The best
Midwest US Travel Guides:
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The best of Midwest US Travel Guides by number of unique Reddit comments:
![Black Hills National Forest [Map Pack Bundle] (National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51OzjAtDSuL._SL500_.jpg)
Top Reddit reviews mentioning Midwest US Travel Guides:
There are at least 2 dozen Micro Breweries you could consider worth a visit. Nearly all offer food which sets us apart from other Micro Brewery cities like Portland or Austin.
Running in the city can be excellent. The street grid and historic neighborhoods/parks provided endless things to checkout as you run. We love it.
The southern part of the state is quite pretty (Ozark Foothills/Mountains). Lots of state parks for hiking. Check out this book: 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: St. Louis: Including Sullivan, Potosi, and Farmington https://www.amazon.com/dp/0897328833/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KJhBDbBEPHJC5
What part of Canada are you coming from? The Wife and I moved here from Alberta 12yrs ago. Day to day life is mostly the same, the social/political situation is the biggest difference. It's generally a great country to be a top income earner.
Missouri is VERY conservative. Look up abortion for an idea of how things are here. The government is secular in theory but not in practice. Very unfortunate. That said, the cities are much less so.
Violence is much more common in American life. The idea is that you should inact your 2nd amendment rights and protect yourself that way. Personal choice is emphasized. Rather than the Crown providing solutions, you find them for yourself. Healthcare is a great example. Hearing gunfire in urban areas is perhaps the saddest example of this approach. It will feel odd at first but eventually you'll adapt. American's just do things differently. You'll love it or hate it.
All in all we have LOVED IT.
I think Midwest Foraging is a good book to start with! Includes basic safety and tips, seasonality, and sorts by location/amount of sun! I feel like I always come back to this book although it doesn't include botanical illustrations of plant parts which would be nice.
I’m guessing the teacher maybe got comfortable. I’d bet they tried an Amanita and ended up with a death angel. If you want to learn more, there’s some good websites out there, and one of my personal favorite sources is a book that I got on Amazon. It’s full of pictures, species comparisons, and it’s sorted by characteristics such as whether it has gills and shape. It even has a section for top edibles and toxics.
And if you’re looking for safe edible mushrooms, boletes are the way to go. If it has pores instead of gills, it’s a bolete. Then avoid any with red, and any that stain blue when cut. Also, since no boletes are lethal, some people apply the taste test if they’re reasonably sure what they have. I personally don’t, but I’ve heard that you can. Bitter and unpleasant ones are probably toxic, and good tasting ones are usually edible. Oh, yeah, you also have to find younger ones, since the big ones are likely infested with maggots. You can cut the stem and look for track marks to be sure. So if you’re interested in foraging for edible mushrooms throughout the summer instead of just during the few weeks that morels are out, I’d look into learning how to identify some edible boletes. The worst that I’ve read will happen is a stomach ache
It's Mushrooms of the Midwest. A pocket guide I've found to be very good and accurate, it's still my go-to. I believe the authors tailor made books for every region, so might see if there's one more for your area there in OH.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591939607/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_WZ94Q8VWW2XHPKSTBTJC
https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Upper-Midwest-Simple-Mushroom/dp/1591939607/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mushrooms+of+the+upper+midwest&qid=1628654022&sprefix=mushrooms+of+the+upp&sr=8-1 I'm a fan of this one, good size and we'll organized
I really liked the book Adventure North, Two teenagers basically lived Canoeing with the Cree.
5 hours really puts a whole bunch of hiking in your grasp. Basically anything in the state.
If we think a little bit more local this is a great resource...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0897328833/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wpzIFbP3RXQ9Q
As far as getting self collected material goes in the area, I probably can't be of much help. the best advice I can offer is getting a book about the area. The only one I found with a quick search was this one. If you're interested in buying pieces for your collection though, I can offer some better advice there.
