We cross the Mississippi River into Minnesota. \240Here the river is wide, with small islands here and there.

The night's heat was brutal, and we got alerts that an electrical storm was coming, so we hunkered down Martha, grabbed the boys, and headed off to Iowa. \240We were out of the fray when the wind downblasts, the hail, and the lightening show started. \240We had our share of rain and gusts of wind, but just outran the major event in time.

We stopped and explored the glacier trails in Ackley, Iowa. \240This leaves a lot of rolling hills and lakes (and perfect black soil for growing corn). \240Here, we walked from small pond to small pond through a series of wooden bridges. \240I found the little green rock which says, "Be a little boulder."

Jimmy Corn.

I don't know if they are ponds or lakes, but there is a lot of them here. \240Today we paddled out into a pond with turtles, swimmy bugs, frogs and little fry.

Today we rode our bikes along the Central Lakes Trail, which runs between Fergus Falls and Osakis. \240It is beautifully maintained and meanders from lake to lake, sometimes with a lake on each side. \240The water is deep and clear.