Aryn Henning Nichols

For author and activist Bobbi Rathert, adventure is always on the brain. She’s been a self-proclaimed “wonderer and wanderer” her whole life, traveling all over the world and exploring wherever she landed.

One thing about wandering is that it makes you appreciate the feeling of home even more.

Twenty years ago, after many years of living in Chicago, and before that, her hometown of Cresco, Iowa, Bobbi wandered to a ridgetop farm near La Crosse, Wisconsin. It was just the home she was looking for.

Bobbi has loved living in La Crosse for many reasons – its big city services with smaller-city access; its abundant and beautiful wildlife; the willingness and friendliness of its residents; its rich arts community; its biking and paddling options; and its college-town energy. 

“I also love the geography here, the rivers that run through it, the barges and other river traffic, city bus system, mobility features, maintained parks and recreation areas, and easy access to travel whether air, rail, or interstate,” explains Bobbi. “It is a city that is easy to navigate by car, bus, bike, or on foot. Some say it is because La Crosse is boxed in by ridges and the river, making it a long and narrow geography easy to decipher. I agree totally. I love to navigate through the neighborhoods and ridges alike. La Crosse has made the riverfront accessible to everyone, too, which many waterfront cities do not always accomplish.”

But Bobbi saw that La Crosse was not always accessible and welcoming in other ways, especially for members of its Black community and folks experiencing homelessness. As she neared retirement, she began to wonder how she could give back to her community.

In 2020, Bobbi watched a local film called Amplifying Black Voices. It featured Black youth and their parents in La Crosse, telling their stories of discrimination in the community. Bobbi was heartbroken and wanted to do something.

She watched the film again, wrote down the participants’ names, and proceeded to build meaningful relationships with them. “I witnessed the strength of the people in the Black community who frequently felt demoralized and discouraged when just getting groceries, going to school, applying for jobs, or accessing local services,” Bobbi says.

By then, she had started volunteering at Hope Restores, a La Crosse-based community organization that “supports, advocates, listens, and bridges the gap between the African American community and local services.” As she planned her next adventure, a solo kayaking trip the length of the Mississippi River, Bobbi couldn’t help but think of the folks served by Hope Restores. She wondered if she could use this trip as a tool to raise awareness and money for the organization. “One thing led to another when eventually a committee was formed and a name for the initiative was given: Paddling for Hope. In the end, there were so many pledges and much support that we raised $30,000,” Bobbi says.

In May 2022, Bobbi set out from the headwaters of the Mississippi in northern Minnesota. She paddled a total of 650 miles before succumbing to heat exhaustion and ending her journey. “I did not die on the river. I lived,” she writes in “The Truth on Water,” the book she authored, chronicling her experiences.

Writing a book and kayaking the Mississippi, both solitary and deeply personal, proved to have many similarities that one finds in uncharted territory. “Both required awareness of precise details and rapid learning and presented very steep learning curves with no one watching out but me,” says Bobbi. “Someone on my river trip said that a kayaker did not need to train to paddle the Mississippi because the trip itself was the training. The paddle, as well as the writing, proved this to be true. I was left with a deep sense of fulfillment from both even though I am not an expert in either.”

After being on this kayak trip where she slept in a different place every night, Bobbi was relieved to return to La Crosse. “I felt the peaceful experience of being back home, belonging,” she explains. “Then I noticed the difference between me and those living unhomed.”

On a walk along the river park in downtown La Crosse, Bobbi passed a large, active tent encampment, full of unhoused people going about on foot, riding bicycles, and carrying provisions from one tent to another. The contrast between her rooted experience and that of the people there was profound.

The idea to interview these unhomed community members was born. She wanted to learn their stories, hear their disappointments and dreams, and understand where they came from before they began living outside. Bobbi had a hope that sharing their stories may aid in the effort to find solutions for chronic homelessness.

Once she went out to actually talk to people, her resolve faltered.

“When I started to hear stories, I felt clumsy,” she writes in the introduction to her book, “Where’s Home,” the culmination of these interviews. “A voice in my mind kept asking me, ‘What are you doing!?’ I was so embarrassed of myself that I was even out there and obviously over my head. I didn’t understand any part of it and felt awkward and ill-prepared.”

Bobbi thought frequently about ending the project but reminded herself that she needed to finish what she started. For five months, she listened to people’s stories, feelings, and dreams and goals.

“The people started expanding, no longer in my periphery like paper dolls,” she writes. “They began to take shape and dimension. I began to remember names and their deepening stories…I was receiving phone calls asking if I was coming out, or informing me that their friends wanted to speak with me….stories poured out…sorrows and strengths, memories of moms, brothers, and school, obvious faith and ideas, jobs, hopes, and memories of grandparents, their children, and desires for home.”

