Indholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2021 i Country

When I think about my 10 favorite moments in nature, at least four of them took place in Prophetstown State Park in Indiana. Here, I’ve cross-country skied along a fen full of cattails, bicycled at dusk among a cloud of fireflies, watched thousands of sparrows fly in their rhythmic pattern at sunset and ridden a draft horse-drawn trolley through fields of tall and vibrant pink flowers. My family, friends and I all frequent this treasure, which is Indiana’s newest state park. You’ll find it where the Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers meet, near the town of Battle Ground. Prophetstown is a grassland park with acres of crowfoot and bluestem grasses. It has a nature preserve with fens (peat-forming wetlands) and wet prairie. You won’t see many trees here, but the sunsets…

THE ROUTE TO MCGREGOR, IOWA, follows the Great River Road along the Mississippi River. On the way I see spectacular panoramic vistas, stunning limestone bluffs and ancient effigy mounds. With steep bluffs on its north, south and west sides, and the river to the east, McGregor is affectionately referred to as the Pocket City. Because of the town’s position on the river, its history is boom and bust. Entering town is like stepping back into the 1800s, when McGregor was a bustling stop on the river. Historic buildings dating back to those days line historic Main Street. Today McGregor is quiet, until summer when it comes alive with tourists, road trippers, hikers and water enthusiasts. The natural beauty (it’s located in Iowa’s Driftless region) encourages outdoor activities, and downtown is…

1 FISHING From walleye and muskellunge to bluegill, crappie and carp, if you want to fish for it, chances are the New River has it. Angling is best in the Upper and Middle New at places like Sandstone Falls, but there’s good fishing for smallmouth bass at Fayette Station in the Lower New. 2 CLIMBING Blessed with extremely hard sandstone cliffs, the Lower New in the national park as well as the Gauley and Meadow rivers have become world famous for rock climbing. But there’s room for newbies out there, too, thanks to New River Mountain Guides’ half-day climbing trips for beginners. newriverclimbing.com 3 HORSEBACK RIDING A wealth of companies offer horseback riding in the area surrounding the national park. Cowboy Town, located 6 miles from the New River Gorge…

The actor on the other side of the fence keeps kissing and nuzzling my hand. I remark on how handsome he is. Then I offer him a carrot. I’m in Kentucky horse country, at the Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm visiting Popcorn Deelites, the equine star of the movie Seabiscuit. He’s one of more than 100 horses—including former champions of the turf like 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champ Silver Charm—living the good life here. My husband, John, and I are Sunday-driving back roads framed by thick stands of trees turning orange and red and russet as fall sweeps through central Kentucky. Our first stop is Old Friends, located outside Georgetown, an area also known as “Kentucky horse headquarters” because of its abundance of horsey attractions. These include stables, festivals…

THE HISTORIC PARK INN HOTEL (right), located in Mason City, Iowa, is the last remaining Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel still standing in the world. Wright was a famous American architect from Wisconsin known for his Prairie School architecture featuring horizontal lines (as seen in the hotel’s Skylight room, above) and harmony with the landscape. He designed more than 1,000 structures over 70 years. Six of these projects were hotels, but only four came to fruition. Wright began the hotel and bank complex in 1908, and his associate, William Drummond, completed the project in 1910. Over the next 101 years, the structure underwent several changes. The bank no longer exists. Local advocates eventually recognized the building’s significance, and in 2011 an $18.5 million restoration project completed their vision. To date, visitors…

MASSACHUSETTS It’s back to the bog this autumn as the Nantucket Cranberry Festival returns Oct. 9. Put on a pair of waders and help with the traditional harvest during the interactive cranberry bog experience, or simply tour the bog. Other festivities include music, family activities such as hayrides, and local chefs serving up New England classics and cranberry cuisine. nantucketchamber.org CALIFORNIA The Golden State produces the most avocados in the U.S. and shows off its bounty during the Avocado Festival Oct. 2-3 in Carpinteria. The state’s largest free music festival also entertains the taste buds with a variety of products made from avocados. Visit the expo tent for tips on growing your own! avofest.com MAINE Damariscotta loves its pumpkins! At the Pumpkinfest and Regatta Oct. 8-11, racers will carve boats…

FALL FUN Scarecrows line the park’s paved paths during the Trail of the Scarecrows. For $1, visitors can vote for their favorite scarecrow from Oct. 1- Nov. 7. Proceeds benefit the park. WILDFLOWER WALK Trail 1 is an easy 2.25-mile loop that winds through a stand of Douglas fir, a tallgrass prairie and a marsh before reaching a field with a splendid assortment of wildflowers that blossom in summer. FARM TO TABLE At the Farm, Chef Lauren creates five-course meals using ingredients grown in the fields or from other local sources. Dinner is served on china from the 1920s. Dates and menu items vary. prophetstown.org GO-TO SPOT: THE VILLAGE Tour replicas of Native American structures and learn about life on the prairie during ranger-led walks.…

