Wonder Outside

Jason Milligan of the G.O. Get Outside Podcast and yours truly introduce Hometown Explorers: The Wonder Outside 3 x 3 Challenge.  We will be interviewing people from all over the country and asking them, what exciting, fun, beautiful outdoor spaces are near them.?  Specifically, what's 3 minutes away? What's 30 minutes away? And what's 3 hours away from their home.  Our first guest is Dave Boerger from Orange, New Jersey. 

“Let's go deep in the woods!” Rolf would say to his mother and by his tone you might think he was about to enter the Yukon. But the three-year-old was standing in his back yard in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis just a few miles away.Rolf, bundled up in his snowsuit, was about to venture off into a relatively small collection of trees in an adjacent lot – which for him was the same thing as the great boreal forests of North America. Recognizing his early attraction to the outdoors, his mom took this photo and prominently displayed it. Soon enough they enrolled Rolf in a camp at the end of the Gunflint Trail in the true woods of northern Minnesota.Like previous Wonder Guides, Doug Wallace and Mark Hennessy, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been an intimate part of Rolf Thompson's life and work ever since.  Much of that time he was focused on the central goal of a connecting young people to the great outdoors – and helping the YMCA do that more effectively. Rolf was the Executive Director at the two YMCA camps in the BWCAW, Widgiwagan and Menogyn. He was also the Executive Director at Camp Manito-Wish in Wisconsin. Later he would become the executive director of the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota, which now hosts more than 18,000 visitors every year.  Rolf has also served on the board for the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. The main mission at the center of it all for Rolf is to connect young people to the wilderness experience.I was one of those young people, about 15 years old, in the early 80's when I first met Rolf at the YMCA's Camp Menogyn in northern Minnesota. He was another in a long line of men and women who simply existed in canoes, tents, and on trails with no effort.  One who spoke about Alaska and Quetico Provencial Park as if that were normal.  Rolf and his colleagues showed us how to snowshoe and cross-country ski through the woods to a frozen lake where we could build Quonset huts out of snow that you could actually sleep in.  Call them mentors, guides, counselors or simply ‘slightly older cool guys and gals doing cool stuff.'  They were always encouraging me to attend the next camp.  To go a little bit farther. To try coming up to the BWCA for winter camp. These role models were a critical force in my outdoor education and instilled in me the desire to continue to explore the great outdoors. Everyone Needs a Mentor One of Rolf's most important mentors is Sigurd Olson. Continuing to encourage his affinity for nature, Rolf's parents gave him Olson's signature book, Listening Point, when he was in high school. Years later Rolf would have the great pleasure of meeting his mentor and having him sign his book. “Dear Rolf and Carol, someday you will find your listening point and know the same deep satisfactions I have known in mine. Best wishes, Sigurd F. Olson”Listening Point is a real place on Burntside Lake in the BWCAW. The quest for Sigurd to find it was a real one. The rocks, prevailing winds, coves, sunsets and views had to be just so for Sigurd to invest his time and money to make it his retreat. But once he built a small cabin there and settled in he did exactly what the name says. He listened.  He found inspiration at Listening Point but he didn't do his work there, he simply was there. Olson called it his “place of discovery.”Rolf and his wife C.J. call their cabin and property in Stone Lake, Wisconsin, their listening point. My family and I were welcomed to their cabin in the summer of 2021 and while my girls and wife explored the lake shore and water, Rolf and I got to sit and reflect on the inspirations and stories that shaped Rolf's life.Much more is in this episode along with the 3 x 3 Main Street Challenge and There's No Planet B.

Anything you see. Anything you hear.Mike Mattison, the two-time Grammy award winning singer, songwriter for the Tedeschi Trucks Band and the Derek Trucks Band knows the blues.  As a singer, composer, author and student of blues music Mike guides us along the many routes in which the blues meets the outdoors. The effect of the blues and how it's been impacted by the landscape has been profound. Mike says that the honesty of the blues is what makes us ourselves. And that anyone with an understanding of that, with humility, can come to the blues. Mike talks about growing up in the extreme seasons of Minnesota. He remembers playing hockey where games weren't cancelled until the temps reached 15 below zero. But he appreciates it and how our parents and friends were simply in it, even embraced it, without much complaint.The Lake Was Our Playground. Michael also remembers how our time outdoors, especially on Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota was foundational in his childhood. From exploring the lake in the motor boat as a child to seeing bald eagles and osprety to this day, he continues to share the extraordinary experiences of this landscape today with his family.Finally, Micheal and Eric Suarez have written a book that comes out in mid-November. It's called Poetic Song Verse, Blues Based Popular Music and Poetry. INTRODUCING "ONE NEW THING"This new segment is designed to inspire YOU to get out there and try one new thing in the outdoors. This episode I talk with Larry Clark about health, hiking, biking and his one new thing. Larry is a talented actor, writer and director and his show Bitter Homes and Gardens created by he and his wife Fielding Edlow is available on YouTube.In Greenwood, on Main Street are two wonderful restaurants, Fan and Johnny's and Tasty Sipz where you can eat anything from hot wings to Fried Alligator Comeback. 3 minutes from there is an unnamed park along the Yalobusha River which is part of the greater Yazoo and Mississippi River Delta. 31 miles away is the Tallatchie National Wildlife Refuge, a critical stopping point for migratory birds.  Less than 3 hours away, 116 miles is the Bienville National Forest with large expansive woods and waterways for boating, fishing and camping.DJ Shark is back and we discuss the song Nutbush City Limits by Ike and Tina Turner. This little town in Tennessee is where Tina Turner grew up and this song dovetails perfectly with our wonder guide's reflections on the blues and the history of the south. There's No Planet B. Steven Donziger is a federal prison as we speak. This gross miscarriage of justice must be overturned. Please go to the Free Donziger website to learn about this case and take action.

