The Minnesconsin/Wiscosota Podcast

Bib overalls, stocking caps, sturdy boots and an abundance of jackets. Mark and Keith discuss the unique look for fashion-forward Wiscosota living. Field report: Mark files a driveby field report from the beautiful riverside town of Alma, Wisconsin. Honk! Honk!

Keith read her books in elementary school. Mark watched her TV show in the 70s. From Lake Pepin to Walnut Grove and beyond Laura Ingalls Wilder is a Minnesconsin/Wiscosota legend. Field report: Keith nearly freezes to death in his sleep during a failed attempt to photograph the Milky Way.

Minnesconsin is INFESTED with ticks and bugs. Mark and Keith share terrifying wood tick encounters and sudden bee attack stories. Spray yourself with Deep Woods Off and tune in. From the Essay Booth: Mark looks back on missing a rare winter event on Lake Superior.

Mark and Keith take a virtual road trip to the beautiful and historic Mississippi River town of Red Wing. Grab a backpack and climb Barn Bluff with the boys. Keith records his first walk of Season 2 with Henry... or should we call it a run?

Minnesconsin and Wiscosota are home to - not one - but two of the largest balls of twine in the world. Quaint hobbies? tourist attractions? Just plain weird? Mark and Keith discuss.

Mark and Keith investigate the origins of the region's most famous dinner: The Fish Fry. Where can you find the best Fish Fry in Minnesconsin/Wiscosota. Mark files a field report from a cross-country skiing adventure in Superior, Wisconsin.

Welcome another spectacular season of Minnesconsin/Wiscosota. Mark and Keith talk about their BIG plans for Season 2 of the Minnesconsin/Wiscosota Podcast. Keith files a field report from a winter bike ride across Lake Winnebago.

Welcome 2022! Keith and Mark are together again, this time on the frozen shores of Lake Como in St. Paul, Minnesconsin. Henry and producer Jen joins them as they argue about ice skating conditions and discuss what the new year will bring to the podcast. 

Mark and Keith discuss the best and worst of the first Minnesconsin/Wiscosota podcast season. What’s in store for season two? Tune in and find out what the boys have planned for 2022.

Mark and Keith wax up their surfboard and take listeners on a surfing adventure in the brutally cold and rocky waters of Lake Superior. Wetsuit required for this listening experience.

Yes, the podcast has gone international! Keith's nephew, Mark, is president of the Minnesconsin/Wiscosota Beijing China Fan Club and sits for an interview during a rare visit to the United States.

Keith goes camping with his friend Bob and files an extended field report from the beautiful Pattison Park in northwest Wiscosota. A rushing river, a giant waterfall and a peaceful night’s sleep. But someone forgot the camp stove. Will Keith and Bob make it back alive?

Diving falcons, hungry bears, giant eagles. You don’t have to venture deep into the woods to find wildlife in Minnesconsin/Wiscosota. Mark and Keith discuss up-close and personal encounters with critters of the northland. Essay: Mark takes a look at the Northwest Sands Auto Trail: Is this the real Minnesconsin/Wiscosota border?

Keith and Mark sample the pastries and donuts at A-Side Public House, a new hot spot in the West 7th Street neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kris & Jen join in the fun. 

Keith likes scones and croissants. Mark prefers donuts and cinnamon rolls. It doesn't matter where you stand on the Great Bakery Debate. In this podcast you'll find tips on the best sweets in Minnesconsin and Wiscosota. Mark files a Field Report from the Franconia Sculpture Park high above the St. Croix River.

Summer is over and it was a hot one. Mark and Keith talk about their "wild swimming" experiences in Minnesconsin/Wiscosota. Freshwater lakes, easy going streams, maybe even rivers with rapids. Minnesconsin/Wiscosota has plenty of ways to cool off with a quick dip. Field report: Keith and his friend, Tom, visit Lake Norrie for a wild swim.

Grab your life jackets, a cool drink, and some sunscreen because this week we’re going paddling in the beautiful blue – and sometimes dangerous – waters of Minnesconsin and Wiscosota. Field report: Keith stops and listens to the water. What does it say? Relax.

Mark and Keith take a road trip to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, home of the Leinenkugel Brewery, the little white rainbow bridge, and eccentric supercomputer inventor, Seymour Cray. Field report: Keith takes a paddle in Saxon Harbor and reflects on resilience in the wake of a natural disaster.

Minnesconsin and Wiscosota folks love cabins, but they do have a dark side. Keith remains bitter over a mocking he received from a near drowning incident as a youth. Mark remembers destroying the lower unit of a friend’s pontoon boat on hidden rocks. Keith fails miserably at waterskiing. Field report: Keith listens to the frogs. What are they trying to say?

It’s a live remote on two wheels! Ride along with the Minnesconsin/Wiscosota team as they bike to the St. Paul Farmers Market, purchase some produce, and head down the Mississippi River to the long lost rivertown of Lilydale.

Minnesconsin and Wiscosota are among the best places to ride a bicycle in the United States. Keith and Mark talk about the bikes they use, the places they ride, and the dangers of biking with a leashed dog. Field report: Mark crossed the border and hikes to the massive Fond Du Lac dam.

Keith makes an impassioned case for declaring Colby Cheese the official State Cheese of Wisconsin. But is he impartial? Mark celebrates the glories of the Burnett Dairy in tiny Alpha, Wisconsin. Walking with Henry: Keith leaves the headphones at home and enjoys the sounds of spring.