JASON GULLEY Geologist who uses a camera to show human impact on the earth. jasongulley.smugmug.com MOON SHOTS I started taking photos in high school. Originally, I wanted to get a 35 mm SLR (film) camera so I could hook it up to my telescope and take pictures of the moon. Then my family got me a how-to photography book so I’d learn how to use the all-manual camera. I got so interested in it that I forgot about my telescope. ALL BY CHANCE The pandemic’s travel restrictions killed all my international field research. We have springs here in Florida that are in environmental decline. I was never interested in manatees but needed one photograph to show that springs are important manatee habitats. I jumped into a spring on the Suwannee…

It’s a problem everybody should have in early October—two weeks of vacation to use or lose. But where to go? I’d already gone on my annual trek to a national park. What lasting memories could I create on such short notice and within a budget? This is where workaway.info came in. Commonly used by younger adults searching for a unique cultural experience, this website operates around the globe and works on the principle of part-time work in exchange for room and board. I was blessed to find and spend two weeks at Green Flamingo Organics farm in Florida, located a bit south of Daytona Beach and just north of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It was enlightening! Working with two interns on the farm, I weeded, planted, harvested and prepared…

It was a sparkling fall day on the Blue Ridge Parkway. But out of nowhere, the rain, wind and mist caught us right as we pulled up to Craggy Gardens, just outside of Asheville, North Carolina. While everyone else hunkered down, we hiked the short loop. The hike felt otherworldly—spooky, very Lord of the Rings-like. But it was perfectly safe and well worth the cold and rain to see this lovely view. AUROBINDO SUNDARAM Alpharetta, Georgia I met some nice folks while I was out exploring Badlands, Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. There was a nice gentleman from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia who was road-tripping the West with his adult son and the son’s girlfriend. I chatted with an Ohio couple who had seen amazing wildlife at Yellowstone…

MY FAMILY has had a lake house in the Sister Lakes area of southwest Michigan since the 1930s. Sister Lakes is a resort area with six lakes that range in size, but all are large enough for boats. Sister Lakes is busiest in the summer when people come for water sports (fishing, water skiing, tubing and kayaking). But there’s also a lot going on in the fall, such as hiking through forests ablaze in fall color or picking up fresh produce at farm stands during the harvest season. SCENIC DRIVE Falling Water Falls OZARK NATIONAL FOREST, ARKANSAS Located just off FR 1205, Falling Water Falls (right) is a visual feast in autumn that is relatively easy to reach. It’s on the Falling Water Falls Scenic Drive, which starts at the…

VIRGINIA The best panoramic views of the Shenandoah Valley, the town of Luray and nearby mountain ranges make the 1.6-mile Stony Man Trail in Shenandoah National Park worth every step. Begin on the Appalachian Trail and follow the blue Stony Man Trail signs to the viewpoint. nps.gov/shen COLORADO Stroll the wide, easy 2.6-mile out-and-back Rainbow Gulch dirt trail near Woodland Park along a stream and through a forest of golden aspen trees on your way to Rampart Reservoir. Stroller- and leashed-pet-friendly, this colorful hike is a joy for the whole family. hikingintherockies.com MASSACHUSETTS Hike the dog- and horse-friendly 4.4-mile-loop Birch Pond Trail in the Lynn Woods Reservation to see gorgeous fall foliage reflected in a crystal clear pond. Stroll along the water and picnic on the rocks scattered along the…

It’s a perfect afternoon in West Virginia. Sunny, with bright blue skies and temperatures in the 70s, it’s the kind of weather the mid-Atlantic region is famous for in autumn. By all accounts, Long Point Trail should be bustling with hikers and mountain bikers. It’s known to be one of the most popular paths in West Virginia’s New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, the country’s most recent national park. The designation, which took effect earlier this year, is an upgrade of sorts from the National River status the New River Gorge earned in 1978. And it’s already brought more adventure seekers into the official boundaries of the gorge area. For park service purposes, those confines run for 53 wild miles from the town of Hinton north to Hawks Nest…

Every year, rain or shine, our family takes the scenic route through the White Mountains of New Hampshire on a fall foliage trek. We check the online foliage tracker sites early in the season to determine which dates and routes are best to catch peak colors. We never tire of seeing the sunlit trees painting glorious hues of orange, red and yellow on the mountain peaks, or stopping at farm stands along the way for apple cider and other fall goodies. Our trip takes us by way of Route 16 up to Conway, a quaint New England town where the people are friendly and welcoming. We then travel through the notches (that’s how we refer to mountain passes) and along the winding Kancamagus Highway. Locally known as “the Kanc,” it’s…