In this entertaining series of driving tours, John Toren takes us from the Boundary Waters to the Mississippi Valley, from the Mesabi Iron Range to Pipestone, with plenty of insights into the state√s geography, history and culture.

John Toren was born in Minneapolis, raised in the town of Mahtomedi, and eventually received degrees in both history and anthropology from the University of Minnesota. In recent decades he and his wife, Hilary, have traveled to many far-flung places in Europe and the United States. A few of those adventures are described in his books. Over the years Toren has lectured on subjects as diverse as flamenco culture and bird-watching, and has taught a course on Minnesota geography in the LearningLife program of the University of Minnesota. His articles and reviews have appeared in the History Channel Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, Twin Cities Magazine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Minneapolis Observer, Rain Taxi, the Star-Tribune and other publications.