I had a very nice short drive from South Dakota into Minnesota- only a little over four hours. I camped basically right on the border of South Dakota and then right on the border of Minnesota, so I really only drove the length of the state. I was planning on a longer drive, but I had covered more ground than anticipated on the previous day. This made for a very relaxing drive, and nothing was very notable on my drive through Minnesota.
I had made the decision to camp at Great River Bluffs State Park early in my planning processes. I didn't know anything about the park, but I knew that it sat right beside the Mississippi River, so I thought that would make for some neat down time. I arrived to the park early in the afternoon, paid up my fees, and drove in to find a campsite. All of the sites were nestled nicely into the woods, so I grabbed one that wasn't previously reserved and got my tent unpacked.
There was plenty of time to kill, so I decided to go on a food mission. I had not eaten anything fresh since my night in Missoula, and I was ready for some vegetables. I was not in close proximity to any big town centers, but I picked up a bag of spinach, a tomato, and an avocado from a gas station/grocery store. Along with some pasta that I had packed in my car, I boiled the entire bag of spinach down, cut up the other vegetables and ate my gourmet dinner. Somehow, in the middle of the woods, I was still picking dog hair out of my food. 
I was excited when I arrived to see that the park had a substantial trail network. Most of the trails led to a lookout of some sort, so I took the dogs out to stretch our legs after eating. I understood quickly why the name of the park was Great River Bluffs. We certainly were up on some bluffs with a beautiful vantage point over the Mississippi. I had not envisioned there being such an elevation difference from one side of the river to the other, but in this particular case, there was a very clear difference from the Minnesota side to the Wisconsin side.
The mosquitos were nearly as bad as they were in the campground in South Dakota. Both of the campgrounds were in wooded areas by water, so that made sense.
I was sitting in the campsite talking to my mom on the phone, when suddenly the sky opened up out of nowhere and raindrops the size of marbles started falling. I was happy for the excuse to run into my tent a little early and listen to the rain. I had doubts about my tent keeping out water in the downpour, but it did pretty well. I read for a while longer and fell asleep to the sound of the rain.
I awoke around 5am, consistent with the previous few days. I was happy to get out for my run before the day warmed and all of the moisture in the ground rose into the air. I was able to catch the first light through the trees and the sunrise over the river at several of the lookouts along the trails. I was able to get in about six miles pretty easily on some very nice trails, and I beat most of the bugs.
This was another day where I was packed up and on the road early with just a short day of driving ahead. Into Wisconsin and across the state, my next stop would have a real bed, a real shower, and best of all, visits with family.
Next leg: Great River Bluffs State Park to Racine, WI!
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