Over the last few days, I’ve driven over this strange river again and again, unplanned. First it was medium, then smaller and smaller. I do some research and realise that Bemidji is just 30 miles from the source of the Mississippi. I set off early and arrive at Lake Itasca State Park before the crowds of tourists. I bathe in the middle of the Mississippi, two metres from both banks. The outflow from Lake Itasca is considered to be the source. Ugly, fat, neglected people are constantly pushing themselves in front of my lens. I’m on the verge of complaining loudly about the blatant juxtaposition of pure beauty and abysmal ugliness when I can finally fire off an undisturbed shot.
I want to get to Grand Forks quickly. After a few miles, police lights flash behind me. I pull over to the side of the road. This time my heart is really racing. I’ve seen too many films. But it turns out quite differently: the officer is super friendly and doesn’t complain about my German driving licence. Says: you were 10 miles too fast and offers me a free warning without asking. Finally, he poses nicely for my blog :-)
Ursula, a friend of Kind’s, had a surprise visitor and therefore had no room at the farm. What does she do? She gives me a suite at the Hilton Grand Forks. A bed like an ocean. A large mahogany desk with a gold mirror, and a real cable internet connection, blazingly fast. I can’t take it, so much for a stranger. Thank you so much, Ursula! Please give me a chance for revenge on your next visit to Germany!
I want to go out for dinner in the evening. Drive through Grand Forks. But I just can’t bring myself to leave this suite alone. I do my shopping at the supermarket and drive back to my royal chambers with a big grin on my face. Finally I can relax and work…
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.