by Melanie McManus | Dec 7, 2020 | Snowshoeing/Skiing, Stories, Wisconsin
Read This Article On Midwest Living Wisconsin’s Horicon Marsh is one of the largest freshwater cattail marshes in the nation. Some 300 bird species have been spotted here, and the marsh is a popular migration pit stop for 250,000 of our feathered friends. Every...
by Melanie McManus | Feb 2, 2020 | Exploring and Experiencing, Stories, Texas
Read This Article On The Star Tribune I didn’t know much about Big Bend National Park until a recent travel writing conference took me to El Paso, Texas. As always, I wanted to squeeze in some prime hiking, if possible. What I discovered is that if I drove about...
by Melanie McManus | Dec 29, 2019 | Exploring and Experiencing, Stories, Wisconsin
Read This Article On The Star Tribune Rock climbing never seemed enticing to me. That’s not surprising, since I have a fear of heights. But then I learned two things. First, Devil’s Lake State Park, near my home, is considered one of the best rock-climbing...
by Melanie McManus | Dec 28, 2019 | Hiking, New Mexico, Stories
Read This Article On The Chicago Tribune White Sands National Park got its prestigious national park designation in December 2019. From 1933 to 2019, it was a national monument. When I visited White Sands, I had a blast hiking around the park. But the most enjoyable...
by Melanie McManus | Dec 12, 2019 | Exploring and Experiencing, Stories, Wisconsin
Read This Article On The Chicago Tribune The Nutcracker is one of America’s endearing holiday traditions. An 1892 two-act ballet, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky penned its famous musical score. And the libretto, which is the text of an opera, was adapted from...
by Melanie McManus | Sep 13, 2019 | Canoeing/Kayaking, Stories, Wisconsin
Read This Article On The Star Tribune The Wisconsin River churns through Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton as it winds throughout the state. And it’s here, along a five-mile (8 km) stretch, that the river passes the incredibly beautiful “dells”...