Iceman Celebration Day 2019 Part 1: Drive to Minnesota

 

 

The original plan for Iceman Celebration Day 2019 was to drive out to South Dakota after going to Bemidji, Minnesota for my Godson Mason's First Communion on Sunday May 5 and be gone until May 11. But I got a look at the weather forecast and it was supposed to be in the 50s and rainy all week. I was planning on spending a lot of time outdoors and also driving in my convertible, so I changed it to May 11-18 to give Spring a chance to catch up. But I still drove up to Bemidji for the weekend, as I couldn't miss the First Communion. I don't want the Catholic Church to take my "Godfather" Card away, so I started the 9 hour drive. I had Monday (my actual Celebration Day) off work, but it was still a short trip.

One of the reasons I'll always choose driving instead of flying on my adventures is that you can stop anywhere you want when something catches your eye. I saw a sign that said Geographical Marker and it piqued my interest. I remember seeing something on the internet about a spot in Wisconsin that was the exact center of the Northwest Hemisphere. This is it, in Rietbrock in Marathon County. Of the four 45°-90° locations on Earth, this is the only one that is easily accessible. How fitting that I'm here during my Iceman Celebration Day trip, where I recognize myself as the center of attention. Today that just happened to be the center of the Northwestern Hemisphere, but I'll allow it.

I checked into my hotel (The Best Western Bemidji) and then went over to Mike and Katie's house. The last time I was up here, I stayed with them for a few days. But both of their parents and Mike's brother Ryan and his daughter Taylor were also up here. so I got Mary & Joseph'd (there was no room at the Inn), which is why I was staying in a hotel. We played some games and shared some laughs and I was there until nearly midnight. But I had just enough time to go in the pool and the hot tub for like 20 minutes before it closed at midnight. I did pour myself a whiskey & whatever, which is only significant because prior to this, I hadn't had a drink in 67 days. Whoops. Streak ended. Happens.

There are signs that offer some very helpful information. The first one explains what latitude and longitude are, so that you can understand what the geographic marker means. The 2nd one talks about the four 45°-90° locations. This is what the sign says. The 45°-90° points are the four points on Earth that are halfway between the geographical poles (90° latitude), the equator (0° latitude), the prime meridian (0° longitude) and the 180th meridian (180° longitude). The 45°-90° point here in Marathon County is the most accessible to visitors. The other land-based 45°-90° point is located in a mountainous region of China, making it difficult for people to visit. The other two 45°-90° points are in oceans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 45°-90 marker is just West of Wausau, which means I still had about 6 hours left to drive today. I made a choice to not take the Interstate (I-94) which is how I wound up passing by the geographical marker. Unless I can't help it (due to time or safety reasons), I always avoid the Interstate when I'm driving. What fun is there to have on the Freeway? And what is there to see? Give me the highways and county roads.

You have to walk a little bit from the road and the parking lot to get to the actual spot, but it's worth it. Why do you ask? Because it is. And if you don't that we have something this cool in Wisconsin, then I don't know what I can do to convince you otherwise. This is the kind of stuff that I look for when I go on roadtrips. I just never knew something so interesting was right here in my state. Glad I randomly stopped by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My route to Bemedji took me through Duluth, MN. I saw a sign that said Skyline Parkway and scenic overlook. I like to go up high on my tower and look down at the people below and judge them, so it was an easy decision. When I got up there, I could see the city of Duluth as well as Lake Superior, the St. Louis River and Wisconsin. But I think there were drug deals happening at the scenic overlook. Cars pull up, people get out, something happens, and then they get back in their cars and then leave. It's that or they are talking pictures. Can it be both?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duluth is still about 3 hours from Bemidji, so I couldn't stay and look at the scenery very long. But I did stop at a rest stop in Floodwood, MN to ride the giant catfish. That's not a euphemism or anything because as you can see from the pictures, I was riding a giant catfish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floodwood, Minnesota is the "Catfish Capital of the World". It is written above the Joseph T. Karpik Memorial wooden catfish and on the town's water tower. I didn't know that before today and I never would have learned that quaint piece of trivia if I didn't have to go to the bathroom. I don't know why they stake that claim or why no other city has challenged them for it. I wasn't here long enough to find out. A quick searching using the Google on the Internet Machine could fill in some of the missing details, but I don't have time for that. I didn't have time for silly questions. I needed to get to Bemidji before the day was out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the drive was really nice. I was pretty much in the middle of nowhere and didn't have to deal with any other cars. It was glorious. At one point I was driving along some railroad tracks for a while, so I stopped to take a look at them. Sadly, no train came, so I wasn't able to throw rocks at it. But I did stop at a lake and throw some rocks in that, but it wasn't the same. Eventually the sun went down (as it often does) and I was forced to arrive to Bemidji under the cover of darkness. But I made it. Took me about 12 hours (with stops), but I made it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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