CategorySGM Archive

Thank you for visiting the Squeaky Green Machine Archive

Squeaky Green Machine: The Ramblings of a Self-Proclaimed Tree Hugger was born in 2013 as a way for me to capture my non-adventures in everyday life. That first post led to hundreds until my pen unexpectedly took me on a new writing journey. While my notebooks are still filled with ramblings from a self-proclaimed tree hugger, their content has gone in a very different direction. I hope you enjoy the archive of original SGM content as well as fresh scribblings directly from me in the future.

A Visit to St. Croix State Park

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Our first camping trip as adults was at St. Croix State Park in 2006. One of the most popular state parks in Minnesota, it was a favorite camping destination for my family when I was a kid. A relatively short drive from home with lots of hiking, bike and canoe rentals, and interpretive activities, they also had a little store in case you forgot anything. We decided this was the perfect location...

The Tragic Crash of Flight 307

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Nestled in the trees along a quiet section of Minnehaha Parkway is a beautiful memorial that is such a natural part of the landscape, it’s easy to miss. I finally noticed this big rock as I drove by on my scooter several months ago and pulled over to investigate thoroughly stumped. How could I have missed this memorial for so long? It turned out to be a tragic story with a fairly recent...

A Walk to Remember: Tongass

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We were disappointed to wake up to a rainy and overcast day on the morning we were supposed to hike in Tongass National Forest to see Mendenhall Glacier. It wasn’t long before we learned that it’s almost always raining in Juneau, Alaska because it’s located in a temperate rain forest – the largest in the northern hemisphere. Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt, over 17 million acres...

Visiting the North Pole

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I went to the North Pole. Santa has been living in Alaska my entire life and I had no idea. I should preface this post by saying that I LOVE Santa. When I was a kid, I was encouraged to leave cookies for Santa and was always so excited when he would leave me a note in return. Some years, he would leave one of the cookies behind with a perfectly shaped bite taken out of it; this filled me with a...

Two Minnesotans Meet Angel Rocks

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One of the hardest parts of vacation for me is being away from my little dog, but he’s having his own adventure with his new best friend – the house sitter. When she arrived, he greeted her with an enthusiasm and zeal that he reserves for those he truly loves, I knew he would be in great hands. After a quick check to make sure their vacation was off on the right foot, we headed into the Alaskan...

Heidi Van Heel

Heidi Van Heel

Writer, freelancer, and believer in magic living in Minneapolis. In my free time, I love reading, exploring the great outdoors, and experimenting in the kitchen.

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