OUR ROAD SCHOLARS—folks of a certain demographic who love to live and learn and experience—have had a grand week exploring the North Woods and Canoe Country. In the context of an imperfect world, the anxiety and sadness of ‘the news,’ we take a small break. Not to escape from the world, but to reconnect. With woods and waters. With the
AFTER A WEEK unplugged and virtually off the grid, exploring the North Shore, the edge of the Boundary Waters, and Voyageurs National Park, I return with my Road Scholars. To what we sometimes call the ‘real world.’ But there is something very real about trees and stones and rivers, islands and waterfalls and showy pink ladyslippers. About an ancient snapping
SCENES FROM OUR day-trip boat tour to Kettle Falls and back. With my friend, Head Park Naturalist and Interpreter, Ranger Mark Miller as our guide. What a treat. The temperature was… crisp. The skies a bit cloudy. But we got some sunshine at the Falls, providing good light for a shot or two of the tiny, iconic island used in
A TRIP TO Sigurd Olson’s iconic Listening Point always has much to offer. There is the historic cabin, and the ‘portage trail’ to and from. The musical leaf-counting of a red-eyed vireo.The peaceful view out to the pine-clad islands. Making friends with a tiny gray tree frog. The delicate beauty of a pale pink corydalis, my favorite Northwoods plant. The
IT IS AUGUST and Fall appears on the horizon. A good time for a reminder about our upcoming ‘Writers in the Woods’ Workshop, October 8-11. We’re looking to fill out the last few spots! A follow-up to last year’s delightful gathering (people are still staying in touch) which featured a warmth and camaraderie that was lovely and empowering, this is
FOLLOWING A GRAND sunset on the shore of Gitchi-gami, our Road Scholars awoke to a drizzly morn. The drive to Ely remained foggy and misty, and with arrival at Sigurd Olson’s Listening Point the thunderstorms and torrential rains began to roll through with a vengeance. But we enjoyed the old cabin and the writing shack, with stories and mandolin music
A BEAUTIFUL DAY to start our June Road Scholar North Woods trip. Heading out with rain in the morning, we drove out of the bad weather and by the time we reached Gooseberry Falls the skies had cleared (mostly) allowing a grand view of the falls and a lovely hike out to the tip of Shovel Point in Tettegouche State
ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY OF ROAD SCHOLAR explorations in southeast Minnesota’s Bluff Country. Almost 90 species of birds in two days! Bitterns, trumpeter swans, Sandhill cranes, woodcock, barred owls, peregrine falcons, towhees, buntings, redstarts, warblers, rose breasted grosbeaks, and so many more. Grand weather, beautiful wildflowers, the pleasure of hiking along trout streams, up limestone hills, and through the Big Woods.
IN THE GORGEOUS Bluff Country-Driftless Area, gazing across the Mississippi Valley at the cloud and sun mosaic of the Minnesota hills, we find ourselves in Wisconsin. Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge is spectacular, for scenery, wildlife, and particularly birds—from double crested cormorants to great egrets, bald eagles to red-tailed hawks to barred owls to gray catbirds to red-headed woodpeckers, all of
ON TODAY’S Road Scholar adventure we took in Whitewater State Park and its surrounding wetland marshes. What a grand day! Including a highly unusual bird-sighting. In the park, on the Trout Run Creek trail, we found the palm warbler and eastern towhee, our first rose-breasted grosbeaks, and others, while enjoying a woodland carpet of violets, spring beauty, trout lily (yellow