Walking across the Mississippi River

Biking to humble beginnings in the land of 10,000 Lakes.

“Here 1475 ft. above the ocean the mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding way 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.”

July 21-23, 2025
Itaska State Park, Minnesota

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5


While researching national parks and interesting places on our country’s northern border, I stumbled upon Itaska State Park.

Lake Itaska, one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes, is considered the official source of the Mississippi River. As someone who grew up crossing the mighty Mississippi on regular road trips between Florida and Texas, I was intrigued. So I penciled in a couple of nights at Itaska State Park in between Crane Lake and North Dakota.

The park was a little out of the way surrounded by small two-lane highways. When we got to our campsite, we were greeted with a few surprises. The first being a forest of trees to navigate around backing into our site.

Kudos to Nick for navigating the obstacle course. Trees on all sides.

Tree #3. And a fire pit begging to be grilled on.

The second surprise was a deep fire pit with an adjustable grill grate One night we grilled burgers and the next, we thawed Spanish Mackerel from a recent fishing day in Virginia Beach. Everything tasted even more delicious grilled over a blazing cedar fire.

The final surprise of the park was 10 miles of paved bike trails completely removed from the road.

Miles of paved bike trails through the forest. Not a car in sight.

For two days we biked absolutely everywhere, including the visitor center of the Mississippi River headlands. From here we walked the short path to the rather unassuming start of the river.

“The Mississippi’s mighty but it starts in Minnesota at a place you can walk across with five steps down.” —Ghost, Indigo Girls

The rest of the trip, we biked several miles to an old wildfire lookout tower, which we climbed up to catch the view. We enjoyed sunsets over the lake, family dinners around the fire, and the abundance of trees in the campground, which absolutely made our stay here feel like camping.

Next spring when we’re on our way back to Virginia Beach, we’ll haul our trailer over the Mississippi River in Louisiana at one of its widest points. We’ll remember the time at Lake Itaska when we hopped across stones crossing the exact same river, not even getting our feet wet. We’ll think of the 13 states these waters have flowed through during their 90-day trek between Lake Itaska and the Gulf of Mexico.

Lake Itaska and the Misssissippi River headlands

When that moment comes, may this quiet stream in Minnesota remind us that it is often humble beginnings and small starts that lead to great outcomes and everlasting impact.


Roberts on the Road

Our first stop in Watkins Glen, NY. All road trip blog posts can be found here: https://peyton-roberts.com/roadschool

For those just finding us, hello! Inspired by the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25, our family is on a yearlong RV road trip in 2025-2026 to celebrate my husband’s retirement after 20 years in Naval Special Warfare, as well as our 24 years together during the ups and downs of it all.

With our 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son in tow, this trip to explore America’s national parks and beautiful places is intended to help our family reflect and reset as civilian life begins.

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Adventures in Minnesota: All Because a Little Boy Wanted to Swim