@co-hoosier This reminded me of driving up Mt. Evans. Thats a white knuckle drive. I don't need to do that again.
1. Switzerland, specifically Interlaken and Lucerne
Everything else pales in comparison...but I did think Great Wall and Summer Palace near Beijing were incredible, Argentina Patagonia was pretty cool in some areas, Bora Bora was beautiful, the view from the top of the Eifel Tower is awesome...
Heck, Fall foliage in various New England spots is spectacular as well. There are some scenic pull offs driving over mountains from Northern Cali to Reno that are breathtaking. And even some spots alongside the highway in West Virginia that are up there as well. Ottowa around Christmastime is fairytale-like.
I live in Northern Indiana... pretty much everything impresses me.
1. Switzerland, specifically Interlaken and Lucerne
Everything else pales in comparison...but I did think Great Wall and Summer Palace near Beijing were incredible, Argentina Patagonia was pretty cool in some areas, Bora Bora was beautiful, the view from the top of the Eifel Tower is awesome...
Heck, Fall foliage in various New England spots is spectacular as well. There are some scenic pull offs driving over mountains from Northern Cali to Reno that are breathtaking. And even some spots alongside the highway in West Virginia that are up there as well. Ottowa around Christmastime is fairytale-like.
I live in Northern Indiana... pretty much everything impresses me.
Switzerland ain't got the Indiana Dunes though!
Check out my latest at Hoosier Huddle here
It's not beautiful in the traditional sense, but Pompeii is amazing.
Grand Canyon stunned me into silence.
When we took our kids to Yellowstone, we stayed just outside the East Gate. The day before we were headed in, there was a landslide that closed the East Gate, and we had to drive back to Cody, Wyoming, and go north into Montana and head for the Northeast entrance. Somewhere right along Highway 212, there was a scenic overlook. Damn.
Some places in Red River Gorge, Ky.
Some places along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I had a religious experience one night at a place one bay north of Moors Marina on Kentucky Lake watching thunderstorms cross the lake down along the Tennessee line.
@myteamisonthefloor the Grand Canyon made me tear up. The most incredible natural place on earth.
@thehoosierhuddle in a previous job, we did an annual fundraising event at one of our member's house in Montauk and I agree this is a great area. It was definitely a peak into how the other half lives.
Stonehenge. My family wanted to go there while we were in England, so I (fake) cheerfully agreed to make a day of it ... but would rather have been playing Royal St. George's. Whooppee, a bunch of f---ing rocks, I thought.. But man, that place was magical. I can't explain why, exactly; it just was.
We paid a bit extra so we could be amongst the stones and didn't just have to hang out on the perimeter. Little did I know touching one of the stones was akin to murdering England itself.
BWCA a week after ice out. These pics are from this peninsula on Rib Lake https://maps.app.goo.gl/3uCJsffLuY9ZxoAa8
Looking north
Looking south
Different trip, but I've always liked this picture too. It's somewhere along this stretch https://maps.app.goo.gl/xtjJc4fTtAFpXQVx9
Boundary waters trips are great.
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Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for. - Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and likely Hoosier basketball fan.
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Trout Lake in Northern ON Taken from right around here looking east. https://maps.app.goo.gl/gLFhMoPqDfToGnUDA
Point Lobos on the Monterey Peninsula. https://maps.app.goo.gl/5knQtDehxs7jMrwY9
Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for. - Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and likely Hoosier basketball fan.
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@hooky How often have you visited the BWCA? I've never been and trying to convince my son and maybe another friend and his son to go. Any suggestions for outfitters and planning suggestions? Looks like out of Charlotte we could fly to Hibbing via Minneapolis, and guessing from there we can arrange for shuttles/equipment rental through an outfitter. Thinking late August-early Sept to try and lessen bugs, crowds and still be able to swim.
@hooky How often have you visited the BWCA? I've never been and trying to convince my son and maybe another friend and his son to go. Any suggestions for outfitters and planning suggestions? Looks like out of Charlotte we could fly to Hibbing via Minneapolis, and guessing from there we can arrange for shuttles/equipment rental through an outfitter. Thinking late August-early Sept to try and lessen bugs, crowds and still be able to swim.
6 times now. A couple of times solo, once with my wife, and the rest with a buddy I've tripped and backpacked with for about 13-4 years. I've always driven up, leave Indy area around 4 am and we're either camping by 5 or 6pm central or staying at a hotel before going in the next day. I think there are shuttles that would run from either Duluth or MSP airports.
I've only gone in late May or early Sept because they're both good for avoiding crowds and bugs. If you want to swim, Sept is the better of the two by a million miles. That late May water has been in the mid to upper 30s before, early Sept is still nice and the weather is more stable. As you get to late Sept and into Oct it can snow and you'll start getting ice in the last half of Oct.
You can outfit through any number of outfitters. I don't take my canoe. I always rent. If you want to talk about the details, give me a call. I'd be happy to help you figure out some of the different options.
Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for. - Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and likely Hoosier basketball fan.
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@hooky Currently booking a flight through MSP to Hibbing round trip would be $400ish each. That sounds worth it to me, because MSP looks like a several hour drive. What's the best resource to try and identify entry points and trips? I see lots of information on BWCA, but as a newbie, it's too much and too stratified to make sense out of. Seems like I would want to settle on an entry point and trip and then select an outfitter for that area?
If it gets more serious where I think we are going, I'll definitely be calling.
@kkott If you're flying into Hibbing, Ely would be the logical Entry point. I've never gone in from that side. I've heard great things about these 2 outfitters, though, and have talked to the Piragis folks at Canoecopia.
My first trip I an outfitter for permits and canoe rental. I would recommend the same. Both have been in business there forever and can help you figure out the right EP and route for the dates you'll be there. Piragis has a cool trip planner on the website that looks helpful. To me, the outfitter is the most important piece of the puzzle. They'll have all the knowledge to help you plan a good trip. They'll also be able to tell you the routes and lakes to avoid.
Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for. - Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and likely Hoosier basketball fan.
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