Itasca State Park, Minnesota

After leaving Cross Lake, we went to Itasca State Park which contains the head waters of the Mississippi River.  It is a gorgeous park.  The first few pictures were taken at the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

David and I waded in the Mississippi.  The river was high from the melting of the snow and rain that they have had this year.  Usually when you come, you barely get your feet wet.

Some of the beautiful wildflowers we saw.

Large white Trillium

Corydalis

Wild Calla

Columbine

Yellow slippers

The next pictures were taken around the park and surrounding area

David is standing in front of the largest red pine in the park.  It is over 150 years old.

I'm standing in front of the white pine which over 150 years old.

Loons

Bald Eagle carrying a crow in his talons

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Cross Lake, Minnesota

We started our journey exploring Minnesota in Cross Lake.  We met family and extended family while we were here. This was a lovely lake and small town to explore.

One of the large houses on the Lake.  This was a five story house.

David's first fish in Minnesota and his first Northern Pike

When we left Cross Lake, we headed out to explore more of northern Minnesota.

Trip to Starkville, Mississippi

We started our trip to Starkville at Mississippi River State Park in northeast Arkansas.

From there we went to George P. Cossar State Park in Oakland, Mississippi.

This herd of deer wanders through the campground almost every night.  The would get very close to the campers if no one was out.

While at the state park, we drove to Oxford, MS where we toured the Old Miss campus and William Faulkner's House.

Pictures that Faulkner's wife painted.

The room where Faulkner wrote.

From there we went to Starkville for my nephew's graduation.  While there, we also explored Columbus, Mississippi.  We toured Tennessee Williams' Grandfather's home. This is where he was born.

Here are a couple of the old houses we saw.

Graduation

Hayden and his grandparents

The party afterwards with his two roommates.

Grand Gulf and Port Gibson, Mississippi

We visited the Grand Gulf Military Monument out of Port Gibson, Mississippi. The town of Grand Gulf played a significant role in Mississippi history, only to fade away into obscurity with the passing of time. It was a one time boom town, major river port, theatre center, strategic Confederate stronghold during the Civil War and a virtual ghost town today. The next few pictures were taken in the museum and on the grounds of the monument.

Hearst used during the boom.

Civil War ambulance

Dug out Canoes

Still

Steam engine

Old Church

Organ in the old church

Beautiful old cemetery with the Spanish moss hanging from the trees.

The next pictures were taken at the Windsor ruins.  Windsor was built by Smith Coffee Daniell, II.  It took two years to be built and was completed two weeks after Smith died.  During the Civil War, Windsor was used by the Confederates as an observation post.  After the battle of Port Gibson, the Union used it as a hospital.

Old live oak tree in front of the Windsor ruins

The road to the Shaifer House

The Shaifer House was used as a hospital during the war.  A reporter wrote that all he could see as he approached the house was wounded on the porch and body parts laying all over the yard.

Pictures in Port Gibson

First Presbyterian Church

Known for the gilded hand that tops the steeple.

First made of wood replaced in the early 1900's by one made of metal.

Temple Gemiluth Chassed

1891 The oldest Jewish Synagogue in the state and the only one of its architectural style in Mississippi