Bradley Rutherford knows his mangroves. And his turtles, barracudas, kayaks, caves, estuaries, needlefish, sharks and much more! And if you can’t find him at the water’s edge on Grand Bahama island he’s probably nearby somewhere filling up a garbage bag with the litter that other’s left on the trail or taking care of the home that he loves. His work with container ships as a younger man prepared him for a long run as a tour guide for Grand Bahama Nature Tours. Guiding people through the mangrove tunnels suited him well and led hundreds of people into some of the most precious and important ecosystems of the Bahamas.His kayaking tours introduced people from all over the world to the beautiful and important ecosystems that comprise the Bahamas. Along the way, he gently but passionately reminds everyone that these systems that make up the Bahamas and many other island groups in the Atlantic and the Caribbean, are critical to biodiversity and to the survival of a wide variety of flora and fauna.Bradley's passion for enjoying, protecting and sharing the wonders of the Bahama's comes through in everything he says. He can't help but pick up trash. He can't help but explain the importance of the mangroves to the protection of the islands and he can't help but to share it all with anyone he comes in contact with . He's now started his own YouTube channel called Brad's Bahama Eco Tour Mangroves are essential to the Bahamas. Bradley calls them the second line of defense. Which means that after the coral reefs, mangrove forests are critical to the protection of the islands from storms, erosion and of course hurricanes. He talks about over 80 species of mangroves and how their interlocking roots forms the foundations of building up the land.To say that Dorian was devastating is a gross understatement. Lucayan National Park, where Bradley led his tours lost all of its mangroves. These critical forests won't come back for decades. Bradley is undeterred despite the destruction of hurricane Dorian and continues to make videos for his YouTube channel, share his passion for his environment with others and educate everyone on the importance of biodiversity. It's a conversation full of a host of new terms for me including: coppice, key, and let's not forget zooxanthellae! Brad is involved with an important non-profit called Save the Bays. He rallied a group of friends to pick up 100 bags of trash within a year and continues to teach others every chance he gets. It's a conversation that's full of wonder, knowledge and inspiration.3x3 Main Street ChallengeWe're going to Sausalito, CA in the San Francisco Bay area and we're starting at Mauler Bikes at 215 Main Street. Which is a great place where you can buy a bike that gets over 150 miles to the gallon. Half mile north on Bridgeway road is Yee Tok Chee Park perched right there on the magnificent bay. Just about 20 minutes away is the must-see Muir Woods National Monument, a grove of giant coastal redwood trees. "What's 3 hours away?" And that answer is Big Sur, Big Sur and Big Sur. Take one of the most beautiful drives in all the world along Highway 1 and spend sometime in the iconic coastal gem known as Big Sur.

Melissa Constanzer, a professional broadcast meteorologist with AccuWeather, will run for miles in temperatures ranging from 9 degrees above zero to 97 degrees above zero. That wide spectrum of commitment to getting outside combined with her thorough knowledge and passion for weather is why she is our Wonder Guide for episode 14.Stories that Help EveryoneDespite her vast knowledge of math and science, Melissa knows that her main job is to tell a story with weather. A story that will help others know more about their environment and be able to stay safe and healthy. When you watch a meteorologist like Melissa you may assume that she's following along on script written by others. But most often that's not the case. She's the one picking the graphics, the sequence, the emphasis - in other words, telling a story to us that keeps our attention and keeps us informed.Green Screen ChoreographyAnd she does all of that while using multiple monitors, mirrors, touch screens - while keeping it all smooth and steady on live television.It's a lot to juggle but Melissa's confidence with all the many tasks is why she's been a successful meteorologist in Wisconsin, Alabama and now at AccuWeather.Terms and More TermsOur conversation ranges widely and we dig into the many fascinating terms around weather including: transpiration, vortex, corn sweat, Dixie Alley, density, Blue Norther and a weather phenomenon I had never heard of before; graupel.It's All Science and Math.For anyone interested in a career in meteorology be sure to keep up that STEM side of your education! Melissa prefers physics and earth science to biology. That understanding, combined with observing the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, is what led her to become a meteorologist.Hurricane KatrinaMelissa was deeply affected by the power and destruction of Katrina and feeling motivated to help people, decided to pursue meteorology. "The more information you can give them, the more power they have to make the proper decision."Melissa also knows that weather is the common bond between people - a topic that builds community. She describes her most important mission as helping people get out and discover reasons to love where they live. She knows, first hand, that this will make you a happier person.Hurricanes, Ozarks & Water Spouts, Oh My!We also talk about the water cycle, all kinds of clouds, the jet stream and exactly why hurricanes travel in the direction that they do! (Hint: it has to do with the sun's energy hitting mostly at the equator. Melissa's passion for weather, her command of the science and her need to simply unplug and go outside is a great gift to all of us so be sure to listen to all of episode 14!Carrie Underwood's Blown Away In Where Art Meets Nature with DJ Shark we analyze the multiple award-winning song, Blown Away by Carrie Underwood. The metaphors of thunderstorms and tornadoes dominate this compelling and moving story about a girl's struggle with an abusive and alcoholic father. 3 x 3 Main Street Challenge Since Mobile, Alabama was a stopping point for Melissa's career we are going to start at a BBQ Restaurant at 3103 West Main Street called McMillan Bar-B-Que.

