Afton Overnighter
Thirty-five miles separate my house in south Minneapolis and the campground of Afton State park. The road between rides the Mississippi River, before crossing farmland to the St. Croix River, which hugs the park. Most know of Afton because of the ski hill. Fewer know of it because of the golf course. Even fewer know of it because of the stellar state park. I’m OK … Continue reading Afton Overnighter
Temperance
Deep in the Superior National Forest is a tiny campground on the Temperance River. It has nine campsites, gets foggy when the temperature and dew point are just right and has some seriously spoiled chipmunks. This is where we stayed. With the exception of canoe-toting SUVs, the dirt road passing by the campground was quiet. We watched a storm roll in while playing cribbage and … Continue reading Temperance
Where to View Perseids Meteor Shower Near Minneapolis
The Perseids meteor shower is an annual highlight for astronomers and stargazing enthusiasts alike. If you look to the sky tonight, you could see 100 meteors per hour. Some will be faint streaks that you could miss if you blink, while others will burn across the sky with hints of bright greens and blues that might leave a lasting streak in your eyes–the latter are my favorite to … Continue reading Where to View Perseids Meteor Shower Near Minneapolis
It’s The Thought That Counts
The trip looked glorious when we were planning. Drive the bikes and fly fishing gear to Lanesboro, set up camp, load the bikes with fishing gear to fish the many river access points of the Root River State Trail and catch trout and sip on suds until nightfall, then do it all again the next day. As this trip showed Parker and I, things don’t … Continue reading It’s The Thought That Counts
Almost In Time For Sunrise Coffee
The best weekday mornings are those in which you have to clean your Jetboil at work because you had an early morning of coffee, friends and bicycles. This morning began yesterday, really, when I got a text from my friend Lucas about getting a group together for coffee. The destination: top of the hill in Gold Medal Park. A handful of others were on the … Continue reading Almost In Time For Sunrise Coffee
7 Bikes for 7 Wonders
7 Bikes for 7 Wonders is the latest campaign for Travel Oregon. To celebrate the seven wonders of Oregon, Travel Oregon connected with seven bike builders to create a one-of-a-kind bike inspired by the corresponding wonder. Each of the seven weeks of the campaign, a new bike is unveiled, then hidden the following Saturday for anyone to find and keep. A video introducing the bike is … Continue reading 7 Bikes for 7 Wonders
Rainy Lake
If there were an award show recognizing the most beautiful places in the world to fish, Rainy Lake would be a nominee. This place is heaven. A high alpine lake deep in the North Cascades. You can find it on the Pacific Crest Trail, just east of North Cascades National Park. The water is clear and blue from glacial melting. Trees line the eastern shore, … Continue reading Rainy Lake
Free The Snake.
Rivers are vital to nature. If a river is healthy, so is the surrounding natural area. If a river is unhealthy–i.e. dammed up–the surrounding natural area is negatively affected. This begs the question: Why clog a healthy river? And it is a question more and more people are asking. Patagonia released DamNation, a documentary about removing deadbeat dams–dams that were once built for hydroelectric power, … Continue reading Free The Snake.
North Shore Sending Off
The North Shore of Minnesota is one of my favorite places on the planet. How much do I love this place? AP Style says I shouldn’t capitalize it as a place, but I love the North Shore so much that I capitalize it anyways. That’s fucking love. We make a trip up from Minneapolis every few months to camp or visit Duluth. The fly fishing … Continue reading North Shore Sending Off
Lessons Learned While Biking from Oregon to Argentina
Sometimes you read a quote and it just hits you. The words contain a self realization you had yet to discover. Like the secret of life was just handed to you. That’s what this video did to me. But instead of being the secret of life, this is the secret to life. If Jed can’t inspire you to change direction of your life, it’s already too late … Continue reading Lessons Learned While Biking from Oregon to Argentina
Birch & Flannel 