For more than a century, Washington’s cherry blossoms have carried meaning beyond their spring beauty. Gifted by Tokyo in the early 20th century, the trees became a symbol of friendship between Japan and the United States. Each March, that history draws millions of visitors to Washington, DC, where the city briefly disappears beneath a canopy of pale pink blooms. Witnessing the cherry blossoms from the water has long been a dream. The short bloom window in early spring makes timing…
Canoe 52 began as a shared journey — two paddles moving in rhythm, a dog shifting between seats. This trip felt different. Same canoe. Same intention. But the current had changed, and I was…
The Indiana Dunes sit at an unusual crossroads of landscapes. Here along the southern edge of Lake Michigan, forests blend into prairie, wetlands, and towering sand dunes. Wind and water have shaped this landscape…
Some stretches of the Mississippi feel remote. Others, like the Mississippi River backwaters remind you how closely the river runs alongside everyday life. Near Savanna, Illinois, the river spreads into a chain of wooded…
The Mississippi River moves differently than most. Whereas the Current River rushed through the Ozarks, the Mississippi near Le Claire, Iowa felt broad and patient, with quiet backwaters breaking up its wide channels and…
Some rivers move slowly. Others pull you forward the moment the canoe touches the water. The Current River in Missouri feels like the latter. Flowing through the Ozarks and the protected landscape of Ozark…
A calm morning paddle on Sylvan Lake in South Dakota’s Black Hills revealed a landscape of granite spires, mirror-like water, and quiet reflection. Floating through the still basin of Custer State Park offered a…
Our original plan was to canoe in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We would camp by the Little Missouri River and paddle in the park for a different perspective of the landscape and wildlife than…
About 23 miles Northwest of Bismarck is Harmon Lake, a 145-acre reservoir set on Otter Creek in North Dakota’s Great Plains. Since a lack of precipitation made the Little Missouri River too low to…
After our adventures in the alpine lakes of Wyoming and Colorado, we headed back East. Stops along the way home included Denver and Topeka for some sightseeing, no paddling. We added Kentucky as a…