In 2024, “Where’s Home: People Experiencing Homelessness In La Crosse County Share Their Stories On a Quest for Understanding, Belonging, and Stability” hit the shelves. The first four pages that encompass the introduction are the only part of the book that includes Bobbi. The rest features powerful stories of these local people living unhoused and tells of agencies and services that are working to help those experiencing homelessness. 

Bobbi’s engagement in social justice efforts is a heartfelt one. “I run on a belief that, if humans, particularly those privileged, are shown or can gain a better understanding, they will want to do good and contribute more toward the wellbeing of others – to be part of making that difference,” she says. “While my belief is not necessarily true in reality, it is in me to always hope for it.”

Bobbi’s love of the Driftless helps keep her hopeful as well.

“The Driftless Region is a wonderfully spiritual place to live. I feel blessed to know it has been my home since birth in Northeast Iowa and now in Southwest Wisconsin,” she says. “Of all places on earth, this has always been the most satisfying and enriching place for me to return. It is a deep joy to live here.”

As for her next adventure, for Bobbi, it’s just one of self-reflection. “I am on an adventure right now, one of finding my own self and what I need from my world. I have had an external outlook much of my life, regarding others and what I can do to be most helpful. So, nurturing a self-focus is a real adventure and time of discovery.” She adds, “I long for more kayaking and sleeping outdoors, so we’ll see!” 

Sara Walters

Sara Walters is a writer based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She has been a contributor to Inspire(d) since 2018.

Ryan and Allie Palmer have been “building” things together for 30 years. They met as teenagers, helping to build an orphanage on a mission trip to Africa. Ryan, originally from Missouri, and Allie, who grew up in Maple Grove, Minnesota, got married in 1998 and started building their life together. They called Washington state home during Ryan’s service in the Navy as a nuclear electrician, then later returned to Allie’s home state of Minnesota to raise their two children – Elliot, now 21, and Nadia, now 18 – and build successful careers: Allie as a “Jill of many trades” with a background as an interior finisher and handy(wo)man; Ryan as a real estate agent and commercial appraiser.

A decade ago, they discovered Minnesota’s bluff country as biking and kayaking tourists. “There’s so much to do and enjoy here beyond the trail and river,” says Allie. “Fun outdoor activities, the arts and theater, the restaurants. Ryan is a talented musician and stone sculptor, too, so the area’s art and music opportunities fit him like a glove. We decided to buy something where we wanted to be.”

After relocating to Lanesboro three years ago, they took community building to new heights.

“First we bought the former Red Hotel and renovated it into the Root River Inn & Suites,” says Ryan. “In 2023, we opened Paddle On Coffee & Maker Emporium, a combined coffee shop and handcrafted marketplace that gives local artists a platform to showcase and share their creativity.”

Spend some time in Paddle On and you quickly learn the Palmers care about much more than commerce – for them it’s all about community. On Sunday mornings, there’s a brunch and Bible Study. Mondays offer special discounts for medical and military personnel. Their website promotes a fun mix of monthly small-group gatherings like Fiber Fun, Puzzling Fridays, Crafters Workspace, Fillmore County Entrepreneurs Peer Group, Talking Philosophy, and more. 

Group size doesn’t matter. Some may have as few as two or three attendees, others comfortably fill the big back room. “We’re willing to try things to see what sticks,” says Allie. “Not everything does, but we always welcome ideas for new groups.” Just as special are countless spontaneous connections that happen as people drop in for coffee and end up chatting with friends old and new.

Ryan and Allie aren’t eager to call themselves community builders, though. “We’re more like community ‘instigators,’” says Allie. “We see ourselves empowering others to build the communities they want in our space. Our role is to listen, ask questions, discover needs, and encourage ideas. The slogan for our coffeehouse is “at the confluence of conversation & connection.” That describes what we want to happen here – providing a place for deeper connections.”

They do this because they enjoy people, but also because they know what it’s like to sometimes struggle to find your place in a community. “We’ve traveled and moved a lot; we know what it feels like to be people ‘on the outside,’ to not fit in or have a ‘place,’” Allie says. “That can even happen for people in small towns who have lived there for years but still feel alone. We want to create places where people feel welcome and comfortable.”

A perfect example of these efforts was on display at Paddle On last New Year’s Eve. “We invited people to an ‘early’ celebration instead of ‘let’s make it to midnight,’” Allie says. “We called it ‘I Like My Sleep New Years Eve Party.’ We figured it would be easier for families and people of all ages to join in. But we weren’t sure if people would come.”

