Ted Shanks Conversation Area; south of Hannibal, MO For August, the Destination of the Day department will feature places in my home state, Missouri. We'll start it off with 6,800 acres of wetlands and floodplain forest south of Hannibal at Ted Shanks Conservation Area. Visit the area to wander around the wetlands or
Lookout Point in Hixon Forest We continue our May trek along Wisconsin's west coast with a stop high above La Crosse. Hixon Forest's 800 acres are criss-crossed by 13 miles of trails for hikers and dirt bikers, winding their way up and across several bluffs with great views of the region. I was
Vento Nature Sanctuary offers a slice of born-again nature in the midst of an old urban core. Sandwiched between railroad tracks and bluffs (and very near the Mississippi River), the 29 acres are part of a former industrial area that is slowing returning to a natural state. The site includes the cave known to the
Beginning today, the Destination of the Day will highlight places and events in geographic order from the Headwaters Region to the mouth of the Ohio River. Every month I will focus on the river communities in a single state. April belongs to Minnesota. We'll start in the northern Minnesota city of Grand Rapids, where Itasca
The best places to get up close and personal with the Upper Mississippi River.
View of Mississippi River from Trail of Tears State Park (Missouri) In 1838-39, thousands of Cherokees and other Indian nations on the east coast were forced to leave their homelands and relocate to lands west of the Mississippi River. En route, hundreds died of starvation, disease, and exposure. Many of the Cherokee crossed
