You can almost hear the splash of water on the rocks in
this beautiful photo of a waterfall
taken by scubadiver. I chose this photo from the
Gadling Flickr Group (which we welcome you to join. We usually pull
our Photos of the Day from there), but he has some other great pictures on his
Flickr page as well.
Take It Outside: Blog
Joe Miller, an outdoors writer for the Charlotte Raleigh-Durham (thanks Monty) News-Observer writes
an excellent little blog called Take It Outside that
covers the outdoors in North Carolina. Right now, he’s covering the Cycle
North Carolina (CNC) event, a statewide bike ride, that this year covers some 462 miles between Asheville and
Wilmington. But there are also some posts on
paddling (North Carolina has some epic white
water), camping and, well, pretty much anything dealing with the outdoors. It’s well-written and definitely worth
checking out of you’re from the region…or even if you’re not.
Glen Caynon National Park
Although not a reality yet, Backpacker Magazine heralds
Glen Canyon as the next great national park. Almost a year after Erik wrote about the
re-emergence of Glen Canyon, the magazine gives us an
updated peek at the amazing natural restoration that is unfolding in southern Utah. This
narrated slideshow vividly illustrates how the
disappearance of Lake Powell is bringing renewed life to over 125 canyons for wildlife to flourish and for hikers to
explore. Learn more about conservation efforts at the Glen Canyon Institute
and read about grassroots efforts to get national
park status for the area.
Nordic Walking in Switzerland
What looks a lot like cross-country skiing with no snow and no skis?
Nordic walking. This
speed walking activity with two special poles is used for full-body
training. The sport is easy on joints, stimulates circulation and can be practiced anywhere though Switzerland’s
snow-topped mountains make for an amazing backdrop. An alternative to hitting the slopes or one for the few who can’t
get the hang of large, long, foreign objects being attached to the their legs. If you feel prepared to hit the trails
without any
courses
on Nordic walking check out this list featuring some of the
country’s best
trails and parks for the gentle sport.
Fodors Gives Props to Channel Islands
Having just
been to the Channel Islands for some superb kayaking, hiking, camping and
general hooliganism, I was very pleased to see that Fodors
gave this little cluster of islands off the coast of California some due. Even though they sit out there just 20 or
so miles from Ventura (which is about 2 hours North of LA), it is rare for the several campsites there to be full…and
even then, it’s usually just Boy Scouts.
These islands rock. I mean that, too. They’re all made of rock. Volcanic stuff, sandstone and guano. Hmm, guano. But
they are also fun, fun, fun. We stayed at Santa Cruz island (most of which is actually off-limits and in the hands of
the Nature Conservancy), but I’ve also camped at Santa Rosa. Santa Cruz is the largest of the islands and there is
probably more to do there than the others since the sea caves that yawn from the cliff sides make for some epic sea
kayaking. There is also fine hiking around all the islands, with some of the best views this side of the Pahokees.
Anyway, t’was sweet to see these islands get some attention…they deserve it and are worth a look if you’re in search
of a far away place that’s not so far away.