One more feather in my Sight-seeing cap

So, after more than 33 years, I finally saw one of those famous (at least by local standards) Paul Bunyan/Babe the Blue Ox statues. Specifically, my wife, son and I stopped by the one in Bemidji near the shores of the lake with the same name. We didn’t trek up north with the purpose of seeing Paul. In fact, I didn’t even think we’d be going into Bemidji. But we went camping about a half hour away and, since the weather was its usual self (crappy), we spent the day exploring this outpost of civilization.

And if that’s not enough local culture, get this: the very next day, as we drove home, we stopped for lunch in the town of Hackensack:

Turns out, this is the city where Paul’s girlfriend beckons from. So, we also got a chance to see the slightly less-tall and slightly less-popular Lucette statue.
(Okay, so Lucette isn’t exactly what I’d term a “pretty face”, but I think if I was a twenty foot tall guy, she’d have a certain appeal that most other ladies would lack. Go Paul!)

All this local culture got me thinking: why is it that locals never explore their own area? Oh, I’m sure some do, but isn’t it funny how people will make huge travel plans to go across the globe and see the Eiffel Tower, yet never bother walk across town to the local museum? It’s like the shoemaker’s kids who went barefoot. I remember being in New York City once, and I asked my friend (who had lived there for over a year) if he’d ever gone to visit the UN. He said he hadn’t, and I was stunned.

But maybe I shouldn’t have been. After all, what have I seen of my own state?

Here, then, is a list of notable landmarks and tourist attractions (I hate that term, but, oh well) that I’ve visited here in the Great State of Sky Blue Waters:
*Duluth Lift Bridge
*The Metrodome (Twins games and a U2 concert!)
*The Bemidji Paul Bunyan
*The State Fair
*The Minnesota Zoo
*The Mall of America (God, I even worked there)
*Minnehaha Falls
*Split Rock Lighthouse
*Lake Superior
*The Mayo Clinic
*Gooseberry Falls
(And, I’m not sure if these are as significant, but here are some other sights I’ve seen in our state: The Duluth Zoo, The Skyway System, The U of M, Summit/Grand neighborhood, Lake Mille Lacs, The St. Croix River, The Minnesota River, The Oliver Kelley Farm, Murphy’s Landing, The Glensheen Mansion, Valley Fair, The Lock and Dam system on the Mississippi, the Science Museum, Landmark Center, Rice Park and that shitty Great Lakes Museum in Duluth.)

But here’s what I’ve missed:
*Voyageur’s National Park
*Angle Islet
*The Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens (Yes, I’ve seen that spoon/cherry thing from the road, but I’ve never been there)
*The IDS Tower (again, I’ve seen it, but I’ve never gone inside)
*The Mississippi River headwaters
*Fort Snelling (God, I can’t believe it – it’s right stinkin’ there, and I’ve never visited)
*The Foshay Tower
*The Spam Museum (Okay, I’m not sure this qualifies as ‘notable’, but I am curious)
*The State Capitol
*The James J. Hill House
*The Como Conservatory (Even my son has one up on me here – and he’s only 1/10th my age)
*The Brainerd Paul Bunyan

Have I missed anything of significance? I gotta start seeing more sites…

(Am I the only one who thinks this is a bit macabre for a family-friendly park? Kind of reminds me of Abraham and Isaac.)