Mississippi traveler and author Dean Klinkenberg is the guest on this week's podcast. Dean has spent many years traveling the Mississippi river and he provides his insights, assessments and thoughts for the future of this important waterway. You can follow Dean's work on his blog at mississippivalleytraveler.com. 

Dean Klinkenberg has written the Mississippi Valley Traveler series, which currently includes three books that cover portions of four states along the Mississippi River (Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota).

• The Quad Cities Travel Guide, released in June 2009, has 128 pages of detail on the cities of Bettendorf, Davenport, Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, Hampton, Pleasant Valley, and Riverdale, plus a separate section on Arsenal Island.

• The Lansing to LeClaire Travel Guide was released in November, 2009. The 360-page book has detailed information for 47 historic communities like McGregor/Marquette and Dubuque, Iowa, plus Galena, Illinois and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

• The Driftless Area: Along the Mississippi River from Hastings, Minnesota to Lansing, Iowa and has 376 pages of local history with listings of attractions, restaurants, and places to stay for 54 communities like Red Wing, Wabasha, and Winona in Minnesota, La Crosse, Trempealeau, and Alma in Wisconsin, and the villages around Lake Pepin.

These books and more can be purchased directly from the Mississippi River Traveler site.