HWY 371

There is a road along Hwy 371 in Baxter called Woman Lake Road.  I was tempted to turn down that gravel road, but I stayed on my course toward Ponemah, the poorest town in Minnesota.  In all my twenty nine years, I had not come up this way.  Up north, to me, had always been Duluth and Lutsen which are towns along Lake Superior; a lake so large and overwhelmingly enchanting.  The lakes up in the Northwest, Gull Lake, Hole in the Day Lake, Nisswa Lake and Leech Lake to name a few, are smaller, more manageable and charming.  The towns that resides around the lakes, such as Baxter, Brainerd, Nisswa, Pequot and Walker, are quaint towns and kept in a way that tourists feel like they've come across an enchantment - some twilight zone that has warped back to the 1950's bringing along all modern technology. 
In Baxter, (at this time roughly 11:30am) cars purposfully turned here and there into gas stations, liquor stores, marinas, resort entrances, private lakeshore cabins, public acess boat docks and bar & grills.  Small shops lined the eastern side of the road - Baxter Small Engines, The Shimer shack, Second Look Treasures, Rumors Bar, Ultimate Liquors, Wliderness Coffee and a slew of cleverly named establishments.  I stopped at a familiar establishment, Super America, to refuel the car and use the ladies' room. 
I'm not sure if it was my own excitement for the trip, or if this is the usual energy in Baxter, but it was certainly upbeat.  People boasted about the good weather, and with smiles on their faces drove off with their boats hitched to their pickups.  The sun shined tirelessly in Baxter, gas station attendents were friendly, people waved to each other from across the parking lot, and children don't cry in Baxter.  There is just too much to do, and most importantly, the Lake awaits.  The excitement in the air was electric as if I had drove into some sort of Brigadoon, and at any moment, the people would break out in song and dance.
I got in my car and drove on North along HWY 371.  As I left Baxter, a person dressed in a Smokey the Bear costume stood along side the road waving as people exited the city.

Me and La Mochela before setting out

The next town coming up was Brainerd.  There is about fifteen to twenty minutes of wilderness between the towns.  Little antique shops scattered a long the way too, but nothing really worth stopping for.  One would have to exit HWY 371 to go to the Brainerd business district.  I chose not to exit.  Eventually, however, the sides of 371 were littered with gas stations, fast food restaurants, liquor stores and billboard advertisments for the local resorts.  The short quarter mile of shops ended with a Westside liquor store, and a big sign that read "Craguns Resort" with a big arrow pointing down a winding road.  I had always wanted to see that resort, but no time for it today.  Brainerd did not interest me very much, but it may be because I didn't drive through the Brainerd business district.
Brainerd is quickly followed up by Nisswa- a town on a wooded hill overlooking Nisswa Lake.  I immediately liked this town.  On my right,  I could see, through the shallow wilderness, that there was a small strip of shops along a small street.  Cars lined the street, and people walked gleefully back and forth at what seemed like a sidewalk sale.  On my left was, again, shallow woods, cabins, resort homes and Lake Nisswa.  The lake was beautiful and calming.  There were boats on the lake, and docked along shore.  The sight was charmingly picture perfect.  Unlike Baxter and Brainerd, Nisswa was somewhat hidden, giving me only glimpses through the shallow woods.  Nisswa had a mysterious and rustic charm to it, and I would like to actually spend a weekend in Nisswa on the lake and walking through town.
There was not much after Nisswa until I reached Pequot Lakes, which seemed slightly larger than Nisswa.  The center of Pequot Lakes had an Ace hardware, train station (non-operational I think), city hall and a line of shops that were further off which I couldn't quite see clearly from the road.  I think Pequot Lakes would be an interesting place to visit, but I was not swept away as I was with Nisswa, and as I would soon discover Walker to be. 
Walker, the city on the bay of Leech Lake, was mesmerizing.  I entered the city over a short bridge that ran through Shingobee Island.  If I hadn't read the sign, I wouldn't have even realized I was on an island.  Shingobee Island, which is part of Walker, is small and passes with a blink.  The road curves as it leaves the island down a hill.  As I came down the curve of US-2 (I had left HWY 371 at Northern Lights Casino), I beheld a sight that made me gasp and become wide eyed.  The city on the the lake.  The lake stretched out into the horizon, and in the far off distance, I could see green tree tops, but immediately before me was a city park, beach and town square. Imagine the charm of the town of Stillwater on a lake with boats docked about, people on the beach, dogs on the green and an old fashioned ice cream parlor followed by cute shops and cafes that are delightful to see.  I stopped for some pedestrians, and watched as people were busy about their sight seeing and recreation.  I wanted to park my car and go for a stroll, but decided that Walker will have to be another trip. 
Numerous small towns, that did not catch my attention, paraded between Walker and Ponemah (which I have written about below).