Today’s post is 1150 words, 34 photos, a 5 minute read. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

This week in the first of two posts, I take you to the Driftless Area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa to see the landscape of the high bluffs and river valleys. But first a little background.

Madeline Island School of the Arts

It all began in the fall of 2015 when a group of photographers from around the USA gathered at the Madeleine Island School of the Arts (MISA) for a photography workshop led by Brenda Tharp. Some of my earliest blog posts I wrote and shared photos of were from Madeline Island. Click here, here, here, here, and here to see and read a few of those articles.

Anyway, the workshop group bonded and began to have an annual photography reunion. I attended the reunion at Taos, New Mexico, Death Valley, California, and in 2023 in Northeast Texas where I missed most of the fun because I came down with COVID. You can check out a few of those posts here, here, and here.

Sometime in 2022, we began getting together monthly via Zoom to share a photograph that is meaningful to the photographer and how, when, why, and where it came to be. It’s a nice way to stay connected and share our passion for photography.

This year, it was decided the reunion would be held in The Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, and northeastern Iowa. Five of the group met up and spent most of four days exploring and photographing the beautiful scenery of this unique area. But first, a little about the Driftless.

The Driftless

The Driftless Area of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois was never glaciated during the last Ice Age. This left the terrain rugged and undulating with high bluffs and narrow river valleys. The Mississippi River passes through the Driftless gathering the water from snow melt and rain. The vegetation varies from tallgrass prairie on the ridgetops to maple, oak, and basswood forests on the slopes and valleys. In modern times, much of the flattest land has been cleared of trees and turned into farm fields and pastures. The most rugged, steep parts of the Driftless have been largely left alone albeit logging some areas has provided fuel for heat and income.

Photographing and Camaraderie

It was early on a mid-October Sunday when I loaded up the Red Rover (my red F-150) and began my drive to The Driftless. Madison is situated on the far eastern edge of The Driftless so when I turned onto Highway 14 westbound, I was soon seeing the limestone bluffs and flat sandy farmland along the road. The further west I went the more rugged the terrain became. I crossed the Wisconsin River at Spring Green and the mighty Mississippi at La Crosse into Minnesota. The day was cool, breezy, and partly cloudy.

After a lunch stop at the Minnesota Information Center, I headed south on Highway 28 to 16 where I turned towards Lanesboro where the MISA group would meet up later in the afternoon. At the info center, the attendant offered a few ideas for me to stop at to make photographs. One of those places was Magelssen Bluff Park near the village of Rushford, population about 1800. After a couple of false starts, I found the entrance to the 175 foot bluff that offers a panoramic view of the landscape below. 

In this photo, note the Root River that meanders through The Driftless for 80 miles before spilling into the Mississippi River. Most of the soybeans field had been harvested and the corn harvest was just beginning.

Further down the road, I pulled into the village of Peterson, population a little over 200, for photos of the Root River and the cornfield.

Lanesboro

Upon entering the town of Lanesboro, Minnesota, population about 725,  one can’t help but think how pretty of a town this is. This artsy town is located on a big bend in the Root River and on the Root River State Trail that attracts those interested in fishing, canoeing, biking, and hiking. Many of the businesses exist to serve those sorts of customers. I took a walking tour around town to snap a few photos.

After everyone arrived and checked into The Cottage House Inn, we found a place to have dinner, get caught up on news, and talk photography. The next morning we headed out to do some photography around Lanesboro before making our way to La Crosse. Here are a few photos I took on that excursion.

We drove some back country roads, stopping when we saw something interesting like cemeteries, a wildlife preserve, and of course more of the Root River.

One of the other photographers pointed out a mistake on this headstone made in the late 1800s. Can you find it? Hint: how many days in September?

On the way to La Crosse, another photographer and I detoured to a country church where a new headstone was installed to honor his father-in-law. The South Ridge United Methodist Church is located on Chicken Ridge Road near La Crescent, Minnesota. I had a chuckle over the address and wondered how it got its name. We walked around the cemetery remarking on some of the interesting names and dates of birth and death.

On the way back to La Crescent and La Crosse, the sun was going down creating what photographers call the “Golden Hour.” That’s when the light creates a warm hue and long shadows. We stopped along the road for some photos of these cornfields planted on the contour. I rather liked the results. Look close to see the shadows of two photographers in the photo. Sometimes, we get in our own way!

LaCrosse

La Crosse, Wisconsin, population about 52,000, is a college town on the Mississippi River. It’s surrounded by high bluffs (about 500 feet) that provide panoramic views of the valley below. It serves as a regional hub for education, healthcare, shopping, and transportation with the Mississippi River, the railroad, and major highways. Tourism is also an important part of economy. It is home to Kwik Trip with over 800 C-stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa; and City Brewing, formerly Heileman Old Style Brewing, a favorite among locals. There’s a lot to see and do in the La Crosse area.

That evening, we met up with members of the La Crosse Area Camera Club for dinner and more photography talk. When planning this trip, we asked them for some help in identifying places and things to photograph. I have a couple of friends in the club and have met some of their members over the years. They were a great help to us. In fact, they took us out that evening for some night photography. On another day, they met us for breakfast and spent most of the day taking us around the sites in La Crosse. Here’s a few of those night photos.

That will do it for this week. Next week, I’ll take you out for an early morning excursion on the Mississippi River and some of the sites in and around La Crosse.

Until then, happy travels!

Tom

PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM