Second Day - Storm Lake~

Our second day dawned misty & cool.  Very reminiscent of a typical western, Washington day.  We found a little café with a lakeside view for breakfast.  With several interesting looking antique stores & gift shops in town, we did some shopping.

As we leave Oakworth for the day~

 I found something I wanted - Farah would look stunning pulling it!  With a price tag of $1,100 - considering the wonderful condition, I hope it finds a good home.

All original horse drawn sled~

 It was mid-afternoon by the time we finished in town & decided to drive north to Big Spirit Lake.  Pulling into the first park we found, the fall colors of the trees were so beautiful against the fog.

Cottonwoods line the shore~

 The park itself wasn't large, but had plenty of access to the waterfront.

Isthmus Park~

As one of what's known at the Iowa Great Lakes, the northern shore borders Minnesota.  This area is full of history, a massacre in 1857 is the most notorious.

Afternoon view~

 There was a walkway around a portion of the lake & we took it.  A beautiful staircase cut from the hillside took us to a long dock at the bottom.

Nika on the stairs~

 I walked out to the end of the dock, looking back at the brilliant fall colors on shore.

Nika & Butch~

 It was a perfect day to be in such a beautiful place.

Fog & water blend together~

I took lots of photos - the colors stood out against the slate gray fog.

Lake edge~

 Our truck waits!

Trees in full color!

 We drove on north, to the uppermost portion of the lake.  We crossed the Minnesota state line, just to say we'd been there!  Then drove on to Mini-Wakan State Park.  What a beautiful park!  The camping spots were as private as any we've seen here, many will full hookups.  There was also an asphalt bike trail, we've put on our ride list.

Mini Wakan State Park~

It was late by the time we returned to our room in Okoboji.  Neither of us were looking forward to another noisy night...  Lesson learned.

The following morning dawned bright & sunny again.  We were anxious to be gone from the room & on the road for home.  Heading south, we stopped in Spencer Iowa & admired the stunning Clay County Courthouse, built in 1900.

Spencer, IA

 We continued south on Hwy 59 through Harlan.  Butch had been there with the big yellow bus for games, but it was my first visit.  Such a beautiful town, with a movie theater still open!

It was a warm day by the time we were home - the weekend was one we'll remember.