I wonder if when this house was first built near Brockville, Ontario Canada, the owners realized that their home would be photographed one day as a perfect version of a haunted house. That’s exactly what Bryson Gilbert did when he snapped this photo earlier this year. With Halloween coming up this weekend, Gilbert’s photo seemed fitting. The black and white treatment and the ominous clouds add to the eeriness. Would you want to be here after dark? What lurks behind those shuttered windows?
If you have a photo to share, send it our way at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool. It might be chosen as a Photo of the Day.
It’s time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly spooky selection of happenings. It is Halloween weekend after all. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!
Denmark – Since the first Music Harvest in 1985, the festival has presented contemporary music from the USA, Russia, Britain, Germany, Hungary, Finland, Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic countries, as well as from Denmark. The event takes place in Odense. It begins Wednesday, October 28 and will continue until November 7.
Cambodia – Coronation Day a major religious holiday all over Cambodia and commemorates King Norodom Sihamoni’s Coronation. This event takes place this Thursday, October 29th.
Ottawa – One World Film Festival is a platform for filmmakers and the public to exchange ideas and information about issues of social justice, human rights and the environment. The event begins Thursday October 29 and continues until October 30.
Hong Kong – Wine and Dine Festival is part of the a range of food and wine events in Hong Kong. The event begins this Friday, October 30 and continues until November 1.
Las Vegas – The Professional Bull Riders Finals take place this Friday, October 30 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The event is followed by the National Rodeo Finals later in the year and will continue until November 8.
Transylvania – Halloween in Transylvania is a special event that will be held this Saturday, October 31,. The festival includes tours, shows and celebrations that follow the footsteps of Bram Stoker’s novel character, Count Dracula.
If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was. If you know of an even that’s coming up, please let us here at Gadling know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.
When it comes to long distance treks, the U.S. is blessed with not one great hike, but three. Most people already know about the Appalachian Trail in the eastern part of the country and the Pacific Crest Trail in the west, but the third jewel of the trekking Triple Crown is the Continental Divide Trail, which just might be the most scenic and challenging of all.
The CDT stretches for more than 3100 miles from the border of Canada at the northern end to the Mexican border in the south. In between, it runs through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, as it winds its way through some of the most rugged and remote mountain regions in the United States, including the San Juans, the Sawatch Range, and the Tetons, amongst others.
The trail derives its name because it runs directly along the Continental Divide, which marks the barrier between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean drainage basins. To one side, all the rivers run west to the Pacific, while on the other, they turn east toward the Atlantic. The Rocky Mountains, running from northern Canada, down through the U.S. create this effect, and serve as a dramatic backdrop to this long distance hike.Unlike the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest, the CDT is not quite complete yet. Right now it is constructed of a number of smaller trails and roads that are interconnected, and while hiking those paths, the difficult can range from a moderate to strenuous hike, with altitude playing a role in the challenge. There are some areas however where the trails do not meet, forcing trekkers to bushwhack their way through rugged backcountry. The CDT also happens to be longer than those other two trails, stretching nearly a thousand miles further in length than the Appalachian, and more than 450 miles longer than the Pacific Crest. Add more elevation gain to the mix, and you’ll begin understand why this trail is held in such high regard.
Due to the very rugged, and remote nature of the CDT, there are fewer thru-hikers then there are on the other long distance trails in the U.S. It takes roughly six months to cover the entire distance, and various segments provide different, and very unique challenges. For example, in the south, along the leg that runs through New Mexico, there is little water to be found, forcing hikers to bring plenty of their own, although local hiking groups do supply water caches at strategic points along the way. In contrast, at the northern end, in Montana and Idaho, trekkers may find plenty to drink, but will instead be dodging grizzly bears and gray wolves.
While the Continental Divide Trail may be the forgotten leg of hiking’s Triple Crown, it is spectacular none the less. The trail is less crowded than its companions, offers more challenges, and is more rugged and remote too. For those that have already completed the AT and the PCT, the lure of the CDT is too much to pass up, and they find that it is worth the hike, and quite possibly surpasses those other two trails in nearly every way.
