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  I often hike with one trekking pole. Some hikers prefer two poles: I don’t have enough hands to carry two while operating my GPS, or grabbing tree limbs. It’s largely about balance, but I suspect my knees are grateful when I lean on the pole while climbing. Unfortunately, a trekking pole makes air travel… Continue reading Travel Gear: Trekking Pole

Nagasaki aesthetics, Como Park, St. Paul, MN. Minneapolis and St. Paul are twins; Nagasaki and St. Paul are sisters. In March 2014, I got to meet St. Paul’s sister. I decided not to stay at the Hotel Saint Paul Nagasaki, its name designed to attract my compatriots. I had not come all this way to… Continue reading Nagasaki/Saint Paul

The Farnsworth House A Glass House in Illinois Completed in 1951, the Farnsworth House, near Plano, Illinois, is widely regarded as one of the major architectural achievements of the twentieth century. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe took his belief that “less is more” almost to the limit by designing a steel-framed, glass-walled box. The box floats… Continue reading Glass Houses and Buried Museums

World War 1 erupted 100 years ago. About 50 years ago, I decided WW1 was a travesty. I remember my father’s sadness and my mother’s rage when I announced my (paternal) grandfather died at Passchendaele for nothing. Teenagers are not known for tact, and I am not proud of that outburst. Man of the House… Continue reading A Cold Beer in Passchendaele

If I’m on foot or bicycle, chances are I’ll go round barriers like this one. In recent weeks, barriers across trails all over the Twin Cities have become a fact of life. Flooding and fallen trees have made walking and cycling more interesting. That got me thinking about a hike back in April on Sado… Continue reading Ignoring Barriers

When he saw I was bringing my backpack, the six-year-old decided to bring his. When he saw we were bringing backpacks, the five-year-old decided to bring his. Three backpacks, each containing one bottle of water. Fifteen miles, three happy guys, in this together.

Success is too often defined as celebrity, money, or power. Do Something A colleague, an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota, was about to deliver an early morning lecture. He stood in his heavy coat, and pronounced it to be a super frigid day. The students groaned in agreement. He then asked: “What are we… Continue reading Success Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know

The Green Line, and stadium construction June 14, 2014, the Green Line starts light rail service between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Back in December, when I hiked the Green Line, there was deep snow, no trains, and the Metrodome was still standing. Green Line, under construction; Metrodome about to be demolished I had planned to walk… Continue reading Urban Hike: The Green Line