Iowa is a verdant land of sinuous streams snaking between the continent's two greatest rivers. Since 2004, this book has helped thousands of new and seasoned paddlers discover new waters, plan trips, avoid hazards, understand fluctuating water levels, navigate shuttles on roads and trails, and find rental boats. Maps and narrative are accurate, and you'll find stories that enrich your understanding of Iowa's rivers. Discover Iowa's rivers, and you are guaranteed to look at Iowa in a whole new light!
“Iowa? I could have sworn this was heaven.”—from Field of Dreams This lively guide—the definitive comprehensive travel guide devoted entirely to Iowa—highlights the events, attractions, lodgings, restaurants, history, and culture that make the Hawkeye State great. Iowans have always known how wonderful their state is; now everyone else can experience the best that this under-appreciated gem has to offer. From railroads and the state fair to art museums and wineries; from cycling to golf to spelunking, Iowa won’t fail to surprise and delight travelers. If you like spending your vacations away from crowds or exploring beautiful, perfect natural landscapes, Iowa might be just what you’re looking for. Author Lauren Rice traveled throughout her home state to find the best it has to offer. Everywhere she went she learned something new—a fascinating bit of local history, a little restaurant serving great homemade food, some terrific tucked-away place to visit—and there are countless other treasures just waiting to be discovered. As with all Explorer’s Guides, handy icons point out places of extra value, kid-friendly sites and activities, and lodgings that accept pets. Detailed maps and an alphabetical “What’s Where” section help you plan your trip. With this book in hand, travelers will get off the beaten path and into the heart of an authentic, unspoiled place.
Canoeing the Boundary Waters Wilderness: A Sawbill Log continues the story of wilderness canoeing begun in A Boundary Waters History: Canoeing Across Time, this time offering historical information about black bear attacks on humans, loon calls and behaviors, lightning strikes on the waters, the experience of a woman going into labor while canoeing with her husband, the sighting of spectacular northern lights, and reflections on the wilderness experience. All the while Wilbers reflects on experiences canoeing with his family. As in the first book, quotes from some of Minnesotas well known wilderness authors appear throughout the manuscript.
“This quietly profound book belongs on the shelf next to Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild.” —The New York Times The riveting true story of Dick Conant, an American folk hero who, over the course of more than twenty years, canoed solo thousands of miles of American rivers—and then disappeared near the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This book “contains everything: adventure, mystery, travelogue, and unforgettable characters” (David Grann, best-selling author of Killers of the Flower Moon). For decades, Dick Conant paddled the rivers of America, covering the Mississippi, Yellowstone, Ohio, Hudson, as well as innumerable smaller tributaries. These solo excursions were epic feats of planning, perseverance, and physical courage. At the same time, Conant collected people wherever he went, creating a vast network of friends and acquaintances who would forever remember this brilliant and charming man even after a single meeting. Ben McGrath, a staff writer at The New Yorker, was one of those people. In 2014 he met Conant by chance just north of New York City as Conant paddled down the Hudson, headed for Florida. McGrath wrote a widely read article about their encounter, and when Conant's canoe washed up a few months later, without any sign of his body, McGrath set out to find the people whose lives Conant had touched--to capture a remarkable life lived far outside the staid confines of modern existence. Riverman is a moving portrait of a complex and fascinating man who was as troubled as he was charismatic, who struggled with mental illness and self-doubt, and was ultimately unable to fashion a stable life for himself; who traveled alone and yet thrived on connection and brought countless people together in his wake. It is also a portrait of an America we rarely see: a nation of unconventional characters, small river towns, and long-forgotten waterways.
Recounts the author's transformation from an idealistic, freedom-loving youth to a jaded and financially struggling father of four and how a catastrophic flood helped him to reconnect with the faith and courage of his childhood.
Teasing out the history of a place celebrated for timelessness--where countless paddle strokes have disappeared into clear waters--requires a sure and attentive hand. Stephen Wilbers's account reaches back to the glaciers that first carved out the Boundary Waters and to the original inhabitants, as well as to generations of wilderness explorers, both past and present. He does so without losing the personal relationship built through a lifetime of pilgrimages (anchored by almost three decades of trips with his father). This story captures the untold broader narrative of the region, as well as a thousand different details sure to be recognized by fellow pilgrims, like the grinding rhythm of a long portage or the loon call that slips into that last moment before sleep.