Illinois Pumpkins: America's Gourd Capital

Wisconsin is widely celebrated as “America’s Dairyland,” a title it earned through centuries of dedication to dairy farming and the production of world-class cheeses. The state is one of the leading producers of cheese in the United States, boasting a diverse and sophisticated industry that ranges from massive industrial production to small-scale artisanal cheesemaking. Wisconsin’s unique climate and fertile lands provide the ideal environment for high-quality pasture-raised milk, which serves as the foundation for the state’s famous varieties, including sharp cheddars, creamy mozzarellas, and specialty farmhouse cheeses. The popularity of Wisconsin cheese extends far beyond its borders, with the “Wisconsin Cheese” brand serving as a hallmark of quality in national and international markets. The state’s cheese industry is characterized by a robust cooperative system and a commitment to innovation, with many producers focusing on “farm-to-table” practices. This dedication to quality has fostered a rich culinary culture where cheese is not just a commodity but a staple of the state’s identity, found in everything from a Friday fish fry plate to sophisticated charcuterie boards. For those looking to experience the heart of Wisconsin’s dairy culture, the best time to visit is during the peak of the festival season in the summer months (June through September). These months host numerous cheese festivals and “Cheese Trails” where visitors can tour creameries, sample fresh curds, and learn about the aging process. Notable events include the Green County Cheese Days in Monroe, the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute, Colby Cheese Days in Colby, and various county fairs that highlight local agricultural achievements. The Squeak # I love cheese, and cheese curds most of all. When I was a kid, they were a lot harder to find outside of Wisconsin, so getting a bag of fresh curds was a real treat. Now they’re in grocery stores and on restaurant menus all over the Midwest, usually battered and fried, but I still think the fresh ones are the best. If you’ve never had fresh curds, they’re the young, unaged pieces of cheese that are cut from the curd before it gets pressed into a block of cheddar. The sign of a truly fresh curd is the squeak. Long, elastic protein strands in the fresh cheese rub against your teeth and make a little squeaking sound. That squeak fades within a day or two, and refrigeration speeds it up. Many Wisconsinners will tell you that curds should never go in the fridge on the first day. A few seconds in the microwave can bring back a little bit of the squeak. The best place to get them is straight from a cheese factory or a farm stand in Wisconsin, ideally the same day they were made. If you’re driving through, look for the signs. You won’t have to look hard. Thanks to some in-laws and extended family, my go-to is Pine River Dairy.

