mississippi river headwaters

For several years we have wanted to ride our bikes on the Paul Bunyan Trail between Brainerd and Bemidji. We drove to Brainerd early and rode two hours, then drove to Park Rapids to visit the headwaters of the Mississippi River. It is interesting to see the stepping stones across the outlet of Lake Itasca and imagine that a stream just eight feet wide eventually flows all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and handles commercial barge traffic. Below is a photo of the Mississippi River just a hundred yards or so from its start.