Vacation Report

I just returned from what I call vacation but others would call masochistic torture. A five-night solo canoe trip in the BWCAW. That’s why I’m rested, refreshed, and exhausted. 😉 It’s a difficult way to relax. But for some crazy reason I still haven’t figured out, I LOVE the challenge, both mentally and physically. The rewards can be spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime type moments and experiences. The rewards can also be as simple as tolerating hordes of black flies without going mad. Or returning home safely without serious injury.

I had no special moments other than seeing more Trumpeter swans flying and floating and trumpeting in six days than I’ve cumulatively seen before in my lifetime. They seem to be thriving in canoe country. Or, I was never in the right place at the right time to see them. The moon went full during my trip which helps with night-time vision since campfires weren’t allowed until my last day. Thanks to the young father and his adorable 4-yr-old son I met on a portage who had heard the ban had been lifted just before entering the wilderness and told me the news.

PHOTOS

For those of you who are unfamiliar with canoe country, here are a few pictures to tease your curiosity. Wood and Indiana Lakes are both in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness–not in Indiana. If these photos pique your interest in doing a canoe trip yourself, here’s an excellent website that’s a good resource for learning about canoe camping: https://bwca.com

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TWO BIG EVENTS IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS

I’m looking forward to meeting readers and customers and selling and signing copies of Straight River, Castle Danger, and Cooked to Death, Vol. V: Restaurant in Peace.

The weather looks great for the wonderful outdoor street fair, Mainstreet Day in Downtown Hopkins MN this Saturday, Sept. 25, from 9 am-4 pm. I’ll have my booth on the north side of Main Street between 10th and 11th Avenues (the same spot I was in for the Raspberry Festival Marketplace. Click HERE for details.

Also, if you’re in southern Minnesota, northern Iowa, eastern South Dakota, or western Wisconsin, don’t miss me at the Deep Valley Book Festival in Mankato MN on Saturday, Oct. 2 from 9:30 am -3 pm at the Loose Moose Conference Center in downtown Mankato. The DVBF is becoming a seriously popular regional book festival and will feature more than 30 regional authors, keynote speaker Will Weaver, author panels, and more. For more information, click HERE.

ANOTHER REASON TO BECOME A NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBER

I’m so excited, I’m about to burst! I just decided on the cover for my third Matt Lanier thriller, Dangerous Straits. My cover designer, Carl Graves of ExtendedImagery.com is an absolute master at his craft. He may have outdone himself with this cover. If you’re as eager to see the new cover as I am to share it, you need to subscribe to my monthly newsletter by signing up in the box in the upper right corner of this page.