Hidden in the middle of the Upper Midwest lies an area that is home to cliffs, caves, sinkholes, natural springs, breathing hills, crystal clear trout streams, rare rattlesnakes, bald eagles galore, goat prairies, Native American effigy mounds, Amish horse and buggies, and rock outcrops half a billion years old. Bigger than Vermont and New Hampshire combined, it's called the Driftless Area, a unique ecological anomaly that the glaciers missed during the last Ice Age. It also comprises some of the most breathtaking paddling trips in the country - thousands of miles total, including the mighty Mississippi River, which acts as a kind of spine connecting southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa to southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois. Come join Timothy Bauer, self-confessed Driftless advocate and local author, to learn of the area's unique charisma and myriad charms. No flyover country here, you'll be dazzled and delighted by the gorgeous geology here in our own backyard.

Ever paddle down to a bridge and realize that you left your form of transportation at a different bridge - or at a wholly different river? Ever leave your boat at a bridge, run the shuttle, and discover that someone had stolen your boat in the meantime? Yeah, us neither. But ask Timothy, and that’s another story - several stories, actually. If tragedy plus time equals comedy, come be regaled by a smorgasbord of schadenfreude as Timothy shares his “pro” tips on what NOT to do while paddling in equal parts amusing and bemusing. Reciprocating saw? Check. Chainsaw? Shoot. Is that barbed wire or electric? Both? Oh, boy. Anyone know where the keys are? Phone, wallet? Where’s the dry bag? How wise is it to drive two hours to an obscure river that hasn’t received rain in, um, weeks? Whether you laugh or cry, you’ll probably wonder why - or how - he still loves paddling as much as he does, let alone to have written a book about it and be working on another one.