Canoeing the Driftless


Book Description

Southeastern Minnesota is a paddlers dream. Throughout the forested bluff land terrain, called the Driftless Area, there are both easy paddling routes as well as challenging, more difficult streams all offering beautifull scenic views and a variety of wildlife. Canoeing The Driftless contains maps and descriptions for over 50 routes covering 600 miles to help you plan your paddling trip. Information such as route length, difficulty, hazards, as well as points of interest, the best put-in and take-out accesses and shuttle routes are included to help in choosing a trip to fit your needs. Also included are River Scenes which have interesting information on history along the routes as well as some personal, sometimes humorous accounts of trips on the rivers. Canoeing The Driftless is written for all levels of paddlers, from the beginner to the most experienced paddler. For the beginner to intermediate paddler there are the main routes on the Cannon, Zumbro, and Root rivers, for the more experienced paddlers the routes on the Bear, Deer, Whitewater, and smaller branches of the Root River and Zumbro River provide more challenging runs.




Crossing the Driftless


Book Description

Both a traveler's tale of a 359-mile canoe trip and an exploration of the dramatic environment of the Upper Midwest's Driftless region, following the streams of geologic and human history.




Canoeing & Kayaking South Central Wisconsin


Book Description

South-central Wisconsin provides an impressive array of opportunities for all types of paddling, including some of the very best day trips in the entire state and even Upper Midwest. Paddling South Central Wisconsin, by experienced paddler and author Timothy Bauer, guides all types of paddlers, whether veteran or novice, through whitewater adrenaline or flatwater calm routes near Madison, Rockford, Janesville, Waukesha, and Milwaukee. This paddling guide is the perfect companion for those seeking "the rowed less taken." It describes the best times to paddle 60 diverse routes, alerts readers to each paddle's difficulty level and estimated length, and suggests side trips, optional trip extensions, and alternate routes to paddle, depending on weather conditions. Easy-to-follow maps, complete with GPS coordinates and driving directions, add to this book's high value. In addition, the author provides contact information on local paddling clubs, outfitters, and Internet links.




The Driftless Reader


Book Description

The enchanting, enigmatic Driftless Area of the Upper Midwest is anthologized here with readings and illustrations from the region's Native people, explorers, scientists, historians, farmers, journalists, poets, and artists, including Black Hawk, Mark Twain, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frank Lloyd Wright, Aldo Leopold, August Derleth, and David Rhodes.




The Driftless Land


Book Description

The Driftless Land, a collection of essays by Kevin Koch, is a search for the spirit of place among the bluffs, woodlands, and prairies of the Upper Mississippi River valley. The Midwest is commonly known for its flatlands, for oceans of corn pressing towards the horizon beneath a big sky. Lesser known are the steep hills and bluffs, the ravines and towering rock outcroppings where the upper Mississippi carves its meandering path. These rugged lands amid the prairies are known as The Driftless Area, a 20,000 square-mile region of northeast Iowa, northwest Illinois, southeast Minnesota, and southwest and central Wisconsin, bypassed by most of the glaciers. Koch observes, "You can 'love nature' and 'love the land'--but you won't know place until you've walked slowly and attentively through Lost Canyon or the Kickapoo Valley Reserve or Swiss Valley or Trempealeau Mountain, and then returned to learn what you can about them." Hidden within the woodlands are the imprints of human history and the deeper geological story as well, the story of a land untouched by the ancient onslaught of leveling glaciers. The result is a call to know place deeply, whatever place you inhabit.




Paddling Southern Wisconsin


Book Description

Paddling Southern Wisconsin will guide you down some of the state's most alluring rivers, immersing you in its shifting landscape and infinite beauty.




Lost in the Driftless


Book Description

Trout anglers, as a group, are deeply polarized. The author travels to the famed Driftless Area in the rural southwestern corner of Wisconsin to fish its spring creeks for brown trout and explore the science, culture and history of social divides. "Lost in the Driftless" looks at the role of regulations, the impacts of destination fisheries, the role of social science in fisheries management, and creek and wild trout restoration. The author's guide is a well-known, self-described Wisconsin "trout regulations protester." Author documents his fight to bring the "locals" back to trout fishing.




Paddling Minnesota


Book Description

Minnesota, the 'Land of 10,000 Lakes' is replete with wonderful paddling options for everyone—from families seeking serene waters for youngsters, to expert kayakers looking to test their skills on ripping rapids. This guide, an update of Greg Breining's Official State Guide, includes more than 100 trips and 23 brand-new paddles that represent the full range of paddling experiences Minnesota has to offer, from paddles down the Minnehaha Creek in the heart of the Twin Cities, to excursions through the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area in the remote northern reaches of the state. Minnesota is a paddler's playground, and this guide is the key to discovering the many wonders of its clear, blue waters. Look inside to find: clear maps, difficulty ratings, and points of special interest, as well as fascinating insights on the history and ecology of the Minnesota waterways.




Pieces of the Frame


Book Description

Pieces of the Frame is a gathering of memorable writings by one of the greatest journalists and storytellers of our time. They take the reader from the backwoods roads of Georgia, to the high altitude of Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico; from the social decay of Atlantic City, to Scotland, where a pilgrimage for art's sake leads to a surprising encounter with history on a hilltop with a view of a fifth of the entire country. McPhee's writing is more than informative; these are stories, artful and full of character, that make compelling reading. They play with and against one another, so that Pieces of the Frame is distinguished as much by its unity as by its variety. Subjects familiar to McPhee's readers-sports, Scotland, conservation-are treated here with intimacy and a sense of the writer at work.




Whitewater, Quietwater


Book Description

With in-depth coverage of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, and northeast Minnesota, Whitewater; Quietwater will prepare you for the paddling adventures of a lifetime. This totally updated classic guide describes over 750 miles of wild and tame rivers. And with new and improved maps, the guide is easier to use than ever before. Not only do Bob and Jody Palzer describe the rivers of this majestic region, they also include vital information on equipment, technique safety, clubs and organizations. (8 1/2 x 11, 176 pages, maps, diagrams, b & w photos)