Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Rice Lake NWR is the proud host of the disabled deer hunt. Refuge hunt volunteers service up to twenty deer hunters with a range of disabilities, from blindness to quadriplegics. While the hunters use various aids to hunt with including, personal aides and air blow tubes, the event is more about the deer camp experience. The hunters socialize, dine on venison, play cards, and tell stories. Sometimes they just enjoy nature, even if it's just sitting in the woods alone. It's a kind of peace, serenity and healing that non-disabled people have access to, but more often than not, take for granted.

Duluth, Grand Marais, Superior Forest, Lake Superior
Dubbed by VisitDuluth.com as "a slice of heaven for outdoor enthusiasts," Valerie found Duluth on Lake Superior to be just what she needed - a prescription for vacation. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. Minnesota boasts 90,000 miles of lake and river shoreline, more shoreline than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined.

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
The largest urban refuge in the nation, Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a hidden jewel in the heart of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Valerie found it to be an easy day trip escape from urban stress.

Thomas Lake Native Prairie and Park, Eagan, MN
In the heart of a suburban neighborhood, Valerie and crew found a hidden retreat with trails that stretch for miles.

Gooseberry Falls
On the way home from a shoot at the Superior National Forest, Valerie and crew stopped over at the beautiful Gooseberry Falls.

Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan looks and feels like the ocean in the Midwest. Valerie and crew unwind on the coast.

Taylor's Falls
A riverboat tour on the St. Croix is a scenic paradise for the Just Escape crew.