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Several years ago, a freelance photographer and I would team up to send out queries. Some were masterpieces, a couple of pages each, with headlines, decks, and quotes. On one carefully crafted proposal, my photographer friend impulsively added a handwritten postscript, apropos of nothing: "How about a story about fossils?!"
Hours later, the editor called back: What about fossils? And she made the assignment.
On the chance lightning strikes twice, how about a story about—
Lake Superior. Sea kayaking unlocks the beauty and power of the world's greatest lake and it's easy and safe enough for most people to try. For a great introduction, go to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin. For adventure, try Pukaskwa National Park or the Nipigon Islands in Ontario.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. More than a million acres of lakes, streams, and portages make a perfect playground for canoeists. Fishing for northern pike, walleyes, smallmouth bass, and lake trout can be spectacular. Outfitters at the perimeter of the federal wilderness area can help plan and supply your trip.
Savoring Saunas. The ancient rite of the sweat lodge is the key to enjoying the pine-studded Finnish countryside. The lessons are best taught at the Finnish Sauna Society on an island on the outskirts of Helsinki.
Lodge-to-Lodge Skiing. Combine the brick invigoration of cross-country skiing with the relaxation of spending each evening at a different lodge, with good meals, a sauna, and warm fire. Where to find it? In northeastern Minnesota, along the north shore of Lake Superior.
Magnificent Mississippi. We think of the nation's river as muddy and gray, an industrial sump, but much of it is beautiful, a haven for wildlife and top-notch stream to float for smallmouth bass.
Reality Bites! Sure, the natural environment may be going to hell, but for some notable predators, things haven't looked better for a century. Gray wolves, black bears, and cougars are expanding their range as white-tailed deer multiply like never before.
Chasing Teddy's Ghost. "It was a land of vast, silent spaces," wrote future president Teddy Roosevelt. He had first laid eyes on the Dakota Territory in 1883, when he stepped off the train to hunt buffalo. Before he climbed back aboard the train a few weeks later, he had bought into a cattle operation and formed a bond with the land that would last a lifetime. The landscape that so engaged Roosevelt is now Theodore Roosevelt National Parkmore than 70,000 acres of prairie, hardwood draws, gullies, and buttes.
Discovering the Japan Alps. Just a half-day from Tokyo, travelers can find beautiful mountains, historic towns, and generous people.
The Land of the South China Tiger. The tiger is extinct, scientists say. But its spirit lingers in mountain trails, coursing rivers, waterfalls, tea plantations, and the spirited people boldly forging a modern China.
Let's talk about story ideas. E-mail Greg Breining or call 651-644-4164.