Show up they did. From late morning on, the coffee shop was filled with dozens of people playing Bingo, Scrabble, Pictionary, crafting, listening to music, hanging with old friends and making new ones. People just being together. A disco ball fell at noon, with help from a fishing pole and celebratory countdown.  “It was a fun mix of people,” said Allie, “all connecting, laughing and playing together, a nice way to start the new year.”

Instigating new projects takes commitment and creativity. Hard work, too. Running multiple hospitality businesses – the Palmers recently assumed management and did a design refresh of the rooms at the former Iron Horse Inn – can be a lot of pressure. Allie and Ryan have implemented some personal strategies to handle it all.

“We’re intentional about taking one day off every week,” says Ryan. “We schedule longer times away when possible but also find that taking a break for a few hours for a walk or bike ride can be just as refreshing.”

Allie agrees. “We’ve learned what recharges us. For me it’s putting my feet up to watch a sunset. When we get tired, we also do the parts of our jobs we really enjoy, like spending extra time visiting with guests or working the Paddle On counter.” Ryan, still a realtor, gets jazzed working with clients. “I love talking with people contemplating a move to Lanesboro or starting a new business here. That’s fun for me.”

“We don’t look at what we do as ‘jobs,’” Allie continues. “It’s all about relationships; that’s where we find our energy.” 

Steve Harris

Steve Harris (www.steveharrisauthor.com), a freelance writer and author of two books (“Lanesboro, Minnesota” and “Dads Like Us”), thinks few places in Lanesboro (on earth?) are more comfortable than sitting in front of Paddle On’s fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate.

Confidence comes from tackling new challenges. Decorah artist Hannah Tulgren has found this to be true, even if moving in new directions sometimes sparks moments of self-doubt.

“There’s always a reason to not do something, right? It’s not the right time, or I need to wait until this moment, and once I get that mural done then maybe I can do another one,” she says. “I’m just putting more trust in myself, and putting more trust into the art that I’m creating, and feeling good about it.”

Hannah’s creativity unfolds in the form of pencil drawings, watercolor projects, acrylic and oil paintings, graphic design work for brands, and even large wall murals. Each experiment expands her portfolio and clarifies her artistic vision.

For example, Hannah remembers her first large-scale mural project as “a huge learning process.” Set against a pale backdrop in the mezzanine of Impact Coffee, a busy downtown gathering spot, the artwork echoes Hannah’s whimsical floral watercolors with delicate white outlines, distinctive layers of gold and black, and a kaleidoscope of leaves and pastel blossoms.

“I’d never painted on a wall that big. I was up on scaffolding for the first time. It was a really big undertaking,” she says. “I love that mural. I grew a lot from that one.”

Lately, Hannah has tackled plenty of new growth opportunities. 

In October 2024, she joined the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce after five years with Pulpit Rock Brewing Co. In the months before that move, she helped organize an art market for the city’s Live on Winnebago event. The free music and art festival returned in September, after being paused for nearly 20 years. Hannah has also unveiled two downtown Decorah murals, including a 24-foot commission depicting a red fox weaving through a field of flowers.

Each accomplishment moves her forward.

Artistic roots

As a child, Hannah took every art class she could. She grew up in River Falls, Wisconsin, parented by a mother who involved her in craft projects and a father who was a proud Luther College graduate.

“He always wanted one of his kids to go there, and I took him up on the tour,” Hannah says.

Luther’s art program and Decorah’s small-town energy prompted her to enroll, and a Norwegian class encouraged her to learn more about her Scandinavian heritage. Hannah ultimately double majored in art and Nordic studies. Along the way, she studied at the University of Oslo.

That semester abroad – including the opportunity to explore the Lofoten region, north of the Arctic Circle – influenced Hannah’s artistic style. She started painting abstract landscapes and sketching trees reminiscent of those she saw on her travels. After graduating, Hannah further immersed herself in the culture while working as an administrative assistant at Luther’s Nordic studies center.

Today, Scandinavian threads weave through much of her work.

“The digital stuff is heavily inspired by Scandinavian folk art, but I put my own twist on it,” she says, pointing to things like clean lines, rudimentary shapes, and sprightly animals.

Nature plays a starring role in many of Hannah’s paintings. The leaves and wildflowers she notices while walking with her dog in the Decorah Community Prairie might show up in pencil drawings. From there, she washes the shapes in watercolor and later adds white highlights and ink accents.

“In some of my paintings, I’m not focused on that structure. I love the whimsy of it, and I’m not necessarily striving for this perfect line. I’m thinking it through, but I also am not as careful,” Hannah says.

Her floral watercolors and Scandinavian-inspired pieces have proven popular at The Perfect Edge in Decorah. The frame shop gallery was packed when it showcased Hannah’s work as part of a December 2024 art crawl. Residents and visitors alike love her well-priced, locally made artwork.

