Jordan River Runners
It’s good to have friends in cool places, like those with 40 acres on a picturesque vista ‘Up North’ with all the recreational toys to go with it. Two former DC beltway runners were finally able to make an open
Engineering Soo Locks
It was engineering weekend in the Eastern UP, starting with a class on e-bike dynamics and ending with a 3 hour course on fluid mechanics and the Soo Locks system. Brimley State Park was about 150 miles from Munising in
The Grand Island Wave
Grand Island is a National Recreation Area one mile off shore from the town of Munising situated in the 52 degree waters of Lake Superior, the largest fresh water lake in the world. This island is uninhabited by humans and
Boxing with Mosquitos
All we want from Christmas is a break from mosquito bites. The Hiawatha National Forest is a world-class mosquito breeding ground. After a few moments, you can immediately tell the locals from the tourists. The locals wear long sleeve shirts
Christmas in June
It’s been two days of weird getting from Altura, MN to Green Bay, WI and up to Christmas, Michigan where Santa is more than a person, he’s an attitude. To our eyes, he looks like a Santa interpretation of Mr.
Gnat Today
Bug Soother repels bugs, gnat-ually. A few spritzs of this magic lemongrass oil with a hint of vanilla on the back of the neck and behind the ears allowed us to hike 6 miles into the broccoli-top forest. It’s like
Taking Minnesota by Storm
After a pop-up trip to the World’s Only Corn Palace in South Dakota, we unfortunately missed the offramp to the 50 foot Jolly Green Giant statue in the vegetable headquarters of Blue Earth, MN so when we saw the ad
Corn and Cabela’s
After four days of stalking prairie dogs, crushing on bison, spelunking in Wind Cave, casing the Badlands and hunkering down in punishing rain, we felt satiated by our time in South Dakota and ready to move on. It was a
Badlands Bike and Hike
If you’ve ever wanted to see the Badlands, go now … they are crumbling. It’s a world of sandcastles on the Crayola plains. Stunning vistas but when you get up close, you experience the effects of extreme weather washing them
I Feel a Badlands Arising
Mushrooms and cactus are out. Bison and prairie dogs are in. Bison are the largest land mammal in North America. They weigh up to 2 tons and stand as tall as 6.5 feet. Extremely agile, they can jump up to