Most roads close for construction. One road in Southern Illinois closes for snakes. Snake Road is the nickname for Forest Service Road 345, a 2.5-mile gravel stretch of LaRue Road in Union County, Illinois, inside the Shawnee National Forest. It runs along the bottom of the Pine Hills, with 150-foot limestone bluffs on one side and LaRue Swamp on the other. That layout is the whole story. Snakes, salamanders, frogs, and turtles spend the winter tucked into cracks and crevices in the bluffs, then move to the swamp in spring to feed and breed. In fall, they head back to the rocks. The road sits right in the middle of their commute. Until 1972, the road was open to traffic year-round, and a lot of animals didn’t make it across. The U.S. Forest Service started closing the road during migration, and those closures were eventually stretched to about two months each season to cover the early and late travelers. Today the road is closed to vehicles roughly March 15 to May 15 and September 1 to October 30. The Forest Service will move the dates when the weather calls for it; in 2025, a warm spell pushed the spring closure up a few days. If you’re reading this on the day it was posted, the fall closure is still on. All of this raises an important legal question: does a snake count as a pedestrian? The word comes from the Latin pes, meaning “foot,” and snakes are working with zero of those. The Forest Service has wisely decided not to argue the point and just gives them the right of way. Closed to cars doesn’t mean closed to people. Visitors are welcome to walk the road during migration, and that’s the best time to go. It’s an easy, flat walk on gravel, and the trip takes an hour or two each way depending on how often you stop to look at things in the leaves. Why This Spot Matters # Snake Road runs through the LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area, about 2,800 acres that became the nation’s 250th Research Natural Area in 1991. The surrounding area was also named a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1974. The Forest Service sets these areas aside for research and long-term protection, not for development. The numbers are what make this place unusual. According to the Forest Service: About 66% of Illinois’s known amphibian species and 59% of its reptile species are found here. More than 1,350 species of plants and animals live in the area, spread across 14 different natural communities. Roughly 35 species of snakes have been recorded here, along with about 90% of the state’s mammal species and 173 kinds of birds. Part of the reason is geography. This corner of Illinois is where a lot of different habitats bump into each other: Ozark-style hills, southern swamps, upland forest, and patches of prairie, all within walking distance. Animals from the south reach their northern limit here, and animals from the north reach their southern limit. You get a little of everything. What You Might See # The usual list includes copperheads, western cottonmouths, eastern hognose snakes, rat snakes, racers, ribbon snakes, and several kinds of water snakes. Spotted salamanders, bullfrogs, and eastern box turtles show up too. Bobcats, bald eagles, and Mississippi kites live in the area, though they’re less likely to pose for a photo. Two of those snakes, the copperhead and the cottonmouth, are venomous. Neither one is looking for trouble. The practical advice is the same as with most wildlife: watch where you step, look before you put your hand on a rock or log, and if you see a venomous snake, give it room and back away slowly. Long pants and real shoes beat shorts and sandals here. The Rules # The rules are short and the Forest Service takes them seriously: No collecting of any kind. That includes plants, rocks, and animals. No catching, handling, herding, or harassing snakes, or anything else that lives there. Unauthorized collecting and handling of these species is illegal under both federal and state law. Stay out of the way and let the animals cross. During migration, the Forest Service often has trained “Snake Sentinel” volunteers on the road. They help identify species, collect data, and answer questions. If you don’t know what you’re looking at, they are the people to ask. Getting There # Park at the small gravel lot at Winters Pond, which holds about 15 vehicles. On a nice weekend in April or October, it fills up early, so plan accordingly. From Jonesboro: Take Illinois Route 146 west about 8 miles to Route 3. Go north on Route 3 about 8 miles to Muddy Levee Road, then east about 3 miles to LaRue Road. Turn right at the T into the Winters Pond lot. From Murphysboro: Take Illinois Route 149 west about 7 miles to Route 3. Go south on Route 3 about 14 miles to Muddy Levee Road, then east about 3 miles to LaRue Road. Turn right at the T into the Winters Pond lot. Cell service is spotty in this part of the forest. Download a map before you leave home. The nearest hospital is St. Joseph’s in Murphysboro. A Note From the Trail # I’ve hiked and camped in the Shawnee National Forest, and I’ll be honest: I didn’t see a single snake. Depending on your feelings about cottonmouths, that’s either a disappointment or a relief. What I did see was some of the best scenery in the Midwest, and it surprises people who think Illinois is nothing but cornfields and Chicago. The highlight was the Garden of the Gods on the eastern side of the forest, where sandstone bluffs and rock formations like Camel Rock stick up out of the trees and look out over miles of rolling hills. It’s roughly a two-hour drive from Snake Road, so it’s hard to do both in one day, but if you’re camping for a weekend, plan on both. Go to Snake Road for the wildlife and the Garden of the Gods for the view. If you want to make a day of it, the Pine Hills area has bluff-top overlooks of the Mississippi River valley, including Inspiration Point. Clear Springs Wilderness, the River to River Trail, Oakwood Bottoms, and the Pine Hills Campground are all close by. The Takeaway # It would be easy to pave the road, open it up, and accept some roadkill as a cost of doing business. Instead, a few times a year, people agree to park the car and walk. That’s a small inconvenience, and it has kept one of the most diverse spots in the Midwest working the way it has for thousands of years. Not every problem needs a big solution. Sometimes you just close the gate for a couple of months.

Michigan is a powerhouse of American pomology, consistently ranking as a leading producer of both apples and cherries. The state’s diverse climate, particularly the “lake effect” provided by the Great Lakes, creates a unique growing environment that supports a vast array of fruit varieties. Michigan’s apple production is a cornerstone of its agricultural economy, with the West Michigan region alone accounting for a significant portion of the state’s total output. The state is home to popular cultivars such as Gala, Honeycrisp, and Fuji, which are staples in grocery stores and orchards across the Midwest. The cherry industry in Michigan is equally prestigious, with the state holding the title of the nation’s leading producer of tart cherries. (Washington grows more sweet cherries.) The Traverse Bay region is particularly renowned as a hotspot for cherry production, earning nearby cities the nickname “Cherry Capital of the World.” Michigan is especially famous for its tart Montmorency cherries, which are highly sought after for their culinary versatility in pies, preserves, and fruit wines. The high demand for these fruits has made Michigan a central hub for both commercial agricultural trade and regional tourism. For those interested in experiencing the harvest firsthand, the timing of the visit depends on the specific fruit: Apples: The peak harvest typically occurs between August and November. This makes the fall season the ideal time to visit Michigan’s numerous orchards, cideries, and “U-Pick” farms. Cherries: The cherry season is shorter and takes place during the summer, with the peak harvest generally running from June through August. This is the prime time to visit the northern parts of the state, particularly the Traverse City area, which hosts the annual National Cherry Festival. A Lap Around Lake Michigan # When I was a kid, my family took a road trip all the way around Lake Michigan. Driving around it is the best way to understand how big it really is. It takes days, and it changes the whole way around: city skylines, steel mills, sand dunes, small beach towns, forests, and long stretches where the lake looks more like an ocean than anything you’d expect in the middle of the country. One of the highlights was stopping in Michigan to get cherries. It’s one of those small, simple memories that stuck with me, and it’s a big part of why I think of Michigan as fruit country. If you’re planning your own lap around the lake, time it for cherry season in July, and leave room in the car for a few quarts. Farm stands and U-pick orchards along the Michigan shoreline make it easy to stop.