The Paul Bunyan and Heartland trails are well highlighted on our Lake Country map. The Itasca and Bemidji State Parks, the Migizi Trail in the Chippewa National Forest along with the bed and breakfast we planned to stay was clearly marked.

Our Fourth of July vacation was neatly planned. We fun time for our twin daughters, biking and hiking for mom and dad, neatly set, perfect, no flaws, then life has a way of changing our best laid plans.

Before I ever saw the Devil’s Kettle, I dreamed of it.

About the Kettle I knew very little; only that it was a waterfall, somewhere in northern Minnesota, that poured into a hole rumored to be bottomless.

Rivers are arteries of history.

The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway a good way of experiencing that history.

My sister, Annie, and I mapped out a eight-mile bike tour through 200 years of Minnesota history near the Mississippi River between Minnehaha Falls and Mendota visiting six historic sites.