Portland Oregon’s culture is distinctive. “KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD” Austinites swear they had the logo first, but really, why argue? The two cities actually have a similar vibe. Portland has the highest percentage of bicycle riders in the country; a reputation for being “green”, a passion...
Read MoreIt is in the cities bordering the Mississippi River that its culture is the most visible. The Dakota called the Mississippi River, Hahawakpa, "river of the falls." Long before the Europeans arrived, the Mississippi River served as a major thoroughfare by Native tribes. The 50...
Read MoreLandscape embodies the evidence of natural events, and “the cumulative evidence of human adjustment to life on earth.”[*] Culture, embodies our human response. Rivers play a big part in culture; few have dominated culture in North America as much as the Mississippi River. Entire volumes...
Read MoreAhh - this is my longest post to date! It consists of three sites across the Wisconsin Ice Age Trail The northern Midwest’s reputation, primarily as a frigid environment briefly visited by summers’ humid heat and mosquito infestations, is enough to discourage southern visitors from venturing...
Read MoreBaker county, population 16,700 is a remarkable place - and stunningly beautiful [whadaya mean?? all you see from I 84 is a Mc D, a couple cheap motels and a gas station]. Really, I mean it. With family living there, I had the opportunity to...
Read MoreThink “Wisconsin” – what comes to mind? Yes, Beer and Cheese. Travel Wisconsin, lists 25 cheese factories and 16 breweries that offer visits. More exist, but some guard their operations more closely, I suppose. As a woman who carries the “beer” gene, I was obliged to...
Read MoreThink “Wisconsin” – what else comes to mind? Fish and Fur, of course! By the 16th century, over fishing in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, and nearby seas, had nearly depleted European sources of Cod. Fish was not only a food, but fishing represented a way of...
Read MoreThe four elements, highly visible in this region, continue to shape the land. Fire, in the form of volcanoes, continues to rumble, hiss and spew. Water, defines the region for food, trade and recreation. Air, in the form of wind, brings in moisture to nourish...
Read MoreThe gorge of the Columbia River was formed by fire and ice. Past and present have no distinction. Fire and ice still dominate this land; we are experiencing a mere blip of calm in the geological cycle. In this land is some of the oldest...
Read MoreI traveled northwest from Tulsa to the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. Covering 39,000 acres, the preserve is the largest contiguous area of untilled tall grass prairie on Earth. Surrounded by the Osage Reservation, it is part of the southern Flint Hills, a rocky limestone prairie...
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