A summer 2025 view from Great River Bluffs State Park in Minnestoa. Off in the distance is the Mississippi River and Wisconsin.

The region is called the Driftless because glaciers missed this corner of the Midwest during the Ice Age. It offers a rare glimpse into what the region looked like before much of it was smoothed over by glaciation.

Here's Great River Bluffs State Park, about 40 minutes northeast of Beaver Creek.

A summer 2025 view from Great River Bluffs State Park in Minnestoa. Off in the distance is the Mississippi River and Wisconsin.

The region is called the Driftless because glaciers missed this corner of the Midwest during the Ice Age. It offers a rare glimpse into what the region looked like before much of it was smoothed over by glaciation.

Here's Great River Bluffs State Park, about 40 minutes northeast of Beaver Creek.

Looking down from Canyonlands' Islands in the Sky toward Buck Canyon and La Sal Mountain further in the distance.

Canyonlands National Park was unreal. The La Sal Mountains off in the distance somehow grounded the view from Buck Canyon Overlook.

April 2026

#mountainmonday #nationalpark #canyonlands #utah

Depends on the approach direction.

Everything east of here almost to Madison, Wisconsin is rolling hills dappled with oak-hickory and maple-basswood forests. This biome stretches down to about Dubuque, Iowa.

Everything to the west is corn and soy fields.

It really is. From one side you enter the park from corn fields and then descend into this far corner of the hilly Driftless Area. A really fun surprise that first visit.

Are they sure they can sell that many tickets?

It’s almost as if I-94 is actually the issue.

The actual color of the shiplap and walls. This was kind of shoddily installed and painting it was really the only way to salvage the shiplap.

Installing real wood beadboard on a ceiling previously covered with rusting tin ceiling

An almost finished bathroom install of beadboard.

If you ever install real beadboard and follow the instructions about sealing it first, use a folded over piece of 60 grit sandpaper and clean out the groove before installing each strip. It’ll make the whole process much, much quicker.

Camping at Great River Bluffs State Park Along the Mighty Mississippi Brooke & Scottie. Road Trip enthusiasts. Condo dwellers. Born in Wisconsin. Married in Minnesota. Parental types. Minneapolis or the Northwoods.

But to be honest you can't go wrong with any of the Minnesota or Wisconsin State Parks down in the Driftless. www.mnisforlovers.com/2025/08/camp...

Beaver Creek Valley is the unsung hero of Minnesota State Parks. www.mnisforlovers.com/2021/05/beav...

#forestfriday

Love Tettegouche, especially in winter, but Beaver Creek Valley is my personal favorite all the way down in the Driftless.

The fight for the Boundary Waters isn’t over, it just looks a little different now. We will not give up. That would play right into their hands.

I’m a stickler about this, but there’s a good chance they’re not over the crowd based on the angle.

The Fridley side-by-side single story is truly bizarre.

A small arch set into a sand dune-ladden narrow canyon at Arches National Park. My kiddos cross out in front of the arch which is towered over by red sandstone formations.

Sand Dune Arch and my kiddos. The real reason we ended up in Vegas or Salt Lake City during Spring Break.

Arches National Park

April 2026

#scape #landscape #Utah #NationalParks #Arches

Everything Ends In Spring

I know @solace.bsky.social has this AmAnSet EP on vinyl, but for the rest of us plebians, this is a freaking godsend. open.spotify.com/album/3gXWE9...

But he also made the Armory a place you can actually go to instead of just park in. So I can almost forgive him.

I saw them when the Faint both opened for them and was their backing band. It's like, does this young woman even know what the Omaha indie scene was?

But also, unfortunately, road engineers have never designed sidewalks to shed water.

A small arch set into a sand dune-ladden narrow canyon at Arches National Park. My kiddos cross out in front of the arch which is towered over by red sandstone formations.

Sand Dune Arch and my kiddos. The real reason we ended up in Vegas or Salt Lake City during Spring Break.

Arches National Park

April 2026

#scape #landscape #Utah #NationalParks #Arches

Have only been to Vegas amidst a road trip. This time we moved a camper van from there to SLC via the big five National Parks in Utah. So I'm not sure I'd ever try to get to Reno. But if it happens organically, I'm game.

The last of the classic neon signs along the Las Vegas strip at Flamingo against a blue sky. In the other corner a palm tree.

Kids play neon ski ball at an arcade in the depths of the Horshoe along the Las Vegas strip.

The opulent main dinning roomat the Buffet at the Wynn. A large deco arched skylight sits above rectangular columns in light green. Palms border each column.

The Venetian's main lobby almost passes the uncanny valley.

I maintain that Las Vegas is dumb. And beautiful. And more than a bit shoddy. But it's kind of fun.

#architecture #lasvegas

Players are injured every single season. We should know. There’s a difference between an injury prone player (Watson, MarShawn Lloyd) and a player that got injured (Kraft, Reed, Parsons). In some cases that previously injury free player can become a Jaire Alexander, but Reed isn’t there at all.

Jayden Reed breaks his collar bone and he’s suddenly injury guy? Played nearly every game his first two seasons. Watson sure. Reed, come on. Your surface level understanding of the league is showing.

Weehoo iGo Peo hitch kit with 6 pieces

Twin Cities bike friends: does anyone happen to have this silver adaptor for a Weehoo bike trailer and no longer need it?

A Minneapolis Public Schools teacher friend who does bike education needs one!

Why would you do that when you could cover up a desert habitat?

Amazing how out of touch MPD is. Real, winners.

From the decadeology community on Reddit: You chose Portland, OR as the city of the 2010s. What is the city of the 2020s? The Most Upvoted Comment Decides Explore this post and more from the decadeology community

Looks like Minneapolis is running away with the city of the decade for the 2020s over on Reddit. Wish it was because we’re a cool place, but I suppose standing up to injustice ain’t bad. www.reddit.com/r/decadeolog...

All MLB teams in the style of Mr. Met.