To cross off the third state on our must-visit list we need to head further west to North Dakota and we will travel through Minnesota to get there.

One of Greg's favourite movies is the 1996 cult movie 'Fargo' and was set in Minnesota in 1987. The movie won two Academy Awards: one for Best Original Screenplay and one for Best Actress for Francis McDormand.

Following on from the movie there have been three TV series of 'Fargo'. Greg has watched all three (many times) and enjoyed each one - every time!

Being in Minnesota we can't help but check out some of the towns that featured in Fargo - both the movie and the three TV Series.

We left Ashland, Wisconsin and continued to drive beside Lake Superior to Duluth, Minnesota on the extreme western edge of the lake. Duluth is a city of over 80 000 people so we only drove by. Duluth featured in the first TV series of Fargo.

At Grand Rapids, we stopped to get a view of the Mississippi River at Pokegama Lake Reservoir. Originally there were a series of rapids in the river but they were flooded by the dam which was built to service the local paper mill.

Our overnight stay was Bemidji - also featured in the first Fargo TV series. The character of Molly Solverson ended up being the Chief of Police of the Bemidji Police Department.

Bimidji however, is more famous for its statue of Paul Bunyon and his Blue Ox - Babe. The statues are located in a park on the edge of Lake Bemidji.

The source of the mighty Mississippi River is just 50 miles from Bemidji and flows through the town. We could easily live in some of the beautiful homes built beside the lake - except maybe for the extreme cold here in winter!

Continuing west the next morning, our first stop was for lunch in Fargo, right on the border of Minnesota and North Dakota. Fargo is the largest city in North Dakota but is not the capital city.

While taking a photo of a Fargo Police vehicle, Kerrie was asked if she needed any help by a local officer - I guess taking a photo of a police car is not a crime as the officer just smiled and wished her a good visit.

Greg was a bit disappointed to find out that people in Minnesota don't seem to talk the way he expected them to using phrases like "You betcha" and "don't ya think?"

We discovered that Fargo itself had no resemblance to any of the scenes we could remember from our viewing so we took a few photos and drove on.

Our overnight stay in North Dakota is in the capital city, Bismark. This city does not feature the traditional domed Capitol Building but has a tall, art deco building as the State House.

If you haven't see Fargo - the movies or the TV series, we highly recommend them.