Itasca

Can you guess the name of this river?

As unlikely as it seems, this is the Mississippi, and in a mere 2,500 miles it will arrive (considerably less potably) at the Gulf of Mexico.

Of the thousands of beautiful lakes in Minnesota, Lake Itasca is unique in that it gives rise to America's mightiest river. The photo below is taken from the northern shore, where the lake's waters flow over the rocks at right and become the Mississippi's headwaters.

The lake is also home to Minnesota's oldest state park, where stands of majestic red pine meet pristine marshes. In this haven for birds and other wildlife, we encountered yellow-bellied sapsuckers, great blue heron, hummingbirds, redstarts, orioles, grouse, purple finches, hooded merganser, yellow warblers, rose-breasted grosbeak, and the loon (our state bird).
We saw a red tailed fox on our early morning drive, and later rescued a snapping turtle who had decided to hang out in the middle of the road.