Innehållsförteckning för November 2017 från Country Extra

SUNDAY DRIVES were my dad’s favorite pastime. He’d load us all into our Volkswagen bus and take us around Arizona—grape picking in Florence, swimming in Payson or picnicking in the mountains of Flagstaff. In this issue, one of my favorite destinations, Oak Creek Canyon, is featured in our scenic drives special section, which starts on page 32. It’s a bit of a white-knuckle drive that, as I remember it, had my mother cowering in her seat (she denies this). I’d stare out my window, amazed at the beauty of the Grand Canyon State. Years later, I traveled that scenic route with my husband-to-be and asked him to drive so I could relive that feeling of awe. Also in our special section, readers Hal and Shirley Broadhead of Littleton, Colorado,…

Along a 150-mile span of the Upper Mississippi River from Red Wing, Minnesota, to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, the Great River Road National Scenic Byway offers beautiful vistas, quaint towns, history and culture, woodland hikes and many other hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Without stops or detours, the trip can be completed in a few hours. But I recommend devoting a full day or two and seeing as much of this gorgeous area as possible. My favorite tour of river country takes the Great River Road, mainly following U.S. Highway 61 in Minnesota and State Trunk Highway 35 in Wisconsin. I look for side routes rising from the river’s edge through steep woodlands, canyons and ravines. From the upper bluffs, the views of creeks, forests and farms are breathtaking.…

Mention the name Algonquin Provincial Park and most people who know of it will conjure images of mist rising from the calm waters of a northern lake, a lone moose feeding in a marsh by the roadside, and dazzling autumn colors reflected in a quiet pond. While you will need watercraft to see the park’s interior, the King’s Highway 60 is the main artery through which much of the human traffic flows. Most visitors explore Algonquin Park along a 35-mile stretch of King’s Highway known as the Frank McDougall Parkway—the corridor traversing the park’s southern portion from west to east. The western park entrance, or West Gate, located 28 miles east of the town of Huntsville, is considered mile zero. Such distance markers help to identify points of interest along…

When I ponder what it means to be a great man, I think of my father. A bricklayer by trade, John Dvorsak never asked for much, and he valued his marriage and family above everything else. Dad and Mom (Eleanor) had a passion for listening to jazz music and dancing to polkas. So every May 28, Dad’s birthday, the family headed over to a local resort, Seven Springs, for Polka Fest. My mom developed Parkinson’s disease in her early 60s, which progressed until she died at age 78. Seeing the great care and unselfish love Dad had for her gave me an even deeper sense of admiration. He knew Mom’s philosophy, which was to go until she could go no longer. So any time a senior citizens’ bus trip or…

EXPLORE OUTDOORS My family takes a hiking trip to Newton County, Arkansas, every year. This photo of my son Jeremy before he proposed to his fiancee, Tylee, on Hawksbill Crag, takes my breath away! KIMBERLY LISS Nixa, Missouri MY FAVORITE SEASON I delight in the days with a nip in the air, when the kids come in to warm up after a ride on the old tire swing. KELLY KITCHENS Lockhart, Texas CALL OF THE WILD Fall is such an amazing time in Yellowstone National Park, with the sound of elk bulls bugling back and forth over the land. DAVE GISH Wilton, Connecticut BEST BUDDIES Whenever my grandson Caius visits, he is greeted with many kisses from Lucy. Their love shines through in this happy moment! ISABELLE…

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Find all sorts of extras from Country readers on Facebook, rd.com and Instagram. If you aren’t following us regularly on social media or visiting rd.com, here’s what you’re missing: Photo of the Day: Tracy Rine captured this image during goat kidding season this spring at their farm. Everyone was busy with kidding chores, so the Great Pyrenees was babysitting! facebook.com/ countrymagazine We posted reader Chris Wedding’s photo of a serene morning on a lake in Fairview, Michigan. instagram.com/country.magazine Check out rd.com/30things for a gorgeous slideshow that will make you fall more in love with our country.…

My daughter, Hayden, is 2 years old and helps her grandfather, Pop (my dad), check the cows. Pop loves it when she visits. He shows her the tractors and takes her all around the farm. Going to see the cows is their special thing. When Pop and Hayden drive through the pasture, she likes to help by saying the numbers on the ear tags or by giving the cows some grain. Her favorite thing is trying to high-five or fist-bump the cows. She gets excited when they nuzzle her hand with their noses because she thinks they’re giving her a fist-bump right back. Because I grew up on the farm, there’s nothing better than watching my child love the country life like I do. I want Hayden to learn to…

