Land of 10,000 books Weblog

Travel

Archived Posts from this Category

Spring 2014 Titles

Posted byAlison Aten on 10 Jan 2014 | Tagged as: Authors, Children, Cooking, Fiction, Food, History, Literary, MHS press, Native American, Scandinavian Studies, Travel

Augie\'s Secrets by Neal Karlen The Brides of Midsummer When I Was a Child Her Honor Keystones of the Stone Arch Bridge Curiosity\'s Cats

Conflicted Mission Hungry Johnny Toys of the \'50s, \'60s, and \'70s Scoop Smitten with Squash

Minnesota Historical Society Press Spring 2014 Titles

Augie’s Secrets: The Minneapolis Mob and the King of the Hennepin Strip (Paperback, February 2014)
Neal Karlen

The Brides of Midsummer (First English Translation, February 2014)
Vilhelm Moberg

When I Was a Child: An Autobiographical Novel (February 2014)
Vilhelm Moberg

Her Honor: Rosalie Wahl and the Minnesota Women’s Movement (March 2014)
Lori Sturdevant

Keystones of the Stone Arch Bridge (April 2014)
Carolyn Ruff

Curiosity’s Cats: Writers on Research (April 2014)
Edited by Bruce Joshua Miller

Conflicted Mission: Faith, Disputes, and Deception on the Dakota Frontier (April 2014)
Linda M. Clemmons

Hungry Johnny (May 2014)
Cheryl Minnema, Illustrations by Wesley Ballinger

Toys of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s (May 2014)
Kate Roberts and Adam Scher

Scoop: Notes from a Small Ice Cream Shop (May 2014)
Jeff Miller

Smitten with Squash (July 2014)
Amanda Paa

Minnesota’s Bizarre Foods

Posted byAlison Aten on 31 Jan 2012 | Tagged as: Authors, Cooking, Travel, Videos

Ann Burckhardt and Andrew Zimmern

Elk and Wild Rice Hot Dish, Turtle Tots, and Raspberry Jell-O Chilled with Liquid Nitrogen are just a few of the bizarre foods found in our own backyard.

Last July, Ann Burckhardt, author of Hot Dish Heaven, was invited by Andrew Zimmern to judge a hot dish and Jell-o salad cook-off at a local VFW for his Travel Channel show, Bizarre Foods. The episode aired earlier this week, but you can view a few clips online.

Who said the Midwest was bland?

(Zimmern is known for consuming “interestingly appalling food”: click with care!)

Bizarre Jell-O Salad Contest

Tastes of Minnesota

Check out Andrew’s blog for more on bizarre Minnesota foods.

Newly updated iPhone App for Family Fun in the Twin Cities

Posted byAlison Aten on 20 Dec 2011 | Tagged as: Authors, Children, MHS press, Nature/Enviroment, Travel

Dad's Eye View iPhone app Home ScreenDad's Eye View Activities iPhone App Page

Twin Cities iPhone App

 After the presents have all been opened, the cookies are gone, and the tree needles start to fall, what are you going to do with the kids for the whole week?!

Check out our newly updated iPhone app, Dad’s Eye View: 52 Family Adventures in the Twin Cities.

Twin Cities digital dad Michael Hartford added twenty-four new family venues to the app this month. This past May we released the print edition of the book Dad’s Eye View with an accompanying free iPhone app that allows readers and users to discover the most affordable, educational, and, yes, fun things to do and see throughout the year in the Twin Cities.

Some of the updated venues for kids with cabin fever include Edinborough Park, Maple Maze, Memory Lanes, The Landing, and Elm Creek Park Reserve.

The app has a number of convenient features for busy dads and caregivers, giving users a fun new way to explore and share your experiences:

* Search all locations by season, venue (indoor/outdoor), and price
* Read a short description of this digital dad’s experience at the location
* Contact any location with the touch of a finger
* Locate your destination on a map
* Rate and share your outing on Facebook and Twitter or on the Dad’s Eye View Facebook page and @Dads_Eye_View!

Dad’s Eye View “There’s an App for that!”

Posted byAlison Aten on 10 Jun 2011 | Tagged as: Arts, Authors, Travel

Dad\'s Eye ViewFor many Twin Cities school-age students, summer vacation has arrived! Sunny skies and beautiful weather are some of the many perks of the season. But now that school is out and kids are at home, what is a caregiver to do? Well not to worry, the MHS Press has answered the call and delivered a fun book with a refreshing digital twist.

