Presentations

Mike and Margo spent 24 days on New Zealand’s South Island last Jan & Feb, cleverly avoiding the MN Vortex! We spent the first week swimming with dolphins, kayaking the Tasman Sea and hiking Abel Tasman the Nat’l Park where we stayed in wilderness hut bunks several nights near the ocean. We then drove to Christchurch for a two-week tour with THRIVE ADVENTURES and 5 new friends. Highlights included an overnight boat trip on Doubtful Sound and a day in Milford Sound. We hiked on the Routeburn Trak, zip-lined in Queenstown, visited Franz Joseph Glacier, and other spectacular mountain and glacial lake scenery. We stayed at a great rental home on the ocean near Pancake Rocks that could accommodate 13 Rovers on a future expedition!

Presented by Mike H. & Margo H.

A photo journey through some popular backpacking trails on Isle Royale National Park one of our nation’s most remote, yet easily accessible, national parks. And no presentation about Isle Royale would be complete without an update on the wolf reintroduction program.

Presented by Audrey S.

We will show pictures of the hike up 12,749 ft Snow Mountain and where we trained for the hike, for example Taroko Gorge, Elephant Mountain, and a few other places.

Presented by Mike and Nori

During the 2018 summer solstice, we took a 7-day trip around Iceland via the Ring Road.  Learn about planning a ring road trip, suggested routes, and of course, pictures.

Presented by Josh Brand

I’ve been riding since the moment my parents discovered that sugar was enough motivation to keep me on a bike seat for few hours. Thousands of miles and hundreds of lemon drops later I’ve realized that the time I spent on the road helped mold me into the person I am today.

Following my father’s (Bil Gangl) 2008 diagnosis, my family experienced an outpouring of support for my Dad’s battle with cancer. At this point in my life I have discovered a deep urge to give back to the people and institutions that were the rudders throughout our family’s journey. They worked tirelessly, exhausted every treatment solution, stayed optimistic, and offered patience in a time of shock, confusion, and panic. The moments that me, my family, and all of his friends, students, and co-workers had with my father following his diagnosis wouldn’t have been possible without these miracle workers by his side. That is all the motivation that I needed to ride 5,024 miles over three months, spanning 13 states on one of the greatest adventures in my life. All this in honor of my father and to raise nearly $13,000 for the Bil Gangl Memorial Fund at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. This fund enables the true heros at Regions to be able to continue to serve these families and offer a brief respite through dinners, trips to see loved ones, or whatever it takes to bring comfort to the ones that need it most. It would be an absolute honor to share this story, stories of my father, a St. Bernards alum, with the Rovers.

Presented by Joe Gangl

As befits a country that has been densely populated since Neolithic times, England is criss-crossed with long-distance hiking paths, ranging from short local rail-trails of 8 to 10 miles, to the 630 mile Southwest Coast Path. The terrain includes high moorland studded with dramatic tors, escarpments, and deep valleys, as well as flower covered woodlands and marshy river bottoms. This is a sampling of four that we encountered on recent Rover trips: The Cotswold Way, The Shropshire Way, The Limestone Way, and The Thames Path.

Presented by Bob Jarvis

Join me as I share the highlights of my 5 months and 20k miles exploring Alaska. From mishaps along the Alcan, too-close for comfort animal encounters, and the many adventures in between, I’ll give you a glimpse of what my life was like in the Northland. I’ll share my travel tips and also my itinerary for the September 2020 Rovers trip.

Presented by Kyra S.

Everyone says not to trek in Nepal in the monsoon season. But this mother-daughter pair spent 6 days on a “teahouse trek” in June, going up to 12,000 feet in green mountains, with views of white peaks. A guide and a porter completed the group.  Antonia (age 19) and Deborah (59) show photos and have suggestions for anyone thinking of planning a trek.

Four compadres challenged the Patagonian terrain of South America during February-March 2019.  Three day-hikes and a visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier of Los Glacieres National Park were warmups for the main event, hiking the famous 80-mile “O Circuit” of Torres del Paine National Park.  We will “walk” you through the planning and completion of our adventure, as well as show some sites, scenes, and residents.

Presented by Mike Sweet & Jennifer Frost

Karen will talk about her experience volunteering at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. She will also talk about National Park and National Forest opportunities and how you can get involved.