One of the landmarks on our 100-acre farm in rural Indiana is an old stone fence that runs parallel to the back of our farmhouse. The fence has started to lean in the middle a bit, and quite a few stones have fallen off over the years. Some of the brick edging has also broken off from the end towers. What has not fallen away, however, are the fond memories. For me the fence has had many dimensions. It was a playground, for one. We would climb it in the summertime, dodging the sharp stones set vertically along the top. The square end towers rose about twice as high as the rest of the fence and made refuges for games such as king of the hill and tag. Its rocky…

The Rangeley Lakes region of Maine offers leaf peepers the perfect alternative to view spectacular foliage and avoid the crowds in the White Mountains across the border in New Hampshire. Six major lakes comprise the Rangeley Lakes region, plus hundreds of smaller bodies of water and thousands of acres of forests. The Bigelow Range and Sugarloaf Mountain form a grand backdrop to the lakes in the eastern part of the region. Our scenic drive begins at Stratton, on the southern end of Flagstaff Lake. Traveling south and west along state Route 16, we pass wetlands often frequented by moose. The first highlight comes with a detour up Quill Hill via Oddy’s Road for a 360-degree view of the lakes and mountains. To drive up and see the view will cost…

MAKE US LAUGH Country life produces its fair share of sidesplitting moments. Here at Country and Country Extra, we love nothing more than a good laugh. Share your silliest stories and jokes, and send us pictures of the amusing antics and quirky sights you’ve seen across America. FALL FUN Crisp mornings, vibrant foliage and scenes of farmers harvesting their crops make this season spectacular. Show us why you love fall in the country. Send us your stories and photos of apple picking, trips to the pumpkin patch, hayrides and playing in piles of leaves. HAPPY HOLIDAYS The most wonderful time of the year is almost here, and we want to know how your family embraces the special traditions, customs and festivities of Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving and more. Pass along your…

SQUIRRELS AND CHIPMUNKS have their harvests in, and the bugs are subdued by now. Grasshoppers don’t sing and crickets don’t chirp. It’s safe to knock out hornet nests, and spiders no longer expand their real estate. The air is clear, and the wind plays on dry oak leaves, evergreens and bare wood. We might get ice and we might get snow, but mostly we see frost, sun or rain. We wait. We change the clocks; we can see light in the morning but not in the evening. The brown leaves on the ground are blown into places where they seem to stay forever. The fire makes its crackling sound in the cast-iron woodstove almost all the time now, ticking notes upward on the scale as it heats, downward as it…

SOUTHDOWN SHEEP With soft wool on their faces, this breed looks as cuddly as Grandpa and is just as good-natured. Developed in the South Downs region of Sussex and bred for fleece and meat, it is thought that they arrived in North America in the 1700s. Farmers liked their hardy nature, but by the 1900s, larger breeds were preferred and they fell out of favor. Southdowns are currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity. HIGHLAND CATTLE This remarkable breed, one of the oldest in the world, traces its origins to the rugged and romantic Scottish Highlands. Shaggy-haired and long-horned, Highland cattle are prized for their hardiness and longevity (they can live up to 20 years) and as a source of quality beef. A downy undercoat gives them a double layer of…

There are a few signs along Old Lime Creek Road warning drivers: “Road Narrows.” My wife, Shirley, and I had a good laugh at this. One of us said, “How much narrower can it get?” We found it could narrow quite a bit. Old Lime Creek Road in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains was originally a Ute Indian trail. It changed hands in 1873, when an agreement between the tribe and the U.S. government opened this area to mining. Prospectors mining gold and silver in the Animas Forks area and Silverton used the road extensively, as it was the only way to travel between Silverton and Durango. The San Juan Extension of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad reached Silverton in 1882, and this eased traffic a bit, but the…

Growing up in Arizona, I loved the biodiversity of the state. Minutes from my home, I could hike the best trails in the Sonoran Desert, and after a few hours of driving, I could breathe fresh alpine air and marvel at fall foliage. And there’s one scenic drive in Arizona that has it all: Oak Creek Canyon. This 15-mile state-designated scenic road along Route 89A begins in Sedona (if you’re coming from Phoenix) and winds its way north to Flagstaff. It curves up the Colorado Plateau from the high desert to a landscape of ponderosa pines. Getting to the start of the drive is a treat for the senses. Route 89A rolls through Oak Creek Village, passing iconic red rocks that are named for their shapes. The landscape has an…

My wife, Carolyn, and I adore living in the country, and we like all the animals that live here, too. We have had a number of horses and cats over the years, but there never was a bond quite like the one between Sammy, a quarter horse, and Goblin, a yellow and white bobtail cat. One day, our four horses came up from the bottom pasture, trying to escape the flies. We were getting ready to spray them when Sammy came over to the wood fence and started whinnying loudly. We had several cats, and Goblin, a young male, came running and jumped up on the fence. Carolyn said, “I hope he isn’t going to do what he has in mind, because that horse is going to go nuts.” She…