June 22, 2021
Iowa Project AWARE is bringing families, friends and a cavalcade of educational programming to the lower and middle Raccoon River watershed July 11-16 with the return of this annual event. After a pause in 2020, N-Compass Inc. is busy preparing for hundreds of volunteers to gather in local parks…
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June 8, 2021
Late last month, skateboarders from around the world dropped into Lauridsen Skatepark for the Dew Tour. It was a long-awaited weekend for both Dew Tour athletes and everyone that played a part in making the new Lauridsen Skatepark a reality. Athletes from 38 countries flocked to Des Moines…
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April 27, 2021
As I rowed down the river, I stopped to watch a deer run along the shore. There was something majestic about it, not that I had never seen a deer before, but that I’d never viewed one from this perspective. This was my first time sculling on the river with…
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March 17, 2021
When I was asked to write a little piece about outdoor activities that I enjoy, at first, I wondered what I would write about? It took about two seconds for me to realize I could talk about the great outdoors all day…if allowed. Being a wildlife photographer, I…
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February 16, 2021
I have been canoeing and kayaking since high school and have lived in the Des Moines area since the summer of 1994 but had never had an opportunity to be on the Des Moines River until 2016 when I became a member of Des Moines Rowing (DMR). I learned…
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February 2, 2021
People with disabilities can often have poor physical health. For one Iowa organization, this means putting extra emphasis on finding recreational opportunities that include those with disabilities and creating fun ways to get active. Easterseals Iowa and Can Play have become a major proponent for the Central…
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December 14, 2020
2020 has been the year for the outdoors. It has been a refuge and provided solitude as we have endured a year of challenge. It has been our friend and offered comfort in times of need and allowed us to take a breath while we think about the heaviness of…
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November 17, 2020
I was riding my bike south on the Neal Smith Trail to the Downtown Farmer’s Market when I looked over at the river and saw a single sculler rowing upstream. I want to do that, I thought. So, I contacted Des Moines Rowing and they taught me how to…
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November 9, 2020
I remember the first time I visited the High Trestle Trail Bridge. I went to see the artistic, spiraling steel cribs but left even more inspired by the Des Moines River valley below. Before the blue lights lit up the bridge that night, I was illuminated by a snaking river…
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October 26, 2020
I have a confession to make. I am not from Iowa. Even after 21 years in this state, it is hard to give up my identity as a Minnesotan. And despite all of the Iowa Nice, I don’t always feel like I belong here. People here have deep roots. I…
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