scroll with the names of all the men executed.

Reconcile
by Katherine Hughes

Remember the innocent dead,
Both Dakota and White,
Victims of events they could not control. 

Remember the guilty dead,
Both White and Dakota,
Whom reason abandoned.

Regret the times and attitudes
That brought dishonor
to both cultures.

Respect the deeds and kindnesses
That brought honor
to both cultures.

Hope for the future
When memories remain
Balanced by forgiveness.

Dakota Prayer
by Eli Taylor

Grandfather, Father, Creator
Look down upon us.

Whatever works we do
In a humble way

In the future, when the children
see them, they will understand

and have knowledge

Fort this reason, here at this
gathering place we have come

Have pity on us and look!! Make us
live together as a community!!

All my relatives

In between Tim playing golf, we did manage to get a lot of sightseeing done.  One of our favorite places was Minneopa State Park.  The name of the park is from the Dakota word, Minneinneopa, which is translated as "water falling twice."

Minneopa Falls was beautiful.  It's actually a double waterfall.  This is the top fall.  It falls about 6 or 7 feet. 
One good thing about the recent rains, is that the falls are really showing off. 

And this is the lower falls.  It cascades about 39 feet.  There's about 66 feet in between the falls. 
If you look really closely, you can see the first fall on the other side of the footbridge at the top of the photo.

And this is a view of the lower falls from the bottom of the falls. 

In another section of the park, the state has reintroduced a small herd of bison to the area. We drove through the bison enclosure, but they weren't close enough to the road to get pictures.

There's also an old grain mill in the park.  It was completed in 1864 and was used to grind wheat into flour.

This is an artist's concept of what the mill might have looked like in full operation.

 We are camped near Mille Lacs Lake this week.  Tim has really enjoyed the golf courses nearby.  Tomorrow we are heading on up to Duluth.  We are looking forward to seeing the big ships coming into port on Lake Superior.