Presentation by Karen Klein

The Rossport Islands are part of the Canadian Lake Superior Marine Conservation Area part of the northern most part of Lake Superior. It is very remote and has fewer visitors than even 10 years ago, but it is a gem with isolated campsites, some with saunas. We visited the mysterious pseudo-nation of Nirivia. We saw amazing rock formations, caves, and sea arches. We rafted up kayaks and used a tarp to sail up part of the Nipigon Strait. We caught and ate fresh fish from the lake. This is a trip that skilled sea kayakers could plan on their own, although there are several guides and outfitters who plan trips in this area.

Presented by Fran Lesicko

Spectacular views are the hallmark of the Cleveland Way along the 108 miles of its horseshoe-shaped route around the edge of the North York Moors.   This area of magnificent moorland, dale and coastal scenery was designated as a National Park in 1952 but it wasn’t until 1969 that the trail was finally completed. There are tour companies that provide different packages for many of England’s walks, including the Cleveland Way, but we decided to do all the planning ourselves and carry our own packs!

Presented by Bev M.

I’d heard many comments about the bike ride called Ragbrai. The simplest comment was that it’s a big bike ride in Iowa. Another comment was that it’s the biggest biking party around. That last one turned me off, since it gave images of loud partying far into the night. That’s not my style. But when some other Rovers asked me to join them on Ragbrai, I gave it a try. Now, my comment about Ragbrai is that I’ve toured across many states and countries on my own and in groups, but there’s nothing like Ragbrai, in the best of ways. I was part of at least 10,000 cyclists going over quiet roads in Iowa and through small farming towns, with each one giving a festival for cyclists.

Presented by Steven Malikowski

Learn from the experience of 5 Rovers who successfully thru hiked the Border Route Trail in September, 2019.  Josh Brand will explain what to consider when planning a Border Route Trail thru hike and Cheryl Batson will share our experiences from the trail.  If you’re thinking about visiting the Border Route Trail, then this is for you!

Tour Europe’s most historic river, with stops in 5 UNESCO world heritage sites, castles, mansions, cathedrals, medieval cities, and an all day e-bike through the Black Forest to a mountain farm.

Presented by John Elliott

A couple of Rovers traveled back to the Grand Canyon to experience it from a different perspective. They visited many of the most photographed spots around the Canyon including a few buildings that were built by a famous architect that grew up in St. Paul, MN.  Come see the sites such as the North & South Rim, Horseshoe Bend, Lakes Powell & Mead, the West Rim and the critters we saw along the way.

Presented by Jen O.

Denny Caneff (Executive Director of the Superior Hiking Trail Association) will discuss the Superior Hiking Trail Association’s Trail Renewal Program — what it means for trail users, the Association itself, and for the land and water the Trail passes over.

Doug will present a slideshow of a guided boat/bike trip he took in the northern Netherlands May of 2019. The bucolic countryside starts just outside Amsterdam and provided beautiful views of dikes, seashores, small towns, tulip fields, and forests. A very bike-friendly country, peddling was safe, enjoyable and fascinating.

Presented by Doug Johnson

Several years ago I saw a photo of a friend at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland and knew that one day I had to go there myself. In August 2019 I went on a 19-day trip to Northern Ireland to achieve my dream. The Irish people are amazingly helpful and friendly and I learned as much about history and politics as I did about the beauty of the island. No car; I relied on busses, trains, and hiking.

I started with three days in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland. I walked the intact medieval city walls built during 1613-1618, visited the Free Derry Museum, and viewed Bogside murals painted on the sides of houses during “The Troubles” – the bloody struggles of the late 1960s until the late 1990s.

The second part was a supported, but self-guided, point to point 8-day hiking adventure. I walked in Glenariff Forest, took a ferry to Rathlin Island, and hiked to Carrick-a-Rede and to Giant’s Causeway. I saw waterfalls, clifftop trails, hills, islands, rock formations, and beautiful beaches, shared walking trails with sheep and cows, and climbed innumerable stiles separating fields. Finally, I arrived at the famous World Heritage site Giant’s Causeway, and stayed an extra day.

Finally, I spent four days in Donegal Town, Donegal, Republic of Ireland. It is a very old port and the former centre of government for the O’Donnells from the 15th to the 17th century, with a ruined castle, ancient abbey and graveyard.  It is a lively music and tourist center and the beginning of the Blue Stack Mountains Way hiking trail.

I was nervous about taking the trip by myself but prepared well and relied on friendly travelers and Irish people. I can’t wait to share my photos with you!

Presented by Joannie J.

Come see all the work that has been accomplished so far!  All the initial buckthorn on the lot has been removed! Lots of invasive work has been done and is beginning to be under control.  Many natives have naturally come up on their own now.  See the future goals and challenges and see where we are going on 2020!

Presented by Cheryl Batson