As a young boy on his Minnesota farm, Charles Lindbergh was introspective and inventive, spending most of his time outdoors in the usual good weather of a Minnesota summer. He explored the rivers and woods, collected rocks, butterflies, feathers, and other natural objects, and built rafts to navigate the Mississippi, often with his dog as a faithful co-explorer. The farm became a magical place where he dreamed, imagined, and invented, and he later recalled lying for hours in high timothy and redtop, wishing for an airplane so he could ride on the wind and be part of the sky.