Yours truly is your Wonder Guide for episode 13! I'll break down some simple, easy, fun and useful ways to wonder.This episode I’m going to be your Wonder Guide. And I’m going to do that by giving you some concrete steps that will inspire and motivate you get outside more easily often and confidently.WONDER is the key. It’s easy to speed right on by that word. We’ve got texts to return, kids at home on zoom school, bill’s to pay and endless devices demanding our attention.It’s ALL about WONDERThat sense that makes us slow down or speed up. That feeling of awe that leaves us speechless. That magical place where time stands still and we feel simultaneously small and all powerful at the same time. It’s a GREAT feeling. It’s an IMPORTANT feeling. It’s something we probably could stand to feel a LOT more of.It took me more than 2 years to figure out the name of this podcast, this new venture. I knew Ranger Ted was good, catchy, fun and engaging but it wasn’t a big enough idea, it wasn’t universal enough.So after lots of thinking and talking we all landed on wonder. The next word was pretty obvious. It’s the place where I’ve experienced wonder the most and helped others find it too: outside.Yes, it’s got a nice similarity to the term wander which I also strongly believe in but it wasn’t because of that nice coincidence that I named the show Wonder Outside.So let’s get to my theme for this episode: Why, how and where to wonder. Let’s start with the why. Why Wonder? No, really WHY should we WONDER? One, you and your loved ones will feel better and be healthier. You’ll feel better physically, emotionally and spiritually. One thing you can try to get that wonder muscle working again is to take a walk outside and say out loud, I wonder why ____________. And just fill in the blank with whatever natural things you are encountering. If you RE-TRAIN your sense of wonder, suddenly you’ve taken (as Mark Hennessy says) a one minute vacation. The second reason to wonder is because wonder spreads. Have you ever had someone come up to you and say “YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS! That’s wonder in action. Wonder creates strong relationships. Wonder is about sharing with others. I want you to be that person who seems half crazy with excitement about something outside. Why wonder? Because wonder heals our planet. My wife and I didn’t preach to our 3 year old at the time that plastic is overtaking our oceans and all that garbage on our local beaches was the result of a disposable society that prizes convenience over all else. We just saw a bunch of trash on a beautiful beach and decided we’d better do something about it. And now our daughter simply expects (as she should) that our outdoor spaces should be nice and healthy and clean and safe….and that she’s part of the solution who is HAPPY to pick up trash. Three ways HOW to wonder. Ask, “What do you notice?” This is very important. Get rid of labels and knowledge (for a little while, at least) and just be curious. Two, go to the same place and/or go to a different place. Find a sit spot. Go there regularly and start paying attention to your environment. Also, if you are stuck in a routine, then go somewhere new and different. Finally, do not consult a device! Deal with the weather. Trust your God-given instincts on what to wear and how to prepare.. Become obsessed with weather. WHERE TO WONDER. Wonder right where you are. Right in you own neighborhood, on you walk…see a place on your drive and go back there. There’s wonder all around you if you SLOW down and let it surround you. Make a plan for something BIG. A National Park, a remote island, a road trip further thanyou’d ever imagined a road could go… But STARTING that plan will fuel wonder. It’ll infect others around you.

Josh Daugherty’s desire to connect to nature is palpable. He’ll do anything possible to immerse himself in a rainstorm, wade into a river, throw a frisbee barefoot and all along remind us that ego is the enemy. He also might be skinny dipping in that lake so – fair warning. He’ll also build a thriving outdoor community out of nothing by aiming his frisbee at the light pole on your corner. Frisbee golf, or disc golf for the purists, is just one of the ways we can, in Josh’s words, “create a greater connection to the planet and to each other.” He’s a mountain man – forest bather – fly fisherman, hunter and practicer of what he likes to call “vertical yoga.” Also known as, rock climbing. Come along with us on our conversation that covers everything from the need to reduce our ego to the identification of local garlic plants. It’s an inspiring and thought provoking episode with someone who truly proves that a deeper connection to nature provides meaning and happiness. The 3 x 3 Main Street Challenge: Tom Dick and Hank BBQ RestaurantWe start this time on a main street in south Atlanta in the College Park neighborhood at a local BBQ restaurant called Tom Dick and Hank BBQ Restaurant. https://tomdickandhank.com/our-story/ They have two locations, one in downtown Atlanta and one at 3807 Main Street, College Park. 3 minutes away is Brenningham Park and the Wayman and Bessie Brady Recreation Center. 30 minutes away is the Silver Comet Trail. It’s a free, paved, non-motorized 60 plus mile trail for bikers, walkers, hikers and horseback riders. It starts in Smyrna Georgia just West of Atlanta and goes all the way to the Georgia/ Alabama border. https://www.silvercometga.com/index.shtmlYoutube video for the Silver Comet Trail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiN0Hy0mUA8 3 hours away is the Blue Ridge ParkwayCalled “America’s favorite drive” this wonderful roadway goes along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountain chain from the Great Smokey Mountain National Park through North Carolina all the way to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.The Blue Ridge Parkway was the first national rural parkway to be conceived, designed, and constructed for a leisure-type driving experience. Its varied topography and numerous vista points offer easy public access to spectacular views of central and southern Appalachian rural landscapes and forested mountains. It connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/https://www.brpfoundation.org/Where Art Meets NatureDJ Shark and I breakdown the wonderful storytelling and rich images of Lucinda Williams’ song, Lake Charles, from her astonishing Grammy award winning album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.There’s No Planet BFor inspiration and resources on one of the great outdoor activities and how to do it in a responsible way look no further than Fly Fisher’s International.https://flyfishersinternational.org/