Dad’s Eye View: 52 Family Adventures in the Twin Cities by Michael Hartford compiles a wide assortnent of exciting activities for the entire family to enjoy right here in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis/St. Paul residents as well as visitors to the area will discover the most affordable, educational, and yes, fun things to do and see throughout the 52 weeks of the year. The book is a one-stop-shop for family fun in the Twin Cities and immediately connects users to locations, prices and descriptions of places that make Minneapolis and St. Paul great places in which to live and visit.

Sample venues include the city libraries, museums such as the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Science Museum of Minnesota, and lesser known gems such as the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum and Pavek Museum of Broadcasting; celebrations such as Holidazzle and the May Day Parade; outdoor activities such as sledding at Minnehaha Creek and visits to regional parks.

In addition to profiling each of the venues in the book, Hartford includes info about quick trips, restroom accommodations, and family discussion questions to truly engage kid’s minds, making these adventures  both a learning and entertaining experience.

 

Dad\'s Eye View Home ScreenDad\'s Eye View Activities App Page Dad\'s Eye View App Dad\'s Eye View App

We are also pleased to share the content of the book via our free mobile application, available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch! The Dad’s Eye View interactive application enables users to search and select activities by criteria such as season, price, or weather (indoor/outdoor) in order to find activities that meet the requirements of the day. Users can contact any location with the touch of a finger and get directions and find the location on a map. The social media interface allows users to rate and share their experiences at each venue  by connecting to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Check out Hartford’s Dad’s Eye View Facebook page and follow him on Twitter @Dads_Eye_View

Makes a great Father’s Day gift!

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment logo

(This post written with the assistance of MHS Press intern, Carlos Reyes)

 

Working Together to Save the Minnesota River

Posted byAlison Aten on 07 Jun 2011 | Tagged as: Event, History, Nature/Enviroment, Nonprofit, Travel

A coalition of organizations has launched a website for the documentary River Revival: Working Together to Save the Minnesota River, which will air on KARE 11 TV on Sunday, June 12, at 6:00 p.m. The hour-long  film, narrated by Minnesota Bound’s Ron Schara, features a geological and cultural history of the Minnesota River and focuses on the many types of pollution affecting the river and its basin, paired with success stories of people working together to restore the river.

The Minnesota River has been listed as one of the dirtiest in the nation. The Star Tribune recently ran a front-page photo showing the river dumping sediment into the Mississippi at Fort Snelling.

A report released last month from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency highlights how much sediment is being deposited in Lake Pepin, a 20-mile-long wide spot in the Mississippi River. Given the sheer amount of sediment, in a mere 300 years Lake Pepin could disappear.

On Sunday, there are “Watershed-Wide Viewing Parties” at locations around the state where you can watch the film, meet fellow concerned citizens, and discuss community solutions.

Paddle North

Posted byAlison Aten on 08 Nov 2010 | Tagged as: Authors, Event, MHS press, Nature/Enviroment, Travel

Paddle NorthPaddle North: Canoeing the Boundary Waters-Quetico Wilderness, with photographs by Layne Kennedy and essays by Greg Breining, is available in bookstores now. The book reflects on the spirit of place, conveying an open invitation to visit an ages-old wilderness.

To view images from the book, check out Layne’s appearance on KARE 11.

Greg will present a talk on the “Boundary Waters of the 21st Century” and sign books at the Outdoor Expo, sponsored by Midwest Mountaineering, on Saturday, November 20, at 10:30 a.m.

Layne and Greg will also sign copies on Sunday, December 5, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Minnesota History Center Bookstore and on Sunday, December 12, at 2:00 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble Har Mar.

Best Fall Drives

Posted byMary Poggione on 06 Oct 2010 | Tagged as: Travel

phpygMc8LThe October issue of Minnesota Monthly has an article written by MHS Press author Greg Breining (A Hard-Water World and the forthcoming Paddle North) about the five best fall color drives in the area, including the Minnesota River valley, the Wisconsin north woods, the historic bluff country, the Glacial Ridge Trail Scenic Byway, and, of course, the St. Croix River valley.

The article includes sites to see and places to eat along the way. And if you’re looking for a little more in-depth information about the St. Croix valley to peruse from the passenger seat, check out Deborah Morse-Kahn’s new book.

