This cemetery shall forever be known as “The One Where I Saw a Coyote”. But before I get to that, I’ll give you the official deets. Riverside Cemetery is another beautiful, historic cemetery in the QCA. There is a 4 mile loop from my house that I like to walk…

From their own site: “It is one of the Quad Cities oldest and most beautiful cemeteries, boasting century-old Oaks, gently rolling hills and knolls, and a beautiful reflecting pond near the cemetery entrance. “

The word “Chippiannock” is a Native American term which means “place of the dead”. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. You can make a nice 3-4 mile loop of this cemetery, while checking out some cool old headstones and mature trees.

A beach. A disc golf course. A lakeside trail. This place is fun and even when it’s busy, it’s not that busy. You can always find a spot to get some solitude.

One of the best hikes in the QCA! My favorite time to hike it is in the spring when I’ve been starved of a good, long hike and all of the ephemerals are popping up. The main feature is the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.

This is one of my favorite spots to surprise people with. It’s just something a little different and a little wild.

A true “Choose Your Own Adventure” type of location! Walk the main paved path, go off into the wooded trails, or add on Fairmont Cemetery. This is also a popular spot for mountain biking.

My favorite place in the QCA to hike! Crowds are typically minimal, it has a more remote/nature feel, and there are a lot of ways to recreate here. There are easy, moderate, and hard trails here, including one of the most challenging hikes you will find in the QCA! The challenging hike would make a great training for a destination backpacking trip or if you’re just looking for something more involved while staying local. Book a campsite, bring a kayak, and make a weekend of it!

Growing up in Moline, it was a common family past time to "go to the river to feed the ducks". I think we know now that it's actually not ok to the feed the ducks. Not bread, anyway. But it’s still a lovely place to take in a sunrise or sunset, watch the ducks or geese, and get some exercise in. The parkway features a 2.2 mile paved path along the Mississippi River…

We flew in to Las Vegas late on a Sunday night via an Allegiant direct flight and made the 1 hour drive to the city of Pahrump. The route takes you through the Spring Mountains along the way. With no streetlights, it was pitch black and the mountains were just shadows rising up along the side of the road.

Kayaking the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was my first sea kayaking expedition and one of the most challenging yet magical experiences of my life. Located at the tip of Wisconsin's Bayfield Peninsula, it is an archipelago of 21 islands in Lake Superior with sea caves, sandy beaches, and the largest collection of lighthouses in the National Park system.

A roadtrip through the iconic Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

For our 12th Anniversary, my husband suggested a roadtrip from Las Vegas to Phoenix with stops in Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona. It was perfect!

Michigan is such a beautiful state! I find myself returning again and again for the incredible landscape and each time my Michigan bucket list grows longer rather than shorter.

When I went away to college at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, I was very excited for the beautiful campus. I got the dorm I wanted that sat right on Thompson Lake and walked through Thompson Woods each day to the student center and classes. There was also an arboretum just south of campus that I enjoyed walking at.

On a hike in San Diego circa May 2023 I ran into a pickle. Ahead of me lay a sloped sandstone ledge about a foot wide with a dropoff maybe 12 feet down into a rockbed. I saw nothing to hold on to if I started to fall. I'd already been sliding and now the risk to continue forward felt maybe too great...

On today’s show, we explore the spiritual connections in Goose music, lyrics, and fans. We touch on Rick’s experiences with Hari Krishna and the healing power of music and are joined by Nikki Jones, who is researching the “Yoga of Goose”.