The closest I've been able to find (on Amazon, at least) is "Midwest foraging" and "Wild Berries & Fruits Field Guide of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan".
https://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Foraging-Flavorful-Edibles-Regional/dp/1604695315
https://www.amazon.com/Berries-Minnesota-Wisconsin-Michigan-Identification/dp/1591937965/
No problem! I really like that book, it’s definitely better than most, but still missing a bit. You can get it on amazon. Also, my personal favorites are for just Agates, #1 being “The Other Lake Superior Agates” by John D Marshall (it’s out of print, but I think you may still be able to get it from the author), and “Agates Inside Out” by Karen A Brzys. Here is what the covers look like to make them a little easier to find.
If you are really just visiting, then the MN and WI Rock Climbing book isn't bad either.
Gives you enough of Devil's Lake for a non-local, including how to actually get to the crags...even has photos taken from the top of some routes showing where you can set and drop your top ropes from. Super helpful for first time visitors (although there are usually enough knowledgeable locals around that you can just ask where the top of a climb is).
But then it also gives you some beta on other climbing areas in the region. With info on places like Red Wing and Taylors Falls, you can make a road trip out of it.
Best thing is to join a local offroading club - they tend to jealously guard trail info (I totally understand). The older versions of these
https://www.amazon.com/New-Hampshire-Atlas-Gazetteer-Topographic/dp/0899332420
identify 'jeep roads' not sure about the more recent printings (mine is like 20+ years old).
Yeah, I've been to the Lewis and Clark trail a few times. Lots of great hiking in Missouri. If you live in the region and don't already have it, I'd recommend this book that covers hikes close to St. Louis (in MO and IL):
I've done at least 3/4 of the hikes in the book and it's a good way to explore new areas. It is sorted by region, but also includes indexes for other trail considerations such as length, difficulty, remoteness/foot traffic, and terrain. One of my favorite trails is Lower Rock Creek (near Fredericktown, Missouri). There's almost never anyone there, one or two cars at the trailhead at most. The road in is a little rugged and it can be pretty snakey and ticky, but it's still one of my favorites. Also, the smooth rock surface along the creek is extremely slick.
The Buffalo River is also an easy recommendation. We dumped a couple of times, but overall, the stretch that we did was easy. There are lots of nice spots where the water is deep and the rock ledges are accessible, if cliff jumping is your thing. :) Also, several small waterfalls, springs, and small caves to enjoy.
Aaaannnnnnd... I wish I was there now.
60 Hikes within 60 Miles of St. Louis is great for exploring parks and beautiful daytime views around STL, especially since it won't get super cold for a month or more.
https://www.amazon.com/Hikes-Within-Miles-Including-Farmington/dp/0897328833
You mentioning the POW camp reminded me of a great book on the subject... Stalag Wisconsin: Inside WWII Prisoner of War Camps. With Wisconsin's heavy German American influence the local interactions with escapees and prison laborers was kind of like a reverse Hogan's Hero's. I don't have the book in front of me but recall something about one German POW who would regularly "escape" the Mitchell Field camp to get a beer at a near-by tavern.
Completely agree. It's nice to get away from all the distractions and absorb some natural beauty. If you enjoy hiking and don't already have this book, do yourself a favor and pick it up. I can't recommend it enough. Great rundown of many hiking spots in the region, with great tips on best routes, difficulty, trailheads, and highlights.
It also created an opportunity for a few American citizens, of the caucasian persuasian, to profit from seized real estate and property. Incidentally, the internment order comprised all "enemy aliens," including Italian and German. ((http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/enemy-aliens-overview.html) Ironically, the U.S. also had POW camps, for captured German soldiers, throughout the U.S., who were often allowed to go into the nearby towns to mingle with the population. Go figure. (http://www.amazon.com/Stalag-Wisconsin-Inside-Prisoner-Camps/dp/187856983X)
I read a book that was in a stack at a beach house I rented years back that your description reminded me of. After googling around, could it be Hairstyles of the Damned?