Doug Wallace is eighty-four years old going on fifty-five. He’s up by 5:30 am and if his wife, Peggy Hunter, isn’t up by six, he’s going to wake her because it’s time to get in the canoe. They canoe every day (weather permitting) from ice out in May to closing up the cabin in late September on Lake Vermilion.Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota is big. In fact, it’s the 5th biggest lake in the state known as the land of 10,000 lakes. It’s 30 miles from one end to the other and has over 360 islands. There are more than 1200 miles of shoreline on this lake and Doug has paddled 2/3 of that shoreline and intends on completing them all. He’s just about to turn 84 years old. The reason I know and love the woods, lakes, camping, canoeing, boating, loons, bald eagles, the Boundary Waters and everything northern Minnesota can be traced back to my friend and mentor, Doug Wallace. He’s the one who scouted Lake Vermilion for land in 1962. He’s the one who rallied my parents to buy some of that land and build an A-frame in the early 70’s. He’s the one who helped me in countless ways when I built my own cabin and he’s the one who maintains a vigilant watch over this precious lake and greater environment.Doug’s first trip into the Boundary Waters was in 1943 when he was just six years old and every moment of that experience is still crystal clear for him. That experience shaped his life. Even though it was chilly in late September and they couldn’t leave the lake they were camping on because they were wind bound, he had the time of his life.When Doug and his wife, Peggy Hunter, wake up early and get in the canoe they regularly see a miraculous and ever-changing shoreline. They routinely have what Doug calls, spiritual experiences. Whether it’s two American Bald Eagles alighting on a White Pine branch and turning to see the sun just as it rises or slipping along quietly on perfectly still lake with the landscape perfectly reflected in the water, they witness the wonder of the boreal forest and all its wild inhabitants on a daily basis. Unless it’s pouring rain.But Doug doesn’t stop there as a passive observer. He goes to bat every single day for the wild places and animals that he loves and cherishes. Our conversation is a step-by-step lesson in how to organize people for a common cause. He’s the definition of a grass-roots organizer. When logging of old growth timber and proposed logging roads were about to take place nearby, on the doorstep of the BWCAW, Doug and Peggy got busy.Eventually, Doug and Peggy and their allies were able to use modern conveniences such as email but this campaign was grown through one on one conversations. Through relentless determination and vision, Doug, Peggy and their friends protected this critical and sensitive habitat from needless destruction.It would seem Doug would need to take a nap but he’s got loons to protect. He, Peggy and their neighbors have been instrumental in creating important speed limits on Lake Vermilion. Loons nest very close to shore and the huge wakes of the ever increasing boat traffic on the lake have been extremely detrimental to loon eggs.Our wide-ranging conversation covers the birth of a new loon in the area, hiking in the Mission mountains, landscape photography, YMCA leadership programs, climate change and its effects on the boreal forest and much more.At the core of what Doug talks about, cares about and fights for though is a recognition that spiritual experiences are available to all of us in wild places.What is a spiritual experience for Doug?“That you really are in the deepest possible touch with creation and the creator and a piece of that creation. And for a moment or two or longer, there is a connection between you and another species that is very rare. At a deep beyond word, beyond science experience.”

Loons Need Long RunwaysNot many people in this world know that a loon is one of the few birds with solid bones, which makes them heavier than most birds of similar size. Still fewer would know what to do when a loon can’t take off from a lake that’s just beginning to freeze over entirely. Enter Mark Hennessy, loon-runway-builder. Or perhaps ice-breaker for loons should be his title. Clearly, this particular loon had decided to sleep in too late. Mark was in his favorite wilderness area in the world, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota and knew that this loon would never get airborne if it didn’t have a long, ice-free, water runway for takeoff.So he did what any veteran of canoeing and outdoor travel in the wilderness would do, he got in his canoe and proceeded to clear out a path in the ice with his paddle. And sure enough that loon was able to use that temporary runway for a successful takeoff and headed straight for Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.And as observers of loon behavior know, that loon was most likely to fly right back at that very same lake – even that very same section of that lake, next year. Hopefully, with an alarm set for a few days before ice-in. The Need for AdventureMark Hennessy doesn’t have to think about why he likes to go outside. “Adventure.”He doesn’t hesitate. Mark not only likes outdoor adventure, he needs it. He seeks it out nearly every day for his physical, emotional and spiritual health. Certainly, his annual winter camping trip with friends in the remotest regions of northern Minnesota would qualify as adventure. “Winter” + “Camping” Does Not Equal CrazyWhen I remind him that people don’t usually put the words ‘winter’ and ‘camping’ together in the same sentence he admits that people do think he’s crazy. But this is the kind of crazy that I love. It’s the kind of crazy that inspires and it’s the kind of crazy we all should be looking into doing more. A LOT more. A Qualified Wonder GuideMark is, without a doubt, the most “extreme” outdoor adventurer I’ve had the pleasure to talk with as my Wonder Guide to date. By extreme I mean experienced and traveled. He’s hiked, canoed, paddled and otherwise been outside in North America his entire life. Bring Your CameraMark reminds me that one way to truly take a breath in the great outdoors is to bring your camera. Like me, Mark can be very focused on the goal at hand or the completion of a task. By having that camera with you, he says, your forced to take an important break and be truly present in your environment. His exceptional landscape photography can be found here: https://www.markhennessyphotography.com/My conversation with Mark is full of especially useful reminders for getting outside more easily, more often and more confidently. Mark reminds us that ‘transformational moments’ are just around the bend and that a little effort can lead to a life of wonder and meaning in the great outdoors. For the 3 x 3 Main Street Challenge we start in St. Augustine, Florida at the Tropical Smoothie Café on Seagrove Main Street and travel to Anastasia State Park, the 12 Mile Swamp Conservation Area and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.In the There’s No Planet B segment we discuss the reasons why planning to build Copper-Sulfide mines on the doorstep of the BWCAW is a really bad idea. https://www.friends-bwca.org/sulfide-mining

DJ Shark is our Wonder Guide in Episode 9 where we look at the first 8 Where Art Meets Nature Segments. A replaying of these segments will really inspire you to get outside...or write or song....or sing a song =)!

