Exploring the Wonders of Minnesota
In our final post about our Minnesota adventures, we look back at one of the best experiences we had in the state: canoeing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Boundary Waters is a large stretch of land stretching across much of northern Minnesota and it is a complete wilderness. It is over a million …
Continue reading “Northern Beauty: Canoeing the Boundary Waters”
As we leave Minnesota, I wanted to look back on the two of the best and most quintessentially Minnesotan places we visited. The State Fair, the North Shore and The Defeat of Jesse James Days were all great in their own right, but our trip “Up North” was perhaps the best of all. It started …
Continue reading “The Gem of Minnesota: Voyageurs National Park”
“So that’s the boat?” “Yeah, we get on board and then they take us on a three-hour boat tour of the Apostle Islands.” “A three-hour tour? Seriously?” “Yeah, the captain said they have had no complaints. He sounded trustworthy. Name of G-something.” **glaring** “At least the boat isn’t called the Minnow?” – We depart Minnesota …
Continue reading “A Three-Hour Tour: Sightseeing in the Porkies and the Apostle Islands”
A few week ago, we travelled to Michigan and met up with my family who came from New York State. We wanted to see one another but not be vectors of any virus, so we quarantined before and afterwards. In Michigan we mainly stayed at a vacation home that my dad found. Our week was …
Continue reading “A Beach Holiday: Lake Michigan with my Family”
Showing off your area to friends from out of town is fun, even when it involves eating pickled herring. As I mentioned last week, we had several visitors over last October to whom we showed the city. A week after my parents visited, we were joined by our good friends Jameson and Christine. We wanted …
Christmas is a wonderful time full of a flurry of activities and quite a few flurries of snow. We celebrated Christmas in Minnesota in several uniquely Minnesotan ways and those are recounted here. St. Olaf Christmas Festival: St. Olaf College, where I have taught for the past year, is a small, academically exceptional school in …
Continue reading “Wind Chill, Lutefisk and the St. Olaf Choir: A Minnesota Christmas”
National parks and monuments mean a lot to Katie and I, so we make a point to see as many as we can. They have been responsible for some of the best adventures we have ever had and they are also responsible for why we found ourselves last fall in the middle of Northeastern Iowa …
Continue reading “Large Piles of Dirt: Seeing Effigy Mounds”
There is nothing that makes me more at home than the feel of a cool autumn breeze as it brings smells of apple cider and pumpkin pie. I love the fall! I missed fall in Colorado where eight months of warmth and sun immediately transition to four months of cold and snow…and sun. Later this …
Continue reading “Autumn in Minnesota: Our Apple Picking Adventure”
One of the goals of our Adventures in Gopherland was see as much natural wonder in Minnesota as possible, particularly visiting National and State Park sites. Much of the year in Minnesota, however, is unfavorable for such excursions due to the climate. Before the summer turned to autumn last year, then, we attempted to visit …
Continue reading “Pickerel Lake, Try 1: Hiking the Mississippi National River and Recreational Area”
As Minnesota begins to open up, we are able to get a few more visits to other places around the state! It has made for a very different travelling experience. When we roadtrip we usually get to check out local coffeeshops and breweries, stop by odd attractions and keep a loose schedule. This trip found …
Continue reading “Quarantine Chronicles: Road Trip Up North!”
Adventures in Gopherland