Alcatraz Marks 50th Anniversary Of Famous Escape

by Sean McLachlan on


They said Alcatraz was escape-proof, but 50 years ago yesterday, three prisoners made an ingenious break out, paddled out into the cold waters of San Francisco Bay and disappeared.

On June 11, 1962, Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin were ready to bust out of prison. Over the past year they had patiently chipped away at the air vents in their respective cells with spoons. At night they’d replace the vents and cover the expanding tunnels with pieces of colored cardboard.

On the night of the breakout they squirmed through the tunnels into an unused service corridor and made their way to the roof. To keep the guards from noticing they were gone, they left behind dummy heads in their beds made of paper maché and real hair gathered from the prison barbershop.

From the roof they climbed the barbed wire fence and floated away on a raft made of rubber raincoats. They were never seen again. Fragments of their raft and plywood paddles were found on Angel Island, two miles away from Alcatraz. Footprints led away from the raft and a car was stolen that night.

A fourth man, Allen West, didn’t make it to the rendezvous in time and was left behind.

Did the three men escape? Despite many rumors, none of them were ever found. A ship’s captain said he spotted a body floating in the bay wearing a prison uniform. The body wasn’t recovered. Their files remain open.

%Gallery-158021%According to legend, they would return to Alcatraz for a visit on the 50th anniversary. As unlikely as that sounds, US Marshal Michael Dyke spent yesterday on Alcatraz hoping to catch the aged fugitives. He left at the end of the day disappointed.

Alcatraz, also known as “The Rock,” started life as a fort. During the Civil War, local Confederate sympathizers and privateers were imprisoned there. It continued as a military prison through World War I, when it housed conscientious objectors. Alcatraz became a Federal prison in 1933 and was used to keep the most troublesome prisoners. Its guests included such model citizens as Al Capone and “Machine Gun” Kelly. It was closed in 1963.

Now Alcatraz is a National Park and open to the public. Visitors can see the prisoners’ cells and other areas, as well as the escape route of Morris and the Anglin brothers. All access to the island is via the private ferry company Alcatraz Cruises from Pier 33. Check out the gallery for some views of the prison, as well an intriguing shots of the escape route.

[Photo courtesy Bruce C. Cooper]

Gadling Gear Review: Brooklyn Outfitters Wolfjaw 16L Backpack

by Kraig Becker on

Over the years, major outdoor gear companies like North Face and Patagonia have built billion dollar businesses out of selling their various jackets, base layers, packs and other equipment. But these days some of the highest quality and most innovative gear comes from smaller, lesser known companies who mix a passion for adventure into their designs. Many of these boutique gear companies are the result of climbers, backpackers and paddlers creating the specific gear they need simply because they can’t find it anywhere else. Such is the case with a company called Brooklyn Outfitters, which makes a small, but very high quality, line of backpacks that were clearly designed by outdoor adventurers for outdoor adventurers.

As the name implies, Brooklyn Outfitters is located in New York City and in addition to creating their own line of gear they also regularly organize a series of short outdoor excursions and seminars. I haven’t been lucky enough to join them on one of those day trips just yet but I have had the good fortune of putting one of their packs through its paces. Over the past couple of months I’ve been testing the Wolfjaw 16L backpack and I can honestly say that I’m very impressed.

The Wolfjaw is a no-frills, minimalist pack that will appeal to day hikers, peak baggers and rock climbers alike. Its simple, yet unique, design hugs the body nicely, doesn’t restrict motion and stays in place while on the move, which is important for those that like to hike or climb light and fast.

Made from lightweight and durable fabrics this pack can take a beating without showing a hint of wear and tear. Better yet, those same fabrics are also waterproof and when combined with the unique buckled top enclosure – which resembles something you’d find on a dry-bag – you can be sure that the contents of the pack will stay nice and dry even under the wettest of conditions.Staying true to its minimalist roots, the Wolfjaw features just one main storage compartment and a second front organizational pocket. Both are large and can swallow up more gear than the 16-liter size would typically imply, but there were times where an extra pocket or two could have come in handy. Access to the main compartment can also be a bit frustrating at times as whatever piece of gear you need will invariably be on the bottom and difficult to find.