Camping is for EveryoneMichelle, Julie and Courtney are back to share their wisdom and tips on camping with their families. From meal planning to realistic expectations to unplugging from devices to navigating the many personalities in any family, these Wonder Guides have a lot more value to offer all of us.People Want to Help YouOne of the most important themes to emerge from my conversation with Julie, Michelle and Courtney is that the barriers to getting outside are minimal. They prove again and again that just a little bit of planning and not a lot of money can create a wonderful outdoor experiences for the entire family. The Barriers are ImaginaryDon't let lack of gear or other financial limitations be a barrier to creating wonder for yourself and your loved ones. Just listen to these camping savvy moms and you'll hopefully find the inspiration you need to plan your next adventureWhere Art Meets Nature with DJ SharkIn our music meets nature segment we look at three of the most talented women in all of music: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Their awards are too many to count. Their voices are too powerful to measure. Their contribution to music, art, other artists and fans is simply astounding. In their second collaboration TRIO II they sing a song called, High Sierra. Come along with DJ Shark and I as we discuss the highs and lows of love with these musical legends.Where You Were When You Heard 'That' SongI only recently found the track, High Sierra on Trio II. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trio_IIAnd I'll never forget it. Because the combination of songwriting with these voices is simply perfect. Here's a youtube video of High Sierra.3 x 3 Main AVENUE is in ClevelandIn the 3 x 3 Main Street challenge we travel to the legendary city of Cleveland and start at McCarthy's Downtown. A "relaxed bar with pub grub and musical acts." https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/mccarthys-downtown/Location?oid=24609271A River on FIREThat's correct. Many know the story. Many have wondered if it is true. The answer is that yes, the Cuyahoga river in Ohio caught fire. MORE THAN ONCE. The causes are obvious: systematic, unrelenting, unchecked and long term pollution from a variety of sources left a river that was truly dead. Dead to animal life, dead to fish life and dead to a city that could hardly stand the smell of a vital waterway.Just a couple minutes from McCarthy's Downtown is Heritage Park and the Cuyahoga River which has made an amazing comeback.Lake Erie and Much MoreThere's a lot to explore along the Northeast Ohio shore and just 30 minutes from downtown Cleveland is the Headland Dunes Nature Preserve and the Headlands Beach State Park. Headlands Dunes State Nature PreserveHeadlands Dunes is a 25-acre preserve just to the east of Headlands Beach State Park. Niagara Falls is less than 3 hours away?Yes indeed. And that's not just if you're in Northeast Ohio. That goes for many people in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada. There's too much to say about Niagara Falls. But suffice to say there's a reason we all know about it and so many people visit it every year.

Courtney Brown, Julie Pearl-Slater and Michelle Silver are our Wonder Guides for Episode 7 and boy do they know how to camp! And with kids!When Courtney moved from the ample and beautiful beaches of Orange County, California to Utah she embraced the opportunity to ‘stretch out’ and explore the mountains with her children. All FIVE of them.When Julie left Chicago for L.A. she had no idea she’d go camping ‘overnight’ let alone take regular camping trips to Joshua Tree, Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada mountains.Michelle knows what happens when she gets outdoors regularly either alone or with her son: she feels better instantly.These three women take us on a rewarding, insightful and inspirational camping trip today by sharing their stories about getting outside. Their advice, stories and insights are many and that's why my conversation with them will stretch over two episodes.In this first episode we'll touch on a number of subjects such as how each of our guides grew to not just love the outdoors but see it as vital to the collective health and happiness of their families. We'll address the challenges of preparation and electronic devices. Over and over again, these Wonder Guides reinforce one main truth: getting outside and camping with their kids is liberating, inspiring and worth the effort.3 x 3 Main Street ChallengeIn our 3 x 3 Main Street Challenge we visit the lovely little town of Wheaton, Illinois. Starting at Five and Hoek Coffee at 112 N Main Street we just walk a couple of blocks to the expansive Illinois Prairie Path which goes for over 60 miles. Within 15-20 minutes one can be on another main street in Glen Ellyn and eating a cinnamon roll at the Blackberry Market at 401 N. Main Street. The 30 minute segment is solved quite easily by simply continuing along the wonderfully bucolic Prairie Path.What's within 3 hours of Wheaton? There's a LOT to choose from but today why don't we simply drive due west for under three hours to the mighty Mississippi River. Two places of note include the Wildcat Den State Park which has one of the oldest operating grist mills! Back across the river on the Illinois side is the Loud Thunder Forest Preserve which has more outdoor activities that I have time to list.In our Art Meets Nature segment, DJ Shark leads us into the beautiful, evocative and melancholy masterpiece The Green Green Grass of Home. Written by Claude "Curly" Putman Jr., but of course made world famous by Tom Jones.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytvcdSzzMds In There's No Planet B we look at the principles of Leave No Trace. There is a wealth of information to explore at the website for the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.Plan ahead and prepareTravel and camp on durable surfacesDispose of waste properlyLeave what you findMinimize campfire impactsRespect wildlifeBe considerate of other visitors

