Today's hike explores where and how North Dakota's agricultural Indigenous people traditionally farmed It’s a beautiful, sunny morning in Mandan, North Dakota. I sit by the confluence of the Missouri and Heart Rivers and watch the sun rise behind a bank of clouds while dozens of families of Canada geese swim upstream in stately lines—one big one, two to five adolescents that are starting to get their adult feathers, and another big one. Here's the view of the confluence fro

I couldn't go to North Dakota without stopping by Brown's Ranch! June 22, 2026 Gabe Brown is arguably one of the most famous regenerative farmers in America—if not the world. He’s been featured in the films Kiss the Ground and Common Ground, and his book Dirt to Soil is one of the foundation texts of the modern regenerative movement. All the other farmers I talked to in North Dakota hold Gabe in awe, admitting that his soil looks better than theirs but not sure exactly how

Golden Valley County was one of the first areas to adopt no-till on a large scale June 22, 2026 I wake up as soon as it gets light and pack up my wet tent. It’s beautiful and sunny this morning, with no wind. I’m not due at the farm I’ll be touring until 8:00 a.m., so I decide to stretch my legs on the short Wind Canyon nature trail. There’s nobody there at 5:30 a.m.; I have the beautiful scenery all to myself. On the way there, I drive right through a bison cow-calf herd.

I've been wanting to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park for eighteen years, and I'm finally here! June 20, 2026 This is one of the most amazing scenic drives I’ve ever been on. I’m stopping at every pullout, snapping photos of the ever-changing scenery. The badlands in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park are huge and colorful, and every twist in the road reveals something new. Look at those tan-and-black stripes! That bluff is slumped sideways! Here’s some

I was excited to discover that Penn's Cave is still open and offers the same boat tour that the Keene family went on many years ago Penns Creek arises out of one end of a large cave hidden under a cornfield. It simply wells up, full blown, almost frighteningly, from somewhere underground. Several times when our girls were young we went to see Penns Cave and take a ride through it by boat. The boat was carried along on the water by that incredible fountain arising from out of