Bemidji Trip - Day 3

Woke up around 0900L and left Davenport (0950L). We were headed towards the farmland that belonged to our Coogan relatives when they lived in Iowa in the late Nineteenth Century! Our first stop was Oelwein, where we located an old cemetery where most of our distant relatives are buried. After a bite to eat at Luigi's Restaurant (finished at 1240L), we proceeded out into the cornfields and located some other towns where the family lived (Alma, in Howard County, and Alta Vista). I did a little research in one library (while Nicky took the kids to a nice playground) and we later found another cemetery connected to our pioneering relatives. Most of the afternoon was spent on rural roads in northern Iowa but we eventually made our way back to I-35 and crossed the border. Got gas in Owatonna, Minnesota, (1800L) and then drove north on the Interstate towards Minneapolis. Nicky wanted to stop at the Mall of America but there wasn't any time left after all the exploring - maybe another time... After getting through the Twin Cities metro, we drove up MN-371 as it got darker and darker (fortunately, it is summer time!). We started to see a LOT of deer - and I nearly hit a couple! All the way, we were looking for the Northern Lights, but we never saw any... Kids were still in a good mood when we arrived at Trish and Terry's around 2300L. Megan and Erin were awake to greet them. It should be a good visit!