Kristina Haddad is our Wonder Guide for episode six. If you’re looking for some motivation, passion and commitment when it comes to the preservation and celebration of wild places look no further! If you’re looking for someone thoroughly versed in environmental activism and justice, you’ve come to the right place!Kristina is currently the program director at the environmental non-profit organization, 7th Generation Advisors. And while this job alone would be enough she also is an actor, teacher and life-long lover of nature.Our conversation ranges from the big redwood trees of Northern California to her work to protect the Santa Monica Bay from pollution. We talk about her one person show, Save Sheldon, which follows the journey of an environmental activist and her attempt to save an ancient tree. http://www.kristinahaddad.net/about.htmlWe also take a deeper look at how environmental racism continues to harm and perpetuate disadvantaged communities, specifically people of color.Kristina reminds us that we’re out of balance as a society in terms of our relationship to the environment (or her preferred term “nature”) but also shares specific actions we can take right now to preserve, protect and defend our planet. In the Where Art Meets Nature segment, DJ Shark and I discuss the great Talking Heads song, Nothing But Flowers. Again, DJ Shark points out the magnificent subtleties of another song that has nature at its center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2twY8YQYDBEDJ Shark's radio show can be found at http://www.alltimeisnow.com/All_Time_is_Now.htmlIn the There’s No Planet B segment Kristina and I look at two important non-profits doing magnificent work to empower communities and preserve forests. They are The Fund for Wild Nature and Sequoia Forest Keeper. http://fundwildnature.org/http://www.sequoiaforestkeeper.org/home0.aspx In the 3x3 Main Street Challenge we go to the glorious city of Juneau, Alaska. We start at the iconic restaurant The Hanger on the Wharf. https://www.hangaronthewharf.com/3 minutes from there is the Mount Roberts Nature Center. https://www.stepintoalaska.com/about-us/mt-roberts-nature-center/Less than 30 minutes away is the Mendenhall Glacier, https://www.alaska.org/detail/mendenhall-glacier-visitor-centerAnd if you get on the ferry in Juneau also known as the Alaska Marine Highway you can be in the great city of Haines and observe the thousands of American Bald Eagles there.http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/southeast/chilkatbep.htm

Enrico Colantoni is back for the second half of our conversation in episode five. If you like ghost stories then look no further! We'll touch on some of the rather spooky and unexplainable events that occurred in the mountains in the Lake Arrowhead area of Southern California.But since I get scared easily by ghost stories we'll turn our attention to other topics including Canada, hockey and planting potatoes based on the cycles of the moon. One of the more poignant moments comes when Rico talks about his father and that his father had a connection to the earth and the moon - the environment. Rico's father didn't realize this dormant urge to be part of his surroundings again until he retired from his work in Toronto and moved back his native Italy.This contributes to one of the dominant themes of my conversation with Rico: how we can get trapped in a paradigm of survival. How we become sucked into a vortex that limits our ability to see more important things such as meditating under a tree or appreciating the outdoors as real and necessary.Finally, we'll have some fun with the 'Where in the World are You?' and 'What in the World Would You Do?' games.In our 3x3 Main Street Challenge we'll head to Flagstaff, Arizona and visit the good people at the Wanderlust Brewery and Flagstaff Climbing right there on Main Street in Flagstaff. Just 15 minutes from there is Walnut Canyon National Monument and a short 84 miles away is one of the seven wonders of the world also known as the Grand Canyon. In Where Art Meets Nature with DJ Shark we'll talk about one of the most important songs I've ever heard or will ever hear about our environment. It's time to look at Joni Mitchell's, Big Yellow Taxi. Here are the lyrics and a concert video to one of the most iconic and brilliant songs of the last 50 years by a true genius. In There's No Planet B we re-visit the Amazon rainforest in both Brazil and Peru. Chevron lost a major court case more than once BUT STILL HASN'T PAID THEIR FINES OR CLEANED UP THEIR MESS. Attorney Steven Donzinger is currently under a house arrest on a charge so ludicrous that any rational human would throw it out of court. But since it was manufactured by Chevron who has a oil-friendly judge in New York city, Donzinger continues to be unjustly restricted. The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro is doing everything in his power to intimidate, invade and otherwise destroy the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous peoples who live there and have a guaranteed right to that land.There is a lot of fascinating evidence here and I encourage you to dive in. Steven Donzinger's story is here: https://theintercept.com/2020/01/29/chevron-ecuador-lawsuit-steven-donziger/His website and legal defense fund that could use your attention is here: https://www.donzigerdefense.com/ A great summary of just how obscene a crime Chevron has gotten away with so far to the detriment of both the rainforest and the lives of real people who live there and continue to suffer from their crimes of which they were convicted.https://www.makechevroncleanup.com/A long record of President Bolsonaro's violations exists. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/28/world/americas/brazil-deforestation-amazon-bolsonaro.htmlAnd much more is here for you on the only variety show for nature and adventure.