The latest issue of National Geographic Adventure has just hit the newsstand with a special treat inside for adventure travelers looking for their next big trip. The magazine has listed its selection for the 25 best new trips for 2010, offering up suggestions of places to visit in nearly every corner of the globe.
The list is organized in alphabetical order by destination, starting with Bhutan and running through several U.S. locations as well. Each of the locations also has a tour operator associated with it, and clicking on the text will give you a more detailed description of what you can expect on your adventure.
No matter what draws you to adventure travel, you’re sure to find something on the list that appeals to you. For instance, if you’re up for a challenging kayaking adventure, head to Bhutan with Bio Bio Expeditions, where you get the opportunity to make the first descent on a previously unpaddled section of the Drangme Chhu River. Does an island adventure sound more enticing? Then plan a trip to Sri Lanka with Access Trips, where you can go surfing and mountain biking through that amazing setting. And for those who would prefer a little more rest and relaxation with their adventure, there is always the Muang La Resort in Laos which offers jungle escapes that includes luxury rooms and a deluxe spa. That trip is available through Asia Transpacific Journeys.
No one knows adventure like National Geographic, and you can bet that each of these trips will deliver in that category. With 2009 quickly coming to an end, it is never too early to start planning your own adventures for 2010, and this list is a great place to start.
Katerine and I formulated a fun plan. When she was in New York last month, we met for a hotdog at Chelsea Papaya, on West 23rd Street and Seventh Ave. This is one of many hotdog-and-papaya joints in the city, and I chose it because of the contrast with the surrounding neighborhood. Who would think to grab a dog in one of the trendiest parts of Manhattan? The restaurants in Chelsea are beyond impressive, which made a great backdrop for our experiment. Two days later, in Montreal’s Plateau neighborhood (a French Canadian cousin to Chelsea), we’d meet again for a local dog – this time at Mont-Royal Hot Dog. In the end, we’d compare notes on our respective blogs.
The major difference between New York and Montreal – or, specifically, their hotdoggeries – is style. In Manhattan, the dogs are grilled, and the roll may be warmed on the grill briefly before preparation, but the dog itself is the main event. Montreal boils its hotdogs, but what it does with everything else is most impressive. This is something I’ve noticed elsewhere outside the United States, especially in Scandinavia – the dogs are passable, but the surroundings are winners.
%Gallery-75814%
The fare at Chelsea Papaya snapped when bitten. It was crisp, with a burst of distinct grilled hotdog flavor unleashed on your taste buds from the instant consumption begins. While some prefer onions or slaw on their dogs, I tend to go with just a little ketchup and mustard at Chelsea Papaya – to enhance the hotdog without concealing its flavor.
Mont-Royal’s dogs were at a slight disadvantage, being steamed instead of grilled. Steamed dogs do come across a tad on the bland side, making the ketchup and mustard more important to the experience. Yet, if you adopt the local style for “dressing” a hotdog, the entire experience changes.
Yes, “dressing.”
Order a hotdog “all dressed,” and you’ll receive it with coleslaw, chopped onion and mustard, with the fresh slaw providing the feeling of crispness missing in plain boiled hotdogs. A complexity of flavor results that uses the hotdog as the canvas rather than the masterpiece. The other aspect of the Montreal hotdog that shouldn’t be missed is the toasted roll. Again, you get the crispy feel, but the warmth is also important. There’s nothing worse than cold soggy bread (which happens, sometimes, with hotdog rolls) – this will never happen when you order your hotdog “toasted.”
The dog shops in Manhattan would be wise to offer a toasted roll, though it’s probably impossible to do so, given the number of people places like Chelsea Papaya serve every day.
As we navigated the hotdog world, I have to admit that I let Katerine go down a road that couldn’t end well. While at Chelsea Papaya, she decided to mix in her mouth a bite of hotdog and a sip of the papaya drink for which these establishments are known. Sometimes two good things aren’t good together, as you’ll see in the video. (Sorry about that, Katerine!)
So, who wins?
Well, in the interest of maintaining friendly Canadian-American foodie relations, I won’t say which is better. But, I will tell you that when I head up to Montreal, I’ll definitely end every hotdog order with, “toasted and dressed” – there’s no other way to put a few back up there.Disclosure: Tourisme-Montreal picked up the tab for this trip, but my views are my own.