Innehållsförteckning för July 2021 från Country Extra

“Beach house or lake house?” I asked our kids. Emphatically and immediately, “Lake house!” was the response from both. Our son, Brandon, a software engineer in Colorado, and our daughter, Carrie, a nursing student, are adults now but still participate in the annual family vacation. Our tradition has been to visit a different place every year. And 2019 was to be a lake year. Lake Lure, a man-made body of water in the Blue Ridge Mountains, was the perfect choice for us. It was on the western side of North Carolina (mountainous and milder), picturesque and somewhat remote, and it had plenty of lakeside rentals. My husband, Brad, and I settled on a house with a pontoon boat and four kayaks. Pleased with our choice, I pored over the details.…

Many people consider the Palouse, located in eastern Washington and the panhandle of Idaho, one of the most beautiful spots in our big country. It is mostly a landscape of green-until-golden wheat fields, plus safflower fields ablaze in yellow as their flowers bloom. Fields of peas and lentils add subtle shades to the seemingly endless sea of green. Many of my ancestors settled there after crossing the country in covered wagons. When I was young, it was the place I resented a bit, because it’s where we always went for vacation. I’d moan in the backseat as my mother and grandmother made the yearly trek from Sacramento to visit the “home ranch” where my grandmother was born. But in my early 20s, I went there alone to explore, and now…

In the May issue, the story “A Secret Garden” (page 18) brought back some good memories of my time serving in the Air Force. It was late March or early April in 1973. I had been in the service for 8 months when I arrived at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, where my brother was stationed, too. We, along with some of his buddies, went to Patagonia Lake State Park and camped for the weekend. GENE CARLSON Lafayette, IN My mom and I used to travel out West every summer without a plan or a destination in mind. On one of these trips, I saw a dirt road and decided to head down it. Mom and I drove past beautiful country and came to a small house. I stopped and asked…

ON MOST WEEKENDS my husband and I explore Virginia’s back roads. Route 3 is one of our favorites—it has a lot of charm, and the people who live on it are friendly and down-to-earth. From the Lancaster County Courthouse, the drive opens up to rolling hills and fertile farmland as it runs parallel to the Potomac River. There are stops for every interest, ranging from outdoorsy and farmlike to historic. Rosemary Owens Gloucester, VA TOP STOPS BELLE ISLE STATE PARK With 7 miles of shore along the Rappahannock River, Belle Isle (above) has a variety of trails (hiking, biking and horseback riding) and wildlife watching (blue herons, white-tailed deer), as well as fishing along the boardwalk. dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/ belle-isle GARNERS FARM AND MARKET My husband loves the John Deere tractor out…

Cattle call in the pasture to our left, cranes do the same thing in the meadow on our right, and 3 feet in front of my son, a gulp. Fish are feeding as the day’s last light casts a glorious shadow of sunset over the calm, quiet, waist-deep water. We’re fly-fishing in Harriman State Park, part of a 16,000-acre wildlife refuge in Island Park, Idaho. More than fly-fishing, we’re experiencing the wild together. “Tightly tie on that fly, slowly let out some line and quietly take a deep breath before you cast,” I whisper to my son. “Make sure you cast soft so your bug doesn’t smack the water, letting every fish know you’re here.” He’s passed a decade now, but he’s still short enough to tuck his head under…

THERE’S AN OLDNESS and newness to Washburn, Wisconsin. Fourth-generation families and recent arrivals raise their children in this place on Lake Superior’s shore. The Anishinaabe people were among the first to settle here. The town was officially founded in 1883. With Lake Superior on one side and Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest on the other, Washburn is an outdoor recreation destination for those who love fishing, hiking, biking, sailing and snow sports. In Washburn, you can park your car for the weekend and explore at a slower pace. Wander neighborhoods full of large Victorian homes shaded by towering elms and maples. Explore the historic sandstone-built museums and shops. Make sure to leave plenty of time for the lake—its ancient waters will renew your spirit. I’ve been to Washburn many times, and each…