Bryna Campbell and Mike Murawski keep the joy of exploration at the center of what they do: providing useful, engaging and fun outdoor trail guides and activities for kids and families. They created Super Nature Adventures out of a need to keep their son less resistant and more engaged on their outings. And it really worked. Even more than that, Mike and Bryna have and undeniable passion for going outside. They talk about the outdoors in ways that make you want to get on the trail immediately. They eliminate any feelings of intimidation or nervousness and simply allow people to find their own paths. So while their materials are focused on kids ages 3-12 years old, their philosophy of engaging with the outdoors is for everyone.Supernatureadventures.com is a valuable resource for any parent or teacher looking to engage their children outdoors in creative, imaginative and empowering ways. Their affordable, hand-illustrated, downloadable pdf guides, activities and maps are sure to help you and your loved ones get outside more easily, more often and more confidently.In my conversation with Bryna and Mike we're all reminded of some basic truths about going outside. One, it's about the here and now. Two, children have some things to teach us about going outside. Three, stickers and snacks help!Mike and Bryna echo many of the same philosophies that I talk about and use on my nature hikes with both young and old. If we pay attention more to an animal or bird's behavior and worry less about getting its name right, we'll create a stronger connection to our environment. If we worry less about achieving a destination point and instead be more present to our immediate surroundings (from the micro to the grandiose) we'll have a more rewarding experience. Mike and Bryna and their son have trail tested these materials and I can't recommend them enough. They have also pivoted with the Covid-19 realities and created materials that can be used right now and in any location. Their Explore Your World and Create Your World materials are available, affordable and are a perfect addition to any home, school, homeschool or distance home school! We have a great conversation that covers Mt. Saint Helens,Rachel Carson, Yosemite, Portland, iNaturalist and much more. All of their resources can be found at http://www.supernatureadventures.comALSO in this 4th episode are all the amazing segments!The 3x3 Main Street Challenge takes us to Denver Colorado. Specifically Jake's Brew Bar on Main Street in Littleton, CO. Just a short distance away is the S. Platte River, Bowles Grove Park, Legault Mountain, Rocky Mountain National Park and Tin Cup, Colorado. In There's No Planet B we talk about the need to maintain biodiversity and the great work of the Center for Biological Diversity.In Art Meets Nature, DJ Shark takes us on a road trip with Paul Simon in Graceland. It's all there for you in this episode of Wonder Outside and it's all sponsored by the Nature Coach.

In this variety show for nature, today's special Wonder Guide guest is Enrico Colantoni. You may know his extensive work as an actor on Veronica Mars, Just Shoot Me, Contagion and Galaxy Quest. But his reason for being on the show is to highlight just how passionate he is about the outdoors and how much nature has influenced his art and his life. We cover a wide variety of subjects from the vortex of Los Angeles to Vancouver B.C. to the great playwright Anton Chekhov. Rico has a gift for cutting to the simplicity of nature and the healing properties of being outside and his experiences are good reminders on how we too can find inspiration and meaning outside. All opportunities to share with this community can be found at www.wonderoutside.orgWonder Outside is much more than just an interview show. It's a variety show that's specifically designed to keep discussions about the outdoors fun, useful, practical and motivating. In the 3 x3 Challenge we look at some nature escapes starting from the Red Wing shoe store or the Caribou Coffee shop in Red Wing, Minnesota. In his 'One minute for Wonder' opening Ted talks about the iNaturalist app and its usefulness for people of all ages. For more information on that go to www.inaturalist.orgThe Where in the World Are You game tests your knowledge of geography and weather. DJ Shark is our musical expert as we discuss how the great outdoors influences our art and specifically Peter Gabriel's song Solsbury Hill. There's No Planet B gives you practical steps you can take to protect our planet and all its inhabitants. This episode highlights the importance of the Amazon Rainforest and one of the best advocacy groups working hard to protect it and its indigenous peoples. https://www.rainforesttrust.org/Every episode of the Wonder Outside podcast features an examination of a song or piece or art that is influenced by the great outdoors. None other than DJ Shark talks with Ted about Peter Gabriel's masterpiece, Solsbury Hill which is rich both with outdoor references of a real place but also with how nature can help when we're at a crossroads.DJ Shark is a prolific musician, DJ, composer, song writer and hosts his own radio show called All Time is Now. Podcast episodes from his show can be found at http://www.alltimeisnow.com/All_Time_is_Now.htmlRanger Ted has been building community his entire life. That's especially true in this podcast where you can access a wide variety of experts to help you experience the great outdoors in more meaningful ways. In episode 3, you'll hear about Super Nature Adventures www.supernatureadventures.com and their downloadable adventure kits. You can also look forward to hearing from Mike Murawski and Bryna Campbell, founders of Super Nature Adventures, as they'll join Ranger Ted in a later episode as guest Wonder Guides.Also Ranger Ted talks about the wonderful people at Save Our Monarchs. www.saveourmonarchs.org who help people everywhere plant milkweed and thus save our monarchs. http://supernatureadventures.comhttp://saveourmonarchs.org

