For more than a century, Washington’s cherry blossoms have carried meaning beyond their spring beauty. Gifted by Tokyo in the early 20th century, the trees became a symbol of friendship between Japan and the United States. Each March, that history draws millions of visitors to Washington, DC, where the city briefly disappears beneath a canopy of pale pink blooms. Witnessing the cherry blossoms from the water has long been a dream. The short bloom window in early spring makes timing…
The Indiana Dunes sit at an unusual crossroads of landscapes. Here along the southern edge of Lake Michigan, forests blend into prairie, wetlands, and towering sand dunes. Wind and water have shaped this landscape over thousands of years. It was a very different Lake Michigan experience from Sleeping Bear Bay, where the shoreline felt broader, wilder, and more exposed. By the time we arrived in Indiana, this outing marked state twenty-five of the Canoe 52 journey. At the time it…
Some stretches of the Mississippi feel remote. Others, like the Mississippi River backwaters remind you how closely the river runs alongside everyday life. Near Savanna, Illinois, the river spreads into a chain of wooded islands and shallow back channels. The water moves slowly and quietly here. From the canoe, it’s easy to lose sight of the nearby towns and highways. The river twists into narrow passages between sandbars and marsh grasses. Into the Mississippi River Backwaters For this paddle, we…
The Mississippi River moves differently than most. Whereas the Current River rushed through the Ozarks, the Mississippi near Le Claire, Iowa felt broad and patient, with quiet backwaters breaking up its wide channels and filling them with lily pads and drifting reflections. From the shoreline, the town still feels like the kind of place that grew up alongside the river itself—small shops, old brick buildings, and the Buffalo Bill Museum that tells the story of how the river has shaped…
Some rivers move slowly. Others pull you forward the moment the canoe touches the water. The Current River in Missouri feels like the latter. Flowing through the Ozarks and the protected landscape of Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the Current River carries a deep emerald color that almost looks unreal against the limestone banks and thick forest canopy. Before we even started paddling, the trip had already taken on the familiar logistics of river travel: arranging the shuttle, loading gear, and…
