Grizzly Story in Alaska

by Erik Olsen on


Hold on to your seats when you

read this one. The LA Times has an intense story about a couple rafting in Alaska who encounter the fury of a
charging grizzly bear. Not for the feint of heart, this story will make you reconsider your next trip to our largest,
wildest state.

The couple, Kalin Grigg and Jennifer Stark, start out psyched about their trip. All is quiet and peaceful as they draw
easy strokes while on a rafting trip through Alaska’s Arctic
wildlife refuge. But then they spot a blond grizzly not far off. Thankfully, they are downwind and believe they are
safe. But then the bear spots them and comes after them. They have a gun, but they have to cross the bear in the river
with just two feet of water beneath them. Easily enough for the bear to attack. The narrative here is fast-paced and
riveting. The two make it out OK, but others are not so lucky. This is the kind of story that makes you ponder how you
would react in a similar situation. Gnarly.

35 Places for Great Pie in Montana

by Adrienne Wilson on

As a public service project for the rest of us travelers, Garth Sundem took on eating pies from all
over the state of Montana. He wants it to be known just how big of a role pie plays in
Montana’s economy, though I think all this was merely do to his wanting to sightsee and grab a free slice or
two. Can you blame him? Besides, I would never eat that much pie in my lifetime. Whether or not Garth was truly
looking out for the rest of us pie lovers, he did put together a pretty nice list of
35 places
to get the best pies in Montana, found in Montana Magazine. Below each restaurant you’ll see he has
generously stated which pie is recommended to taste. From blackberry, apple, peach a la mode to sour cream raisin,
it looks as if he really tried them all. Sour cream raisin? Hmm… or Mmm…? I’ll take his word on that one.

Shrimping in Alabama Waters

by Adrienne Wilson on

Outdoor Alabama

has a lot of information on fishing, hunting and even this little bit on
shrimping
which seemed to catch my eye. I’ve been fishing a couple of times and I enjoyed relaxing in
the boat waiting for my line to pull and the excitement of catching the smallest catfish ever. I never reeled anything
big in or anything nearly as massive as the
646-pound catfish netted in
Thailand. Not to get too deep into fishing, I’d imagine shrimping to be just as relaxing.
The piece found here, offers info on open
and closed shrimping areas, shrimping rules and a place to get your license online. Though I didn’t spot any shrimping
trip packages or vacation tips, it looks like a good way to start making your own package as they provide a
semi-detailed map to the areas surrounding the Gulf of Mexico and that right outside of Mobile Bay. (Mobile Bay is
temporarily closed to shrimping at this time.)

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets, Grocery Stores Galore!

by Adrienne Wilson on

When thinking about a food piece to blog about tonight I decided to skip out on the old boring
restaurant avenue. The path is far too beaten with too many choices in cities I’m no where
near. (Am I a little angry? No.) Food thrills me and so does dining out, but when I started to think back on some
of the times where I was most excited about foods in a different and new environments, the grocery store came to
mind.  Going to the grocery store on my trips outside the country and even inside have been trips within
themselves. Searching for the right toothpaste or tomato paste suddenly gives me giggles as I look at all the
unfamiliar packages. Trying to make sense of the labels and find something similar to what I use at home becomes even
more challenging, but a tasty adventure. My stories on groceries stores from Piggly Wiggly in the American south
to somebody’s small mercado in Madrid are endless. So I’ll pass.

Here is a piece from a site completely devoted to expats residing in Jakarta, Indonesia on
Supermarkets and Hypermarkets. They go over how the produce
is taken care of, imported goods, and a mini history of supermarkets in Indonesia. Additional links on the site include
restaurants in the area, a housing forum, and doing business in the area. Fun to browse if you’ve got nothing to do or
like groceries stores as much as I do.

Photo of the Day: (8/04/05)

by Erik Olsen on

I got a nice heads up via email from ahmedzahid, whose photos
from the Maldives are really cool. This one, that he
entitles The chomping frumpies crumple playfuly with the crunchy lunch, which is probably the most creative
title we’ve seen, is one of many teriffic shots. Posting shots from the Maldives…how cool is that?