In the Earth Day launch of the Wonder Outside Podcast, naturalist and outdoor educator, Ted Mattison, also known as Ranger Ted, talks with Annabeth Gish about how to find simple, practical and available adventures in the great outdoors. Covering a wide range of topics from New Mexico to Iowa; from hikes with kids to finding solace in the vast expanse of the prairie, from walking in our own neighborhoods with our senses open to remembering where the biggest strawberry in the world is located, Ted and Annabeth highlight the need to get outside regularly for our physical, mental and spiritual health.Annabeth comes to the show prepared! She brings a wonderful, truly grounding and much needed in these times, poem by William Stafford, Being A Person. Many people know her excellent work as an actor in scores of television including series regular roles on: The X-files, Halt and Catch Fire and The Bridge. She's appeared in several movies including Mystic Pizza and Before I Wake. She also talks about her first voice over opportunity on the documentary, America's Lost Landscape, The Tallgrass Prairie. Wonder Outside is much more than just an interview show. It's a variety show thats specifically designed to keep it fun, useful, practical and motivating. Ted talks about asking the question, 'What do you notice?' over 'What do you know?' in the opening segment. In the 3 x3 Challenge we look at some nature escapes right in the middle of Brooklyn, New York. The Where in the World Are You game tests your knowledge of geography and weather. DJ Shark is our musical expert as we discuss how the great outdoors influences our art and There's No Planet B gives you practical steps you can take to protect our planet and all its inhabitants.Every episode of the Wonder Outside podcast features an examination of a song or piece or art that is influenced by the great outdoors. None other than DJ Shark talks with Ted about John Denver's iconic Rocky Mountain High for this debut episode on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.Ranger Ted has been building community his entire life. That's especially true in this podcast where you can access a wide variety of experts to help you experience the great outdoors in more meaningful ways. In episode 1, you'll hear about Super Nature Adventures www.supernatureadventures.com and their downloadable adventure kits.Also he'll talk about the wonderful people at Save Our Monarchs. www.saveourmonarchs.org who help people everywhere plant milkweed and thus save our monarchs.http://supernatureadventures.comhttp://saveourmonarchs.org

New York Times best-selling and award winning author, master carpenter and longtime fan of the great outdoors joins Ranger Ted for Episode 2 of the Wonder Outside Podcast. They sit down in the sunny, pre-Covid, Silverlake meadow in Los Angeles for a ranging conversation from Elk baths, Rocky Mountain inspirations and meandering Iowa rivers. Tim is a master storyteller and that's on full display in this episode. Tim discusses how the environment of the Rocky Mountains helped him find the characters and eventually the story that would become his best-selling novel, Descent. http://www.timjohnston.net/book/descent/ His latest novel is set in a place near and dear to us both, the rivers of Minnesota and Iowa. http://www.timjohnston.net/Tim and Ted have worked on cabins together, seen giant bald eagle nests and agree that when a storm kicks up its time to get yourself and your canoe off the river. They also talk about their profound experiences of riding bikes, eyes closed, at Burning Man. Wonder Outside is much more than just an interview show. It's a variety show thats specifically designed to keep discussions about the outdoors fun, useful, practical and motivating. In the 3 x3 Challenge we look at some nature escapes starting from a Main Street in Ventura, California. In the opening segment, Ted talks about how to use a naturalist journal when exploring the outdoors.The Where in the World Are You game tests your knowledge of geography and weather. DJ Shark is our musical expert as we discuss how the great outdoors influences our art and There's No Planet B gives you practical steps you can take to protect our planet and all its inhabitants.Every episode of the Wonder Outside podcast features an examination of a song or piece or art that is influenced by the great outdoors. None other than DJ Shark talks with Ted about Woody Guthrie's iconic 'This Land Is Your Land' song written in 1940. This song maintains its truth and relevance even today.DJ Shark is a prolific musician, DJ, composer, song writer and hosts his own radio show called All Time is Now. Podcast episodes from his show can be found at http://www.alltimeisnow.com/All_Time_is_Now.htmlRanger Ted has been building community his entire life. That's especially true in this podcast where you can access a wide variety of experts to help you experience the great outdoors in more meaningful ways. In episode 2, you'll hear about Super Nature Adventures www.supernatureadventures.com and their downloadable adventure kits. You can also look forward to hearing from Mike Murawski and Bryna Campbell, founders of Super Nature Adventures, as they'll join Ranger Ted in a later episode as guest Wonder Guides.Also Ranger Ted talks about the wonderful people at Save Our Monarchs. www.saveourmonarchs.org who help people everywhere plant milkweed and thus save our monarchs. Contact them now and get planting this Earth Day!http://supernatureadventures.comhttp://saveourmonarchs.orgGlobal Climate Change poses the biggest threat there is to the planet and all its inhabitants. Please visit www.350.org to become better educated and to get involved with switching from fossil fuels to renewables before it's too late. http://www.350.org

Ranger Ted introduces the Wonder Outside podcast in this trailer. The show that helps everyone of all ages, abilities and experience levels get outside more easily, more often and more confidently. The core message of this show is to help you and your loved ones connect with your sense of wonder, awe and adventure in the great outdoors. By talking with a featured Wonder Guide every week, Ranger Ted seeks to discover how these authors, actors, adventurers, thought leaders, outdoor guides and mentors find inspiration in their lives and work in the outdoors. It's thought provoking, useful, and full of laughs as we discuss everything from real live Elks taking baths in piedmont towns in Colorado to what is the proper pronunciation of Newfoundland to pondering just what is the meaning of success.Clips in this trailer episode include future Wonder Guide guest, Enrico Colantoni (Actor from Veronica Mars, Just Shoot Me, Galaxy Quest.) Also featured is New York Times Best Selling Author Tim Johnston (Descent, The Current.) http://www.timjohnston.net/The award winning singer, songwriter and composer, Barbara Cohen will appear in the Art Meets Nature segment as we look at how our music is shaped by the outdoors and nature. http://www.barbaracohenmusic.com/This show is much more than a single interview. It's a variety show for nature and adventure. Each episode will have several segments designed to inspire, motivate, challenge and enlighten the listener. Segments include the Where in the World Are You game; The 3 x 3 Main Street Challenge; There's No Planet B and Where Art Meets Nature.Ted Mattison, known as Ranger Ted, is originally from Minnesota. He is a Certified California Naturalist, trained in Wilderness First Aid, a professional hiking guide, park docent, camping leader, former employee of REI as well as a teacher, actor, director, author, husband, father and lifelong outdoorsman. He lives in Huntington Beach, California with his wife and two daughters.