Keith remembers a standoff with a Wiscosota tornado back in the 1970s. Mark and Keith share their tale of watching a lightning strike torch a tree on Lake Kabetogama in the Boundary Waters. From the essay booth: Mark gets the home furnace fixed.

Mark remembers how the nuns got him hooked on Nut Goodies. Keith tries a Cow Pie live on the air with shocking results. Wiscosota-born actor Tony Shalhoub gets a shout-out. Keith does a field report during a blue hour walk with Henry, the Wiscosota mascot, where he remembers an encounter with a mink.

It's a midweek drop! Mark and Keith look at the creative ways people get around Minnesconsin/Wiscosota residents. A Lazy Boy behind the wheel? It can be done. Essay: Mark goes rock hunting on the North Shore.

Mark and Keith celebrate the wonders Turk’s Supper Club, a northwoods dining landmark that closed in 2013 only to be resurrected on the hipster streets of Brooklyn, New York. This is a must listen episode: Minnesconsin and Wiscosota on display in New York City. Field report: Keith walks by the best yard in his neighborhood: “You could eat off his sidewalk.”

Most people who live in Minnesconsin and Wiscosota love spring. Not Mark and Keith. Mud, ice, floods, wearing helmets when running -- spring is dangerous. Yet, Keith finds joy in the first run of spring in shorts. Mark enjoys listening to the birds and waiting for the first “Salty” on Lake Superior. Mark files a Field Report on a birding “lifer” from Mary Lou’s Feeders in the Sax-Zim Bog.

On a chilly day back in February, Mark and special guest Kris Uhlig talk about their adventures and discoveries while thrift shopping in Minnesconsin/Wiscosota while Keith mostly listens. On Walk With Henry: Keith ventures out on the coldest morning of 2021.

A timely topic as fishing openers are happening in Minnesconsin and Wiscosota. How did Keith grow up in Wiscosota and not become a fisherman? Mark is a Minnesconsin boy who has never caught a walleye. If you’re looking for tips on jig set-ups, the best depth-finder or how to filet that 10-pound northern pike, tune in elsewhere. This is hook, line and sinker talk from a couple of dead fish. From the Essay Booth: Mark remembers a fishing trip with dad that has an unfortunate turn.

Mark: “The Cadillac of sausage meat.” Keith: “Well, it would be the Mercedes Benz of sausage meat.”

The episode drops as grilling season in Minnesconsin/Wiscosota is about to begin. (It will also make many of you grateful for springtime since it was recorded it back in January.) As for brat-mendations, Mark recommends Yker Acres bratwurst out of Carleton, Minnesota and The Butcher and Cleaver in Siren, Wisconsin. Keith remembers a Lambeau Field brat. A Wiscosota Field Report from Keith on a run with Henry through Memorial Park.

Keith and Mark hop aboard a raft made of timbers and take a (virtual) trip down the Mississippi River to the wonderful town of Trempealeau, Wisconsin. Recording hiccups between the fellas continues this week but that doesn’t stop them from chatting about bike riding, opening a coffee shop, and Trempealeau’s historic hotel (don’t mind the freight trains blowing by at 2:00 a.m.). Mark files a field report while snowshoeing on the (almost) frozen Sucker River.

Keith and Mark talk about “Wind Chill Factor,” Victoria Houston’s Loon Lake murder mystery series, Wiscosota everyman Michael Perry and the harrowing boating adventures of Marlin Bree. From the Essay Booth: Mark visits the coldest gas station in Minnesconsin.

Minnesconsin/Wiscosota has some amazing state parks. Mark and Keith share their favorites. Keith passes the Wisconsin State parks quiz. A shovel inventor is remembered, and Keith declares “Blaze Orange” as the Minnesconsin/Wiscosota state color. Mark’s Moment of Zen captures buying donuts in Virginia, Minnesota.

Keith brews up a steaming pot of coffee but Mark declines a cup. Why? Listen to find out. The guys recall memorable coffee drinking adventures, including one at Trung Nam French Bakery in St. Paul. Mark declares Arco Coffee in Superior, Wisconsin, the official Minnesconsin/Wiscosota coffee brand. From the essay booth: Keith looks back on a frosty winter.

Washington County Historical Society Executive Director Brent Peterson joins the show to discuss the colorful past of Stillwater, the capital city of Minnesconsin. Prison. Bridges. The view from Pioneer Park. A stunning thrift store find leads Mark to the tragic tale of a great Duluth photographer.

Production note: Keith gets a new microphone while Mark continues to use his build-in computer mic. Attempts were made in post production to equalize sound between the two hosts and their guest. 

JFK loved the Hodag but he didn’t live long enough to see Kenny the Snowman. Mark and Keith talk about Minnesconsin oddities. Keith goes ice skating before work and Mark puts up outdoor lighting.

Listen as Mark shovels out his driveway after a winter storm. Snowblowers be damned! It's all about "shovel-robics." Keith looks forward to doing a little cross-country skiing on the Wausau River. Will he fall in?

From the essay booth: Mark burns his boots in a backyard bonfire.

Mark and Keith discuss their exciting new podcast about life in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Listen as they define the Minnesconsin and Wiscosota region. Do you where it is? Do you care? Recorded back in November 2020, you'll have a blast listening to their witty banter, clever antidotes and general silliness. Keith ends the show from the Essay Booth with a moment of zen in his kayak. 

Newspaper veterans Mark Nicklawske and Keith Uhlig introduce their new podcast about the great states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.