“She really provides a type of art that people are searching for. It’s like a modern twist to rosemaling, almost, or Scandinavian art,” says shop co-owner Jerita Balik-Burreson.

The Perfect Edge team has framed several commissions that Hannah has painted, too, including portraits celebrating treasured pets. Custom designs might incorporate local flowers or portray a pup running along a riverbed. Hannah listens to each family’s stories and chooses elements that make the paintings more memorable and meaningful.

Customers appreciate Hannah’s kindness and attention to detail.

“She’s so nice. She’s just modest, and people are drawn to that,” Jerita says.

A can-do attitude

Beer enthusiasts might recognize Hannah’s positive vibe from the social media videos she made as Pulpit Rock’s marketing manager. In addition to hosting weekly “What’s Up Wednesday” updates, she handled wide-ranging design and branding projects for the business.

Hannah shot product photography and designed stickers, apparel, and merchandise. She also turned special-release beers into playful works of art. She poured wax into the bottom curve of beer cans to create candles for an anniversary release. Some holiday-season bottles were topped with miniature gift boxes that she wrapped meticulously. (“I hid seven gifts inside of the presents on top, so people actually had to unwrap them,” Hannah says.) 

Other releases were adorned with petite pinecones or itty-bitty balloons. One year, Hannah topped 125 bottles with tiny, hand-made party hats.

“I hot glued my fingers together so many times,” she laughs.

Hannah mostly worked in watercolor, oil, and acrylic before joining the Pulpit Rock team, and some of her brewery designs reflect that background. But the job also took her down a new creative path.

“At Pulpit, they said, ‘If we buy you an iPad, can you design our labels?’ And I said, ‘Sure. I’ll figure it out,’” she remembers.

To learn the ins and outs of digital design, Hannah experimented with new tools and watched videos by other artists. In the process, she created logos and labels that established a more cohesive visual brand for the business. She continues to support those branding efforts through freelance projects for Pulpit Rock.

Embracing digital art helped Hannah rethink how she approaches her personal artwork, too.

“I’m still learning a lot. I’m still figuring things out, because I’m self-taught. But mocking up murals is so much easier, and I’m able to convey my ideas a bit faster when people are looking for something,” she says. “I owe a lot of that to Pulpit trusting me with their label design. It opened up so many doors.”

A growing audience

Robert de los Rios, founder and president of The RAW Project: Re-imagining Arts Worldwide, learned about Hannah’s art when he first visited Pulpit Rock several years ago.

Robert’s Miami-based nonprofit brings professional mural artists into schools, where they lead projects that beautify walls, inspire students, and engage communities. In late 2022, Robert invited Hannah to create a mural at a Miami elementary school. Her painting puts a folk-art spin on Florida nature, with simple blooms surrounding a brightly colored pelican, alligator, and grouper. Each is embellished with flowers.

“What I love the most about the artists that I work with is that they understand the environment they’re painting. Hannah wanted to do fun, playful work at the school. The kids are obsessed with her mural. It’s one of their favorite ones,” Robert says. “It’s wonderful, colorful, beautiful, and simple. She uses the negative space very well. And the animals are adorable.”

“That was such a wonderful experience. The kids got to hang out and talk with us, and I got to meet some incredibly talented artists that do murals as a profession and travel the world,” Hannah says.

Closer to home, Hannah recently worked on a large mural in the new Sunflower Discovery Center. Designed to teach children about local agriculture and watersheds, the images include local crops and common prairie flowers, along with intricate root systems and a scattering of butterflies, ladybugs, earthworms, and other creatures. 

Hannah also created the first piece in the Empower Decorah Postage Stamp art series, a public art initiative that’s bringing small displays to downtown alleyways. Her floral mini-mural hangs on the exterior of the Impact Coffee building.

Hannah’s classmates in Empower Decorah, a chamber program for young local leaders, chose her to create the mural on behalf of their class. Now, as a member of the chamber staff, she hopes to help expand the postage-stamp mural program.

In addition to shining a light on other artists, Hannah is excited to continue refining her own artistic style.

“The more you learn, the more you change,” she says. “My style is always going to change, I think. But at the root of it, I just want people to feel happy when they look at my stuff.”

Sometimes, when she takes her coffee to an upstairs table at Impact, Hannah sees customers snapping selfies in front of her first big mural. The moments are always joyful.

“If I can continue giving people that happiness, or I can make something pretty for someone’s dorm or house, then that makes me very happy,” she says. “I’m figuring it out still, but I think I’m doing okay.”

Renee Brincks

Renee Brincks (reneebrincks.com) writes about travel, nature, nonprofits, and small businesses.