7 Aug 2022 - Arrived KOA Journey Campground in Bemidji MN

 7 Aug

This morning at 1040 hrs we departed the our campsite near Gilbert MN and we headed westbound a relatively short distance to Bemidji MN.  We some rain in route but otherwise the trip was fairly uneventful and basically a straight shot across northern Minnesota.  Traffic was light and we stopped just once for a potty break and to refresh the coffee at a Casey's.  

While we were stopped, Doreen snapped this picture of a truck pulling a fifth wheel pulling a boat. This practice is called triple towing.  About half of all U.S. states allow it within certain limitations.   

Even though our Alliance fifth wheel is rated to tow up to 300 lbs tongue weight and 3000 lbs load, this is not something I would be interested in!   

We arrived at the Bemidji KOA Journey at 1454 hrs after driving just 135 miles.  This is stop# 23 out of 37 on this trip.  

 They were expecting us here as we arrived, and were checked in quickly.  KOA's typically escort you to your camping site in a golf cart, and it was obvious our satellite dish would not be able to see the southern sky. I usually mention something when checking in, but it slipped my mind today.   Satellite-friendly sites were available and they quickly changed our site over the radio.    

This is a KOA "Journey".  KOA has begun evolving their locations into into KOA Journeys, KOA Holidays and KOA Resorts. Each is progressively more robust with amenities.  We are only here for three nights, so this KOA Journey is more than adequate for our stay.  The sites are level, full hookup and quite long, so plenty of room for the RV and the big ol' brown truck.  We do not make a habit of staying at KOA's primarily because they are more expensive.  I think out of all 37 sites on this trip, three of them are KOA's.  The one thing about KOA campgrounds is they are fairly, usually, kinda sorta predictable as far as quality.  We have stayed in quite a few over the years and we have seen the spectrum...  But, as mentioned before, this one seems very adequate for a three night stay.

Cabins are available for those without RV's or tents.

They have a nice pool for an afternoon swim!

Things on our radar here in or near Bemidji include Lake Itasca and the Mississippi headwaters; the Bemidji Woolen Mill; Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues plus the Chief Bemidji statue.  The Beltrami County History Center is only open Wed-Sat so we won't be able to see the museum, but we will be able to see the Veteran's Memorial and the train depot there. Weather will determine what we do tomorrow.  We only have two days here after today, so our time is a bit limited.