Behind the Scenes with Deborah Morse-Kahn

Posted byMary Poggione on 01 Sep 2010 | Tagged as: History, Travel

phpygMc8LDeborah Morse-Kahn, author of The Historic St. Croix Valley: A Guide, recently sat down with us to answer some questions we had about her experience in writing her new book.

How did this travel guide book come to be written?

I had written a similar guide for MHS Press, Lake Superior’s Historic North Shore, two years ago. I had seen great change come to that beautiful area, and much of the change was causing the disappearance of buildings and sites that represented life on the North Shore of a century and more ago. I knew that each village along Superior had its own story, but few people seemed aware of those stories. I wanted to highlight the creation of Minnesota’s state parks, which dominate the North Shore and provide a favorite destination for travelers from around the world, with their spectacular geologic formations, waterfalls and heavy foresting. Like Lake Superior, the St. Croix Riverway has very rich history evident in wonderful architecture and dramatic archaeology, a great variety of landscape, a long timeline of settlement and the same richness of public land preservation.

More Q&A with Deborah Morse-Kahn

Summer Getaway

Posted byregana on 20 Aug 2010 | Tagged as: Book Excerpt, Event, History, MHS press, Travel

The Historic St. Croix Valley

It’s the heart of summer, and high time to get out and enjoy it! Take a drive to the scenic St. Croix Valley tomorrow afternoon and explore this popular day trip destination with new information in hand: Deborah Morse-Kahn’s The Historic St. Croix Valley: A Guided Tour. Packed with details on communities along a 130-mile stretch from Prescott to the Wild River, this handy guide offers information on modern-day attractions and a window into this region’s storied past. The Stillwater Tour features 31 sites and an introduction offering helpful tips on navigating the town’s busy streets.

 

 

While you’re in the neighborhood, stop at Valley Bookseller in Stillwater at 2:00 pm, where Deborah Morse-Kahn will be signing. Can’t make it tomorrow? Watch for her at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis on October 5 at 7:30.

Canoe Time

Posted byPamela McClanahan on 13 Aug 2010 | Tagged as: Authors, MHS press, Travel

The new movie starring Julia Roberts, Eat, Pray, Love (based on the book of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert), promotes the idea of travel as a vehicle for self-examination and for soul replenishment; in this case by visiting faraway places (all of them, keeping with the theme of self-awareness, beginning with the letter “I”).

BWCA-Quetico MapWhile I’d love to travel to Italy, and India, and Indonesia, I do aim to canoe in the Boundary Waters every year. This August I’ll spend a few days on the Lady Lakes Route, near the Kawishiwi. Luckily for me, the BWCA is only a half-day away. Six hours ’til paradise, I like to say. The paradisal setting, however, is only part of the getaway. For me, the Boundary Waters is host to both a renewed sense of camaraderie (with the earth, with my paddling partners) as well as solitude and self-reflection. It is one of the most beautiful natural places in the world, and as Ann Bancroft writes in her introduction to the 75th Anniversary Edition of Canoeing with the Cree, by Eric Sevareid (MHS Press, 2004), “The wilderness experience positions the great questions we face in life within the context of our utter smallness. Only our acceptance, our willingness to go where we are small and where we need to respect the power and objectivity of nature, makes it possible for us to experience a hero’s journey.”

Each year I pull out Sevareid’s travel odyssey, his book Canoeing with the Cree, and each year I am inspired by his and fellow paddler Walter Port’s experiences and personal chronicles. As I put together my own canoe packing list and food plan, I marvel at their simple food list:

 

  • one small ham
  • side of bacon
  • pound of tea
  • two pounds sugar
  • half-pound salt
  • ten pounds rice
  • peanut butter
  • pound of flour for frying fish
  • bread
  • three pounds raisins
  • three pounds prunes
  • potatoes
  • several cans of beans
  • supply of uncooked beans
  • several cans of prepared soups
  • sweet chocolate

 

MHS Press Canoeing with the CreeSixteen ingredients for a 2,250-mile voyage from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay!

The MHS Press offers a wide range of books of interest to canoeists: over a dozen titles, ranging from Keeper of the Wild: The Life of Ernest Oberholtzer by Joe Paddock to the forthcoming, full-color BWCA book, Paddle North: Canoeing the Boundary Waters-Quetico Wilderness by Layne Kennedy and Greg Breining (available in November).

Summer and early fall in Minnesota is perfect canoe time. Hope you get out there yourself while summer is winding down. The lakes and rivers are a-callin’.

~Pam McClanahan, director, MHS Press/Borealis Books

Next Page »