From Crop Circles to Sasquatch to the Mothman, mysteries abound in the
outdoors. Outside’s Bruce Barcott and other writers
delve into some of the more
perplexing and enduring mysteries and puzzles…for example, my favorite: what happened to
DB Cooper? Did he live to spend
his millions (was it that much?). Well, you won’t get the answer here, but it will refresh your memory of some of these
perplexing occurences.
Spring in Whistler
It’s one of my favorite places on the continent…the finest ski area around and also an excellent spot for mountain
biking and general frolic. Budget Travel has got a piece on the
virtues of Whistler in springtime, and all the kick a%$ stuff to do there, including ample wildlife viewing (no, I’m
not talking about Spring Break type wildlife).
Bally’s Total Casino
At Bally’s Casino less is more and more involves luxury,
privacy, quality, and FUN of course. The casino
can be found in Tallinn, Estonia and hosts three guest houses to sleep in. Each room,
and I am judging off the pictures, looks like a premiere spot to place one’s head in Tallinn, but I could
be very wrong. What I know for certain is they have WiFi connections in all the rooms for any worried about their
Internet. The restaurant also looks pretty swanky and I bet you’ll find some of the best Nordic Tallinn in
town here. In any case the there are tons of games at the casino for all the high rollers who get a rush off that
stuff. I’m not too into gambling away any precious euro’s, so you won’t find me there, but look out for me in
other parts of Estonia.
The Story of the Alpinist
I blogged about the magazine the Alpinist before, but I had no idea what an interesting history the magazine has. In
this month’s Outside, that story is told,
and who knew it was so fascinating. The mag was started by Christian Beckwith and has the
financing of some dot com gazillionaires. Each issue of the magazine is like a collector’s item, featuring detailed
expedition stories, some as long as 10,000 words, and in-depth “mountain profiles”. As Outside puts it, the
“Alpinist is a throwback to a simpler era, one in which readers actually had time to read.” Sort of like the
New Yorker on ice.
Rafting the Salmon and Learning
When I lived in Colorado way back when (and worked one summer as a junior rafting guide) the Salmon River in Idaho
was considered one of those great rafting trips you simply HAD to do. There are lots of outfitters out there that offer
trips, but
this one by Road Scholar has a particular allure for me because the company does a nice job focussing on the
natural history of an area. Rather than getting some clueless, pot-smoking guide, their guides tend to be pretty
knowledgable. This trip down the Salmon offers the opportunity to discuss wolf and grizzly re-introduction, fisheries
management, and conservation ethics with naturalists.
A nice to way mix adventure with learning.