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The many rails-to-trails biking paths in Minnesota and Wisconsin are a perfect opportunity to get out on a nice day and enjoy a good ride. We have gone on two recently. The first is the Chippewa State Trail in Durand, Wisconsin. It heads east toward Eau Claire some 38 miles away. We didn't ride the full distance, but did spend a couple of very enjoyable hours on the trail. The second is the Root River State Trail in Lanesboro, Minnesota, which features beautiful views of the Root River and many locations on the trail. Both trails are converted railroad beds so they are relatively flat and easy to ride. Great way to spend a day!
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Big River Magazine just published two of my articles in their September/October issue. The first is about the effects of lead bullets in causing fatal poisoning in eagles and other scavengers after they eat gut piles or carcasses left in the field. The second is about a relatively new crop called Kernza which is showing promise in helping reduce the sediment that is carried into Lake Pepin by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. Kernza has incredibly deep roots so it is effective in holding soil in place. It is also perennial so it reduces tillage and disrupting the soil. It is being used in many flour recipes and a couple of breweries have experimented with new craft beers using Kernza.
We have had an exceptional summer for boating on Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River. Many days have been in the low 80s with a light breeze, perfect for getting out on the lake, floating and reading, or cruising to different parts of the lake. Having a boat on a lake has been a longtime dream and we are really enjoying it. We get out three or four times each week throughout the summer. Recently, the American Queen, a large riverboat cruise ship, passed us. Below is a photo of the boat in front of Maiden Rock.  Aethlon: The Journal of Sport Literature from East Tennessee State University has accepted my poem "The Man of Chi" for their upcoming issue. The poem is about watching a man practicing Tai Chi in a park in Beijing, China. I really like the poem and am very pleased that it will appear in Aethlon.
Deep Wild Journal just featured my essay "Summit Storm" on their blog. This is an excerpt from Mountain Dreams: The Drive to Explore, Experience, and Expand which was published last December. See their blog post here.
Volume 4 of Deep Wild Journal, the 2022 issue, has just been released. It contains my essay "Summit Storm" about a dangerous blizzard on Mt. Rainier. The volume also includes the work of fifty other writers and is an outstanding collection. Read more about Deep Wild Journal here.
Aethlon: The Journal of Sport Literature from East Tennessee State University notified me that they want to publish my poem "The Man of Chi." It is based on an experience I had watching a man practice Tai Chi in a park in Beijing, China, on our way to Tibet and the north face of Mt. Everest. His motions were so smooth and controlled and I tried to capture the way he moved in the poem. The issue is expected to be out about December.
On July 2, 2022, Lake City officials unveiled a statue of Ralph Samuelson, one hundred years to the day after he invented water skiing on Lake Pepin. I was especially interested in this because I published an article about Ralph and his adventures in the Jan/Feb issue of Big River Magazine. The statue did not exist when I wrote the article, but it is a very nice addition to the Lake City waterfront now. The statue stands at the boat ramp at Ohuta Beach next to the bay where Samuelson practiced and perfected his new sport. Here are a couple looks at the statue.   The Lake City Graphic ran an article about my new book Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota. Very nice article. It previews a book signing at Treats and Treasures in Lake City on Saturday, June 18. Treats and Treasures will be carrying the book on their shelves.
Copies of Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota, as well as copies of Mountain Dreams and Adventure Relativity are available at Broken Paddle Guiding at 213 Main Street in Wabasha.
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Photo by John Jancik
AuthorDr. Steve Gardiner is the author of eight books and over 1,000 articles. |