Tickle Your Taste Buds If flavors like Huckleberry Ripple, Tin Lizzy Classic or Cappuccino Chip set your mouth watering, stop in Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe in the Food Quality Building on the Pullman campus of Washington State University. Don’t leave without a tin of Cougar Gold cheddar cheese. The Past in Print History buffs will appreciate the carefully preserved Linotype and letterpress printing equipment (below) at the Roy M. Chatters Newspaper and Printing Museum, as well as the vast collection of historic newspapers from Whitman County. Visit on Saturdays or by appointment. See the Falls Painters and photographers alike will want to visit the falls in Palouse Falls State Park. The Palouse River winds through a narrow cataract and tumbles nearly 200 feet before flowing on to meet the Snake…

Our hometown park, Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, Oklahoma, is a beautiful place to entertain children. My great-nieces Brenna and Emmalynn (from left) and great-nephew Waylin run along the trails and splash in the park’s many swimming holes, including Bear Falls, Little Niagara and Travertine Creek. They love coming to this natural park because they get to blow off steam. Water is the defining feature of Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Most of the trails cross or meander along streams, and some lead to waterfalls. ARLENE MINK SULPHUR, OK…

LIFELONG PASSION I’ve been photographing underwater since 1976. My work has been published around the globe, with more than 200 magazine covers to date. I’m honored that my 1991 photograph of a sandbar shark is the only underwater image to ever appear on the cover of Life magazine. You can find my work on display in The Smithsonian Museum, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hong Kong Museum of Art, among others. SWIMMING HOLES Hawaii is one of the prime spots in the U.S. to find green sea turtles and, occasionally, hawksbill turtles. The lower East Coast of the U.S. is good from March to October. Sightings of leatherback turtles, the largest and most rare, are increasing off the Florida coast. HOME BASE Turtles have reefs they prefer,…

Volcanic eruptions, glaciers, earthquakes and active geysers shaped the dramatic mountains, alpine meadows, pine forests and plateaus of Yellowstone National Park, and it’s still one of the most geologically dynamic locations in the world. The natural landscape of this nearly 3,500-mile wilderness supports the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states, including the largest free-range bison herd and one of the last grizzly bear populations. More than 600 lakes, including Yellowstone Lake, as well as hundreds of cascading waterfalls attract photographers and painters to Yellowstone’s liquid beauty. Cold, clear water from the mountains washes down into the park’s 1,000 rivers and streams, where fishing for 11 native and five nonnative fish species is popular. The waters of Yellowstone contain some of the most significant, near-pristine aquatic ecosystems in…

The night air was crackling with excitement because the next day my brother, Ken; his friend Tracy; and I would begin our motorcycle journey to Alaska. For years Ken and I had talked about nothing else. We were going to make it happen someday. “This is the journey of a lifetime. We’ve got to do this together,” Ken always reminded me. Ken and I are both adventurous and love motorcycles, and this was going to be the ultimate motorcycle ride. We planned the whole trip years ahead of time. I would drive solo from my farm in Marathon, Wisconsin, to Colorado Springs, where Ken lived. Tracy lived in Los Angeles, and we would meet up with him in Montana. We decided on a monthlong trip. On June 29, 1991, the…

NESTLED IN THE FOREST near Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, lies Boynton Chapel, a 448-square-foot structure constructed in the 12th-century Norwegian stave church style. Built between 1939 and 1947 as part of Bjorklunden estate, the summer residence of Donald and Winifred Boynton, the chapel fulfilled Winifred’s vision of a place where people of all faiths could come to find peace and be comfortable. Inside, Winifred painted 41 frescoes depicting religious scenes. She and Donald learned to carve wood, and they crafted many of the furnishings including the pulpit, pew ends and baptismal font. The couple even tasked their children with carving the 52 dragon heads on the gables’ beams. Of her reason for building the chapel, Winifred said, “Far removed from confusion and aggression, it offers a sanctuary for all.” The Boyntons…