On multiple occasions in this article I’ve used the term “minimalist” to describe this pack but that doesn’t mean that Brooklyn Outfitters has skimped on the options in the Wolfjaw. For example, the bag includes a dedicated internal hydration sleeve that makes it easy to carry a couple of liters of water on your adventure. The designers have also incorporated an easily adjustable hip belt, multifunction compression straps and a foam pad that provides solid back support. Those looking to shed excess weight from their pack will be happy to know that both the compression straps and foam pad can be removed.

I used the Wolfjaw on a variety of trails, as well as while climbing, and found that it was comfortable and carried a full load of gear very well. The shoulder straps aren’t particularly thick, but still provided plenty of support, and the hip belt helped lock the bag into place, keeping it from moving unnecessarily. I appreciated the fact that this bag wasn’t constantly shifting about while hiking or climbing and didn’t limit motion in any way either.

Not everyone will appreciate the Wolfjaw’s minimalist approach and for those who need more storage or organizational options, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. But outdoor and adventure athletes in need of a well built, comfortable pack that was designed specifically for their needs will find a lot to like with this bag. With a price tag of just $99, the Wolfjaw also happens to be a fantastic bargain, particularly for a pack that is made in the U.S.A.

In addition to the Wolfjaw 16L, Brooklyn Outfitters makes a couple of other packs as well including a larger Wolfjaw 34L and the smaller Panther 14L. If those packs share the same high quality and attention to detail as the Wolfjaw I tested, the company has some real winners on their hands. This small company could be in for big things down the line.

Photo Of The Day: Standing On The Cliffs

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Look out! It’s a long way down in today’s photo, brought to us by Flickr user Buck Forester. Similar to the shot Alex selected this past Friday, today’s photo was also taken along the gorgeous beaches of Kauai in Hawaii, just from an entirely different perspective. Instead of walking along this rugged island’s eye-popping shoreline, Buck takes us to another view high above the waves below, providing this colorful, vertigo-inducing look at the view from the top.

Taken any great Hawaii photos of your own recently? Or perhaps at a beach near you? Add them to our Gadling group on Flickr. We might just pick one of your shots as our Photo of the Day.

Top 3 Places In The US To Experience LEGO-Mania This Summer

by Melanie Renzulli on

LEGOs – show me a man, woman or child who doesn’t love these little plastic building bricks and I’ll show you three exhibitions that will impress them to pieces this summer.

LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition
National Building Museum, Washington, DC
Through September 3, 2012
The LEGO exhibit “Towering Ambition” has been wowing visitors to Washington, DC’s National Building Museum since 2010. On display is the LEGO artistry of Adam Reed Tucker, one of only 11 LEGO® certified professionals in the world, who re-created 15 of the world’s most famous buildings and monuments out of toy bricks. See scale models of the Empire State Building, Gateway Arch and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, also known (for the time being) as the tallest building in the world. For the final months of this exhibition, three DC-area design companies have contributed equally intriguing LEGO builds of other iconic landmarks which collectively total more than 75,000 bricks.Sculptures Built with LEGO® Bricks
Reiman Gardens, Ames, Iowa
Through October 28, 2012
Beautiful Reiman Gardens, the largest public gardens in Iowa located at Iowa State University in Ames, invited Sean Kenney, another LEGO-certified artist, to create 27 nature-inspired sculptures arranged in 14 displays. A hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower, a bumblebee, a monarch butterfly, fox, a moth orchid, and a bison with a calf are just a few of the incredible LEGO builds throughout the grounds. The sculptures range from six inches tall to eight feet tall and approximately 500,000 bricks were used in the exhibition.


Nathan Sawaya: The Art of the Brick
Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, Florida
Through August 19, 2012
Sculptures ranging from lovers embraced in a kiss to Mount Rushmore make up this eclectic exhibition in Hollywood, Florida, featuring the works of master LEGO builder Nathan Sawaya. Many of Sawaya’s past works, such as his LEGO replica of the flag raising at Iwo Jima, have earned him permanent exhibition space at museums around the world. So this show of mostly new works will be worth checking out.


Of course, in addition to these three exhibits, LEGO enthusiasts can visit several official LEGO venues throughout the United States. There are now LEGOLAND theme parks in Florida and California as well as four LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in the U.S. (and four more worldwide).

[Photos: National Building Museum; Flickr user McLeod; Art and Culture Center of Hollywood]