I visited a good friend of mine in Winona this weekend and it quickly became clear to me why he chose to go to school at Winona State.

Having never been to Winona, or anywhere even near it for that matter, I was totally unprepared for so much "WOW" in one weekend. Driving into the city and the surrounding area of Winona County, I was immediately aware of the changing landscape; it was so different than the flat and monotonous suburbs that I've grown to love. Whether it was the looming bluffs, the Mississippi river, or the many lakes I passed (Lake Pepin especially), it became increasingly more difficult to pay attention to my driving and to the dull asphalt of Highway 61.

As it was raining on my first day in the city, my buddy and I didn't get outside much, however we did go on a tour around the town. I'd be lying if I said that my first impression of Winona wasn't that it was a smallish, stereotypical hick town, filled with small residential homes and a bunch of family-owned, ma' and pa' style businesses. While this analysis isn't totally off, I missed the mark by a mile by assuming the city would be full of conservative right-wingers. I saw a few large and loud, lifted pick-ups, of the compensatory nature no doubt, but I suppose that's to be expected in any town. I didn't notice any "Make America Great Again" signs and I was treated very warm and genuinely in most places I went. It seemed to me that Winona is one of those places where people say "Hi" and give others friendly smiles whether they know them or not. Furthermore, I saw tons of anti-fracking yard signs and more than a few Bernie bumper stickers, which led me to believe I may have found myself in some sort of progressive paradise.

On Saturday morning, after getting coffee at a place called Mugby Junction (a great name, I agree), my friend and I headed for the bluffs.

Winona is quite literally surrounded by bluffs, so it wasn't too hard to find a solid hiking trail with a good view. After hiking for twenty minutes, which was really just climbing for most of the time, we found ourselves at the top of a mountain, by my untraveled standards at least, and if I do say so myself, good gracious were those bluffs bodacious.

After hiking for a few more hours and being extremely delighted and content all the while, I decided that I was very fond of Winona.

The city is filled with beauty, both natural and man-made, and has a very genuine and homey atmosphere. My feeling of contentment that I had while hiking never really went away during my time in Winona. I think that being surrounded by so much nature is one of the healthiest things for a person, physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, etc. The city's surrounding bluffs are a constant reminder of how incredibly HUGE the world is, which for me was a reminder of how little I am in comparison. This may sound negative to some people, but for me it relieved the pressure I feel to do big things and be an important person in the world, whatever that means. Winona, in all its underrated beauty and glory, reminded me that we are all collectively a part of something bigger. We generally perceive the earth to be belonging to us, but I learned this weekend that it is the other way around; I belong to the Earth and I am a part of nature. This weekend I was extremely happy to take in the nature of Winona and to be a part of that nature, just as the warm and welcoming Winona community seems to be.