Temperatures in Chicago and Minneapolis plunged to -27° F during the brutal Polar Vortex of 2019. Across the Midwest and East, schools closed, flights were grounded, and mail delivery was suspended. People were warned to stay indoors to avoid near-immediate frostbite. Stay indoors? Oh please, not that. Even for those of us lucky enough not […]

We stepped through the door of the stone Glenfarclas warehouse into a gust of whisky-scented air. They call it the angel’s share—the portion of whisky that evaporates from its cask into the atmosphere. I filled my enraptured nose and listened for a rustling of wings in the rafters. Later, around the distillery’s tasting table with […]

Locals call them “speed goats.” Now you see them, now you don’t. In a minute, they can be a mile gone. Pronghorns are the fastest land mammals in North America, capable of impressive speed and endurance. They can sprint away from predators at 60 miles per hour, and keep running for miles at speeds of […]