Prague Music Festival

by Erik Olsen on

Even if Prague now has a reputation as one of the most Americanized cities in Europe, it is still a fascinating and
fun town. A buddy of mine just moved there, in fact, and says that the city, despite the Starbucks and McDonalds, still
maintains it charm.

So it’s worth noting that over the first weekend in June, the
United
Islands of Prague music festival will take place and could be a great event to check out if you’re lucky enough to
be in Europe at the time. A performance by local favorite Bradley Stratton is just one of the must-see events. Check
out the others here.

Good Chicken Noodle

by Adrienne Wilson on

It never fails.  Forget getting sick on vacation, every ime I come back from a trip I get sick.  Ugh!
My throat hurts and the works!  Seeing how I noticed this trend a while back I always
like to stay well stocked with chicken noodle soup when I get back.  Heading out to a good restaurant for
good soup involves way too much effort when you’re already under the weather, but it never hurts to know where the
good chicken noodle soup is located in your area.

Today’s spotlight is on the Guatemalan, El
Tinajon out of Chicago, IL.  Word is they’ve got some delicious chix noodle soup provided it’s a bit more
ethnic than the basic Campbells.  What fills the bowl?  Misty Tosh who writes for
Centerstage describes
it as nice pieces of moist chicken, with salty broth-infused potatoes and carrots in a homemade chicken broth. 
It’s affordable and it also goes well with chips, salsa, and a couple of drinks.  Good catch whether you’re under
the weather or not.

Watershed Dry Bags

by Erik Olsen on


Any long paddling trip, or even a scuba trip for that matter, requires that you keep your gear dry. I almost lost a
camera once thinking it wasn’t going to get wet, and then when my boat tipped it almost slipped into the deep blue
yonder. A $1000 camera gone like that. Fortunately, I caught it, but what I should have had on that trip was a good dry
bag. Now, whenever I’m paddling I bring one along. On long paddles, I bring several.

If you’re in need of a good dry bag, an excellent place to look is Watershed. They even nailed the domain
drybags.com, so you know they’re doing something right. One bag to look
at is the

Watershed Yukon. It runs about $125 and has welded seams and a pretty nifty “Zipdry” closure. These bags keep out
the moisture extremely well, and allow to carry valuables you might not otherwise bring….like a camera, spare clothing,
food, camping stove, and so on.

Baja on Bike

by Erik Olsen on

When I think of Baja, I think of driving into dusty beach towns with my buddies, buying cases of Corona for $5 and
eating fish tacos on the beach as the tide comes up. Mark my words, watching the tide come up while eating fish tacos
and drinking Coronas in Mexico is a fine way to pass an afternoon.  But I will admit it’s not the most active way
to spend a day. For that, you might consider riding
mountain bikes in Baja. These guys do it and have a kick ass time cruising old mule trails and chomping tortillas
in the shade. Key word there: shade. I warn you, it’s hot as hell down there, so fill up your water bottles. And after
a good day of riding, THEN pick yourself up a case of Corona.

Truffle Scuffle

by Erik Olsen on

I’ve had truffles before. No big whoop as far as I’m concerned. Kind of mushroom like, good flavor, but nothing to
die for, let alone get arrested. But it seems many disagree. In parts of Europe (Italy in particular), one type of
truffle, the
WHITE truffle is such a big
deal that people risk incarceration to get their hands on it. Of course, the reasons for this fungal malfeasance are
more economic than gustatory. The treasured tuber is the second most expensive food in the world. What does the white
truffle taste like? Aficionados say its flavors are a mix of methane gas, garlic, and soil with hints of honey, yeast,
and mushrooms. Excuse me? Is it just me or does that also sound like the description for a particularly healthy
turd?